Outdoor Adventure USA, LLC

OAUSA Net – July 30, 2020 – Wine in the Outdoors

This week’s net will cover the subject of wine in the outdoors.

Wine is a great companion when recreating in the outdoors as long as done responsibly. That means after the day’s activities and in a safe place like around a camp fire. Many people enjoy a glass of wine with their meals while savoring the fresh air and scenery of the great outdoors. In fact, I’ve found that a glass of wine with a home-cooked meal prepared in a Dutch oven while sitting around the campfire with friends is one of the nicer pleasures of life.

Our returning guest and our favorite Wine Master is Lynda KI6SXI. Lynda is a wealth of information on wine and will talk about wine making, wineries, wine tasting, corks, box wines, reading labels and much more.

We will review several wines. If you want to follow along and give us your input Thursday night, consider purchasing a bottle of any of the wines we post up.

We hope to revisit some of Lynda’s previous suggestion from the net or even the wine tasting we have done t past Field Days and Borrego Fest.

Has a particular wine become a favorite?

Remember – you cannot be mobile if you are drinking wine (or any alcohol or any of those wacky cigarettes)!!

Two new wines to discuss

Tributus - Cabernet from Paso Robles
Make sure you pick up the bottle that has Paso Robles on the right side of the label. It is priced at about $12. There is another identical bottle that is from Napa priced at just under $50. Available at BevMO. I put a red line under Paso - look there.

Gravel, sand, silt and clay soils create the classic hallmarks of the Paso Robles appellation: Dark purple color, cherry, plum and black currant fruit aromas and flavors.

Be sure to let this one breath.

2018 Predator Old Vine Zinfandel (750ml)
Zinfandel from Lodi, California
An intense, full-bodied wine with red fruit, blackberry and spice. Lingering tannins over a long, smoky finish. Bright raspberry, blackberry, black pepper and smoky oak. Bold red raspberry, cherry, juicy blackberry, black pepper with smooth tannins.

Prior Goodies

Gnarly Head Old Vin Zin

$9.99 BevMo!

Lodi Zinfandel. As I pulled up to the 80-year old Zinfandel vineyard, my first impression was, wow, those vines sure have some gnarly heads! Thus began a fifteen year love affair with Old Vine Zinfandel. Lodi has some of the oldest vines in California. Unlike modern rows of trellised vines, these old Zinfandel vines were grown as free standing head trained vines. Today they resemble wild bushes with twisted old trunks and branches that spread out in all directions sprouting leaves like unruly umbrellas - truly Gnarly Heads. Our grapes are hand-selected from some of the oldest and most respected vineyards in Lodi. Older vines produce fewer grape clusters, but the small berries yield concentrated fruit flavors characteristic of great Old Vine Zinfandel. Rich, dark berry flavors from the small grape clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak, which creates layers of licorice, plum, pepper and vanilla. This luscious combination provides a lingering and spicy finish. This wine pairs well with barbeque, pizza, hearty pastas, chili and ribs. we start with gnarly grapes and we finish with gnarly wines. Alc 14.5% by Vol.« less

$9.99
BevMo!


McManis Petite Sirah


$9.99 to $10.99

There's lots to like in this soft, simple Petite Sirah. It shows the variety's full-bodied tannins, and its flavors of blackberry and cherry jam are ripe and juicy.

Winemaker Notes
The 2018 McManis Petite Sirah is full-bodied and rich purple in color. A delicious wine from front to back, leading with aromas and flavors of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and rich black fruit. The mid-palate is driven by mocha notes that carry through to the long, luxurious finish.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

We saved this spotlight for our annual Wine Net. This product comes under the heading of, "how to get the most out of your "quality, expensive" wines. When you spend good money on an excellent bottle of wine, but are not able to finish the entire bottle, saving it for another day always carries the certain risk that it will not be as good, or in most cases, even close.

Over the years there have been a few different approaches to preserving the quality and taste of a just-opened-bottle, but they were prohibitively expensive or just didn't work. When wine is exposed to air (or more precisely, oxygen) the flavor will start to change. To some extent, this is good, as in letting a wine "breathe" or when the bottle is decanted. The good part of this process however, will only last for a few hours, and after that, oxygen will start to degrade the flavor of that bottle in relatively short order.

One partial, and inexpensive cure for this problem has been wine vacs, and to a very limited extent, they can help, but not by much. The problem, of course, is that the wine vacs do not remove all of the oxygen from the bottle, just some of it, and that which is left will, not can, have it's effect.

