5 Reasons to Fall for Paso Robles

July 7, 2017wsbrandsites

Located along U.S. Highway 101 in the center of California’s Central Coast lies Paso Robles, one of California’s fastest growing wine regions. Paso Robles, or “Pass of the Oaks,” boasts a climate that is ideal for wine growing and is home to more than 40,000 vineyard acres.

Purple Cowboy wines are produced with grapes sourced from Paso Robles. Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red and Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet Sauvignon both capture the sense of maverick western adventure and open spaces found in Paso Robles.

Aside from being home to our favorite wines, here are our top five reasons to fall in love with Paso Robles:

Location

Close to the ocean, the mountains and the desert, Paso Robles is halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along California’s Central Coast. Paso Robles is easily accessible by one of the area’s airports or by car via Highway 101.

History

Winemaking and grape growing were introduced to the area in the late 1700s by Franciscan Friars, but the area was first known for its rejuvenating hot springs. Later during the late 1800s, it became known as the “Almond City,” possessing the world’s largest concentration of almond orchards. The early twentieth century ushered in the city’s first commercial wineries.

Hot springs

Thermal springs in the area are said to have healing powers. The Salinan Indians, some of the area’s earliest inhabitants, knew the area s the “Springs” or the “Hot Springs.” Take their cue and after a long day of sightseeing and wine tasting, consider a relaxing dip in these therapeutic waters.

Sights and scenery

When you’re not wine tasting, take a stroll along one of the area’s scenic trails. Try the Salinas River Walk or Shoreline Trail. Don’t miss a visit to Hearst Castle. William Randolph Hearst, along with architect Julia Morgan, created an American castle to showcase Hearst’s legendary art collection. The 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways are worth a look, too.

The wine

Paso Robles Wine Country, with its warm days and cool nights, is home to more than 40 wine grape varieties. The region produces Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian wine varieties, as well as Zinfandel and almost everything in between. You may need to plan a return visit to check off more than 200 wineries in the area.

Use a few of these resources to plan your next trip to Paso Robles:

Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance

Travel Paso

Fodor’s Travel Guide to Paso Robles

Happy traveling!

Father’s Day Feast

June 15, 2017June 16, 2017wsbrandsites

Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet is perfect for the dad who loves movies starring John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Randolph Scott. This wine captures the love of all things western. It’s sturdy enough to stand proudly next to a Father’s Day feast of grilled Porterhouse steak, barbecued ribs and over-sized burgers.

Tips to Grilling Greatness

Prep and maintain your grill for barbeque success.

Keep your grill grates clean! At the end of grilling, while grill is still hot, brush grill with a steel grill brush and then lightly oil with a clean kitchen towel.

Avoid washing your grill grates with detergent or abrasive cleaner. Much like a good cast iron pan, your grill will form a layer of carbon and become a non-stick surface—but only if you don’t use harsh cleaners!

Essential grill tools: Long pair of heavy-duty, spring-loaded tongs, long heavy-duty spatula, long-basting brush, long-handled stiff metal grill scraping brush and a spray water bottle to extinguish flare-ups. Except for the spray bottle, commercial restaurant grade is best! Webrestaurant Store and Amazon are good on-line sources.

For either gas or charcoal/wood grills: be sure to preheat grill with lids closed for three minutes and re-oil the grill grates prior to grilling.

Thinner cuts should be placed directly over heat (direct heat grilling). Larger, thicker cuts should be cooked away from the source of heat with the lid closed (indirect heat grilling).

Handle meat a little as possible during cooking.

Great reading (and Father’s Day Gifting) about grilling and barbequing from the experts:

License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger
Franklin Barbeque: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin
Steven Raichlen’s BBQ USA
Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky

Cheers to a fantastic Father’s Day Feast!

Queso and Purple Cowboy for the Big Game!

January 27, 2017wsbrandsites

Next Sunday, eyes will be glued to the TV, watching THE big game of the year. Our bellies will be glued to all the tasty treats this all-American tradition entails. The Wine Sisterhood shared this almost-effortless queso dip recipe that is perfect to bring along to that game-day party.

Queso

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper – chopped fine
1 onion – chopped fine
3 stalks celery – chopped fine
1 pound hamburger meat
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 18-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 4-ounce can of diced green chile peppers, drained and rinsed
2 pounds American cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step one: Open a bottle of wine, pour yourself a glass and sip. (Don’t forget! You can search for any of the Middle Sister Wines using the wine locator here. And remember, all of the wines featured in this post are available in the Middle Sister Online Wine Shop.)

Step two: Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.

