Recent news, stories from the winemaker, happenings around the winery, recipes and more!
Bud Break -Spring is here the defining season for every winemaker!
2020 Andis Bud Break
Mark Fowler, Andis Wine Maker
Spring is here, the defining season for every winemaker! We just wrapped up winter pruning in the vineyard in February, and are now eagerly anticipating spring and bud break.
Bud break signals the beginning of this year’s vine growth. As the soil temperature rises so does root pressure, bringing once dormant buds back to life. The buds start to swell and get felty until finally the first and second leaves start to unfold.
Spring is the most nerve racking time of the year for us as a single frost can damage an entire crop. If the temperature drops below 32 degrees the delicate buds may be destroyed. If temperatures rise too much the grapevines will grow too rapidly focusing energy on producing leaves instead of berries. Mild springs are ideal for encouraging slower growth.
If the weather is in our favor small shoots and leaves, required for photosynthesis, start to develop on the vine. As the vine grows more buds may develop, these buds are removed to allow the vine to focus its energy on the intended growth. Eventually small flowers start blooming and tiny bunches of grapes start to grow. At this early stage we can start to determine the size of the crop and berry. Everything that happens in the spring defines the rest of the season!
Follow along with our 2020 harvest as we update our blog and social media all season long.
Take a walk through the vineyard with Andis Wine Maker, Mark Fowler - YouTube - In the Vineyard
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Creamy Mushroom Bow Tie Pasta Recipe
Spring is upon us in California and in wine country that means it's time to start the transition from red to white wines. As the days start to warm up and we spend more time outside reaching for a chilled glass of white wine can be the perfect addition to your day.
Salads and seafood are often easy pairings with white wine but we enjoy the richness of this Creamy Mushroom Bow Tie pasta with our 2018 Old Vine Semillon and our 2019 Cuveè Blanc. Both wines impart the perfect balance of citrus and bright pops of acidity that help cut through the richness of this pasta.
CREAMY MUSHROOM BOW TIE PASTA
2 c. bow tie pasta
4 oz. pancetta
2 T. shallots or onions, chopped fine
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms white button or cremini, 1/4" diced
3 T. buttered
fresh ground pepper
6 T heavy whipping cream
4 T parmesan, grated
1 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
squeeze of fresh lemon
1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water for time listed on package.
2. While pasta is cooking, sauté pancetta in a large sauté pan over medium heat until pancetta is crisp. Remove pancetta and drain on paper towel. In same pan add mushrooms & onion a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Continue to sauté until mushroom liquid has cooked out.
3. Add butter to the mushrooms and onion. Once butter has melted add heavy cream. Stir over medium heat until sauce has slightly thickened.
4. Add cooked pasta directly to your sauté pan. Toss pasta to coat in sauce.
5. Sprinkle pasta with grated parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve hot out of pan.
Adapted from Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Mushroom, Ham and Cream Sauce.
Becca's Dutch Baby Pancake
Seems like everyone could use something warm and puffy right now. Our very own Rebecca Bozzo is sharing her recipe for a Dutch Baby pancake. Create a little bit of sunshine in your day with some simple pantry ingredients and then top it with powdered sugar, a decadent sauce or nothing at all.
We want you to enjoy Andis Wines at home with whatever you're cooking so we're offering -
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DUTCH BABY PANCAKE
2 Tbl Butter
3 Eggs
1/4 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Flour
3/4 c. Milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Melt butter in cast iron skillet or other oven safe pan. Remove from heat once butter has melted and set aside.
3. In a medium size bowl or blender mix Eggs, Sugar, Flour, Milk and Vanilla. Pour in pan with melted butter.
4. Bake in skillet for 20 minutes. Pancake should puff up in oven.
5. Serve warm. Dust with powder sugar, squeez of lemon of with Plum Sauce.
Plum Sauce
5 oz jar Jamnation, Plum & Get It (or Ohter jam)
1/2 Meyer Lemon
1. Heat Jam over low heat, squeeze half a Meyer lemon into jam. Stir and drizzle warm over Dutch Baby.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
Follow along with Becca on our YouTube Channel!
Soup is still on! Pumpkin Sausage Soup
We were planning a "Soups on Weekend" in the tasting room but since we're all trying to navigate our new reality we wanted to share some of our most requested recipes with you to try at home. We want to provide easy, delicious recipes with ingredients you can hopefully, still find in the stores or already have in your pantry. Since we are a winery, producing some of our best vintages yet, we're going to offer up some suggested wine pairings too.
Our Pumpkin Sausage Soup is our most requested recipe. We make it in large batches to feed our guests attending some of the most popular events in Amador County including, The Big Crush and Behind the Cellar Door. We didn't think you needed to make soup for 400 so we've included a recipe below that will feed a more manageable number of 6! It’s soup not science so feel free to play around with the ingredients, try using turkey sausage or tofu and vegetable stock for a vegetarian option. Top with almonds, pepitas or goat cheese for a different twist.
