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abril, 2020
Home Plate
Stir it up: With restaurants closed for dining across the country, home cooking is having a moment. Likewise, virtual happy hours. Funny how even when we’re apart, food and wine can bring us together. Whatever lies ahead, here’s hoping the cooking habit takes root in more homes and people continue their virtual meetups with distant friends and family.
If you’re not going to restaurants, you can still eat like you are. Chinese-style fried rice is easy to master, and this version goes straight from stove to table. California’s asparagus growers are wrapping up their season this month. Pick up a couple of bunches so your beautiful fried rice can have an encore performance. Toasted almonds add crunch and another taste of California (the state grows 90 percent of the global crop), and a swirl of spicy Chinese sesame oil adds a nutty fragrance. How diverse our modern pantries are, thanks to California’s many immigrant communities!
A glass of California Pinot Gris (aka Pinot Grigio) will make your fried rice a feast. If your wine selection is running low, no worries. You can still purchase and pick up at California wineries, observing social distancing, and many wineries can ship right to your doorstep. How easy is that? Wine is for the good times and for the other times, and it’s nice to know that the state’s wineries will not let our glasses run dry.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
April is Down to Earth Month in the California wine world, a time to celebrate the state’s leadership in sustainability. Because they can’t welcome you with festivities for now, many California sustainable wineries are offering discounts on wine and shipping so you can continue to enjoy their products at home. Consider joining a wine club or two; you’ll get wine shipped direct to you, plus access to exclusive member events and releases. Check out our awesome list of offers from California’s sustainable wineries and order from the comfort of your couch. You can pick the wine up if you’re in the neighborhood.
The Pour
Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio?
The good news is, you don’t have to choose. Some California vintners choose the French wording (Pinot Gris) to suggest that their wine is Alsatian in style: fragrant with, perhaps, a hint of softening sweetness. Others choose the Italian wording to imply a leaner, brisker style. But whatever the name, the grape is the same—a white grape with a pinkish skin that can give the wine a bit of a blush. Play the field and you’ll discover whether you’re more of a Gris or a Grigio type.
Meet the Grapes: Explore more wine pairings
Wine Institute is an association of nearly 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses from the beautiful and diverse wine regions throughout the state. Wine Institute works to create an environment where the wine community can flourish and contribute in a positive fashion to our nation, state and local communities. For information please contact communications@wineinstitute.org.