Step three: Add bell pepper, onion and celery, stir to combine. Saute vegetables for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add hamburger meat, stir to break up. Cook until brown. Add taco seasoning. Stir through until combined.

Step four: Add drained diced tomatoes and rinsed chile peppers. Stir through until combined.

Step five: Add American cheese in chunks and stir through to incorporate.

Serve with tortilla chips or large corn chips and enjoy! Keep a batch warm in a slow cooker for all-day enjoyment. Pair with a glass of Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet!

Burgers and Cabs!

June 7, 2016July 14, 2016wsbrandsites

Happy cookout season, friends! With temperatures rising outside, these days we’re planning our meals around what can be tossed on the grill. And, with Father’s Day just around the bend, we’re lining up our favorite grilling recipes for an ample amount of summer cookouts.

When it comes to grilled meats, we recommend our award-winning Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet. This wine recently won double GOLD at the Taster’s Guild 2016 International Wine Competition and pairs deliciously with grilled red meat. Try Trail Boss with thick grilled cowboy steaks, tri-tip, roasts, stews and burgers.

Speaking of burgers, this recipe for bacon burgers topped with brie is on our must-have list this season.

Wishing you and yours a very happy Father’s Day and incredible summer ahead!

Bacon Burgers on Brioche Buns

(recipe via Food & Wine)

INGREDIENTS

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 slices of thick-cut bacon (12 ounces)
3 pounds mixed ground chuck and ground sirloin
12 ounces brie, sliced
8 brioche burger buns, split

Preheat oven to 400°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the onions with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast until softened, about 20 minutes. Bake the bacon on a lined baking sheet while you’re roasting the onions (provided your oven can accommodate both).
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the lemon juice. Gradually whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Form the ground meat into eight patties. Season generously with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Grill over moderately high heat until well-browned on the bottom, 5 minutes. Flip the burgers, mound the brie on top and grill for 4 minutes longer, until the cheese is slightly melted and the burgers are medium-rare.
Spread the lemon mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns; set the burgers on the bottoms and top with the bacon and onions.

Warm Up with Texas Slow-Cooker Chili

November 3, 2015November 3, 2015wsbrandsites

The weather outside these days reminds us how perfect this time of year is for gathering friends and family round a warm, comforting meal at home. During the fall, chili likes to make an appearance at all of our favorite events.

Today, we’re sharing one of our favorite slow-cooker Texas chili recipes, from our friend Helen Jane. Thanks to the help of the ever-versatile slow cooker, prep and cooking can happen well before meal time, which frees up your attention to more important matters, like pouring yourself a glass of wine!

One of our favorite pairings with red meat-based chili and stew like this is Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet, from Paso Robles, CA.

When thinking about toppings and sides, we’re big fans of corn bread, sour cream, chopped onion (green and/or white), cilantro, chopped tomato and lots of shredded cheese.

Cheers to a fabulous fall!

Slow Cooker Texas-style Chili

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 (4 pound) beef chuck roast trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes (see note below)
2 teaspoons salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, cored, seeded and finely diced (add more if you like it spicier)
4 cups low sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1-1/2 cups beer
1 can canned crushed tomatoes

Garnishes

Fresh chopped cilantro
Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Lime wedges

Instructions

Mix the chili powders, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and cornmeal in a small bowl.
Stir in 1/2 cup water to form paste; set aside.
Season the beef with the salt; set aside.
Add vegetable oil to Dutch oven, heat to medium-high. Brown the beef over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Remove and add to slow cooker.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved chili paste and sauté. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook 2 minutes more.
Add the beef broth to the Dutch oven and stir with a whisk until the spice mixture is completely dissolved. Scrape the bottom of the pot with the whisk to incorporate all the flavor. Stir in the other 1 ½ cups water, beer and crushed tomatoes.
Add the whole mess to the slow cooker. Put on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Serve with garnishes – we also like to serve with corn bread.

Trail Boss Cabernet is Golden!

May 19, 2014May 19, 2014wsbrandsites

We’re feelin’ mighty fine this May… Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet won GOLD at the San Diego International Wine Competition!

Competing against hundreds of other wines, Purple Cowboy was judged and tasted blind by three-person panels comprised of experienced wine professionals, including winemakers, sommeliers and wine journalists.

The San Diego International benefits the charities of the Social Service Auxiliary (SSA) of San Diego, which supports funding for a youth camp in San Diego. Over the past three decades the SSA has provided thousands of “camperships” for deserving area children.

Haven’t sipped on Trail Boss Cabernet yet? Stop by our online Wine Shop and pick yourself up a bottle!

Purple Cowboy Wines: Tenacious Red, Trail Boss Cabernet

trail boss