A perfect solution is to prevent your wine from being exposed to oxygen, and that solution is now available from Coravin, https://www.coravin.com/wine-systems.html. Their wine preservation systems offer a unique means to completely avoid the effects of oxygen on your expensive bottle of wine, thus keeping it available for enjoyment long after the first glass is poured. This is how it works (from their website):

The Coravin Wine Preservation System is easy to use – just insert, tip, and pour. Place the Coravin Wine Preservation System on top of the bottle and push the Needle through the cork. Coravin works on all cork-sealed, still wines. Tip the bottle as if you are pouring from an open bottle. Quickly press the trigger to pressurize the bottle. Release the trigger to pour into your glass. Tip the bottle back up to stop the pour. Remove the Needle by pulling the system straight up. The cork will reseal naturally and continue to protect your wine for weeks, months, or even years.

The Coravin system is not for everyone. It is a little pricey, but if your wine cooler is stocked with expensive wines, this is one great way to get the most from each bottle.

One last note: Coravin wine systems are increasingly finding their way to some of the better restaurants, and they will usually say so on their wine lists. It does make a difference.

From the Coravin website:

Please check me in. Thanks.

WD6USA
Jeff, Highland, California

Please check inn
K9atk brian
K9fog trish
Kd0exi cheyenne
Kd0rha tyler
Kd0gpe austin

Wine Safari

Rancho Sisquoc

TEMPORARY OPERATING HOURS
The gates are open, and we are welcoming guests back to the ranch for bottle and select wine by-the-glass service. Bottle purchases to go and wine club pick ups are welcome.

WINE PURCHASES TO GO & WINE CLUB PICK UPS
Monday through Sunday, 10am to 4pm

SEATED WINE TABLE SERVICE
We are offering bottle service and select wines by-the-glass with a reservation system. This will help us ensure we are not over-crowded, and that each person has a safe space to enjoy their wine. Each reservation is for 90 minutes with a maximum of 6 people in each group, including children. You can make your reservation by emailing sisquoc@ranchosisquoc.com
Please select from one of the following time slots for your visit to the ranch;
Monday to Thursday; 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm
Friday to Sunday; 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm


To ensure the health and safety of both our guests and staff, we have adopted a new set of strict guidelines posted by the state of California and the CDC, for us to get our space re-opened.

Please adhere to the following:

Masks must be worn in all common areas but can be removed once seated at your table.
Reservations are for 90 minutes maximum (please be respectful of the time)
Parties are limited to 6 people, including children.
Children must stay seated at the table.
Tastings will not be offered, only bottle or by-the-glass purchases.
No picnic blankets or lawn chairs are allowed.
Outside food is permitted.
Like always, you are encouraged to take your souvenir glass with you.
Reservations are required, we cannot accept walk-ins
Here is what you can expect from us:

You will be greeted and seated by one of our hostesses.
All staff will wear gloves and masks during service.
Our staff will diligently clean all surfaces throughout the day.
Bathrooms will be cleaned every hour.
Service with a smile, even though you won’t be able to see it.
We are so excited to have you all out to the ranch again!

Checkin please-

Jack M. KK6WXQ
John D. KM6FXI
Kevin P. KK6DGL

Thank you!

Wine in Can
Year over year, wine in cans is on track to grow at least ten percent, and the most remarkable development is the variety of high-end wineries getting into this simple, cost-effective and environmentally responsible packaging; it is not unusual to see a single can selling for $20.

The trend in canned wines is not slowing down, asserts Rich Bouwer, president of Free Flow Wines, the leader in alternative wine packaging. And he predicts that wine in cans will continue to grow and represent 10% of the wine market in 2025.

The growth of wine in cans has been explosive, 70-80% year over year, affecting everything from still to sparkling wines, both domestic and imported. Furthermore, cans are becoming the container of choice for beverages like water, coffee, energy drinks, beer, cider, CBD drinks, as well as soda. In fact, Bouwer points out that the big soda companies have left the plastics lobby as cans are becoming more popular across the board.

The benefits of wine in cans,
like portability, serving size,
and sustainability,
appeal especially to the younger consumer,
and they are leading the market migration towards cans, which is a good indicator of the trend’s sustaining power.

“Cans are either 250 or 375 ml., a third or a half of a traditional 750 ml. bottle,” says Bouwer.

“Cans offer portability and you can drink out of the can or pour into a glass.
No corkscrew is needed and there is no cork taint, and younger consumers are now perceiving cans as premium packaging.”

Cans also have benefits that make sense in the slowing growth of the wine industry, which is why cans are seeing double digit growth while the wine sector is slowing. Cans are lighter and easily recyclable, and less weight means lower shipping costs.