We drink wine with everything we cook at Andis! Try our Sauvignon Blanc which pairs well with the rich combination of savory pumpkin and sweet coconut milk featured in the recipe, it's a natural wine and food match! The soup is also hardy enough to pair with Zinfandel or Barbera if you're in the mood for red wine.
We want you to enjoy Andis Wines at home with whatever you're cooking so we're offering -
Free Shipping* when you order 6 bottles or more. Visit our online shop to order your favorite wine!
PUMPKIN SAUSAGE SOUP
2 lbs bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15oz cans pumpkin puree
32oz chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
sea salt & black pepper to taste
2 tbsp toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp pear, finely minced
1. Saute sausage in a large stock pot over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add onion and continue to saute, stirring occasionally until sausage is just cooked through and onion becomes clear, 10-15 minutes. Add garlic for the last 5 minutesof cooking time.
2. Carefully remove all but 1 tbsp oil from the pan. Add pumpkin and stock to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cinnamon and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. At this point you can serve or transfer to a crock pot to keep warm until ready to serve. NOTE: If the soup reduces too much, add more chicken stock to thin the broth.
Proving Barbera is More Than a Blender
Two words define Andy Friedlander’s move from a successful commercial real estate business in Hawaii to a vineyard and winery in Amador County: “Yes, dear.” After more than 50 years in real estate, Friedlander and his wife, Janis Akuna, a certified financial planner and financial advisor on Wall Street, were ready to start planning the next stages of their lives. The couple made a trip out to Amador County and within just a few days fell in love with the open spaces and communal camaraderie—not to mention the opportunity to purchase great vineyard land and build a brand. The idea for a winery, though, was Akuna’s, and Friedlander jokes that he “just obliged.” And so, Andis Wines was born.
Andis Wines completed construction of its 22,000 square-foot production and tasting facility in 2010. Today, the building, which is located on Shenandoah Road in Amador County, serves as a hub for visitors to the Sierra Foothills, hosting regional tastings and events. The wine brand has grown since its conception, increasing production up to 8,000 to 9,000 cases, depending on the vintage, to match both direct-to-consumer and wholesale success—and now the brand has moved into the next phase, what it calls a “bold new era.”
In 2016, Friedlander and Akuna contracted renowned winemaking consultant Philippe Melka and his company, Atelier Melka, to breathe new life into their brand, to produce more a modern style of wine from its estate vineyard, as well as the many vineyards they’ve purchased from. Andis Wines has always sourced from several heritage vineyards in the Amador County area, including the Original Grandpère Vineyard, owned and farmed by Terri Harvey in Upton, with its 150-year-old, gnarled Zinfandel vines. For Melka, working with Andis Wines is an organic evolution away from Cabernet Sauvignon in California—Andis was the right place, at the right time.
“The Foothills have a good microclimate, diversity of soils,” said Melka. “It’s very clean but shows depth of gravelly soils. It gives truth and is totally transparent.” Though Melka consults, it is Maayan Koschitzky who operates the day-to-day winemaking. Inspired by Melka, Koschitzky and the rest of Atelier Melka, Andis Wines also re-designed their labels with the 2017 vintage release to express the winery’s revived dedication to producing outstanding wine from the region.
The new labels feature either the winery facility on those wines made from younger vines, or a twisted Zinfandel vine for those made from old vines. Another new concept came from national sales manager, Lorenzo Muslia, to help explain to customers what Barbera is and what it should taste like. It was his idea to lean into the Italian heritage inherent to the region and create the “Barbera d’Amador,” a fun play on the traditional Italian Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba wines.
Viticulture in Amador began in the 1850s, when the area was flooded with eager Gold Rush hunters. Many of them were European and most Italian. These immigrants planted the first grapevines, and that Italian influence persists to this day. Zinfandel remains the most popular variety, and the Foothills is home to a few surviving vineyards that date back to the 1800s.
But Barbera also took a strong foot-hold. Typically used solely as a blender variety until the late 1980s, this thin-skinned and vigorous grape grew well in the hot, arid Amador climate and is still successful to this day. High-yielding vineyards can consistently produce 10 to 11 tons per acre, when left unchecked. Andis Wines never shied away from using it as a standalone variety. With its naturally high acid and low, smooth tannins, the red grape can produce a refreshing, food friendly wine from Amador—just like it can in Italy.
The 2017 vintage is the first that Koschitzky and Atelier Melka produced from start to finish. To make the Barbera d’Amador what it is today, Koschitzky built a new process line to deal with the softer skins, hoping to capture a fresher profile, control the tannins and tame the potentially overwhelming acid. He used a high percentage of whole berries and didn’t crush in order to achieve that profile. The 2017 vintage is still a very young wine, and Koschitzky pointed out that it has the potential to age well and hopes that, whether consumed now or put down for a few years, the end product showcases the high-quality of Sierra Foothills Barbera.
Going forward, Andis will continue its focus on wines of site, highlighting the best of older vines and the diversity of Amador and Sierra Foothills viticulture. In addition to Barbera, Andis produces four Zinfandels (three in its Old Vine Series), a Painted Fields Series (blends of local varieties), and varietally labeled Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Schioppettino, Grenache Noir, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc.