Curry Up and Try This Delicious Food and Wine Pairing
As we transition from spring to summertime, outdoor dining and picnics can become a weekly event. Creating simple all-in-one dishes that hold up well to time and travel is a winning strategy. Chef Robert Bleifer’s Curried Chicken Salad is the perfect East-meets-West dish that can be served on bread, in a lettuce wrap, or over a fresh green salad. We hope you enjoy and remember to follow Chef Bliefer on Instagram at @chef_robear!
Tip: keep your curry on the milder side when pairing with wines.
Chef Rob Bleifer teases his Lloyd Cellars ‘Back to Fine Dining’ six-part recipe series with his Savory Biscotti
As part of our June 2021 celebration of getting ‘Back to fine dining’ (yes!), we’re excited to announce our partnership with Chef Robert Bleifer, who most recently served as Executive Chef & Vice President of Culinary Production for Food Network for 24-years. Chef Rob has created six recipe pairings to share with our Members and fans, which we’ll dole out in a six-part blog series now through June!
Chef Rob was responsible for everything from managing the kitchen of 18 Food Stylists and Recipe Developers to coordinating with Production teams, Chefs/Hosts, Guest Chefs, and much more. He was also an on-air presence, judging numerous Food Network Challenges, catering the three Food Network Wedding specials, and many other “cameo” appearances.
We invite you to follow Chef Rob on Instagram @chef_robear! He’s got a lot of new projects in works and you’re going to want to be the first to know!
FYI, sister winery Prescription Vineyards is also celebrating ‘Back to Fine Dining’ by being the exclusive wine sponsor for Tampa Bay Restaurant Week this June 17 through 27. Click here to learn more…
We’re going to jump-start Chef Rob’s series with something we’ve never seen before, a Savory Biscotti recipe to pair with our Lloyd Cellars Carneros Chardonnay. This certainly redefines the idea of ‘breakfast for dinner.’
Happy home cheffing!
Chef Bleifer Savory Biscotti
Sure, you love biscotti with your coffee in the morning, but now it's wine-thirty and you're still craving pastry. Chef Robert Bleifer comes to the rescue with his Savory Biscotti to pair with our Lloyd Cellars Carneros Chardonnay!
Lloyd Cellars 2019 Carneros Chardonnay Lush notes of lemon cream pie add to the silky mouthfeel of this superlative white. A hint of sage, cinnamon, and jasmine make it exotic. Texturally generous with spiced sandalwood and voluptuous notes of chamomile and honey. ~ Meridith May, Publisher
As the longer days of spring and summer approach, we begin to dream of outdoor gatherings with family, firing up the grill, and sipping our favorite wines on the patio.
Of course, with the change of seasons comes the heat. We share a reminder to order your wines now to avoid summer ‘heat holds’ and overnight shipping costs. The difference between Ground vs. Overnight shipping can mean several hundred dollars.
In the spirit of continuing education for beverage professionals and consumers, The SOMM Journal — in association with National Geographicand SommCon — invites our members and trade partners to participate in a complimentary, one-of-a-kind wine-tasting webinar series entitled Geographical Digest. The events are hosted virtually by winemakers from across the globe and broadcast live. Videos of the webinars are available on-demand soon after airing.
Winemaker Rob Lloyd will be featured in two of the eight webinars for 2021. For the May 11th webinar, Rob will be speaking to Sta. Rita Hills AVA where we source our Pinot Noir. In the fall, on September 14th, he’ll speak to the Carneros Region and our Chardonnay. We’ll be sharing registration details in the coming weeks!
To get on our mailing list for notifications for all news, recipes, and offers, scroll to the bottom of this page for our registration form.
May 11th 2021 @ 9:00am PT National Geographic “Pinot Noir: Aspects from Delicacy to Durability“ Webinar, moderated by Master of Wine Andrea Robinson, in association with the Somm Foundation Winemaker Rob Lloyd to Speak to Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
September 14th 2021 @ 9:00amPT National Geographic “Balancing Act: Chardonnay at its Best’ Webinar in association with the Somm Foundation Winemaker Rob Lloyd to Speak to Carneros Chardonnay
For the first time since 2011, National Geographic Books has fully updated The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, the comprehensive guide for enophiles now in its sixth edition. The launch of the highly anticipated New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia by National Geographic Books was the catalyst for the innovative approach and synergies among industry leaders in their categories.
This essential reference—long used as the go-to text for the prestigious Master Sommelier examination—is the most comprehensive guide to the world of wine, featuring authoritative information on related history, culture, geography, and more. (Source: Tasting Panel Magazine)
Lloyd Cellars and Prescription Vineyards have an exciting year planned for 2021. Here in our Market Update, we share recent scores and links to promotional assets such as Shelf-Talkers, Line Cards, Data Sheets and Bottle Shots.
Additionally, we have a series of virtual events scheduled, including Webinars with National Geographic and The Somm Journal, an upcoming Sip Sip Hooray Podcast with Award-Winning Media Hosts Mary Babbit and Mary Orlin, all integrated with our ongoing Instagram Influencer campaigns with ApexDrop. These Instagram Influencer campaigns also feature our pop-culture partnerships with top chefs and musical artists.
Though in-market event planning is still fluid due to Covid, we are putting down markers and making appropriate plans to support our distributor and on- and off-premise partners. Please read on the for more details and links to our recent blog features!
The launch of the highly anticipated New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia by National Geographic Books is the catalyst for the innovative approach and synergies among industry leaders in their categories. The SOMM Journal — in association with National Geographicand SommCon — invites you to participate in these complimentary, one-of-a-kind wine-tasting webinar series entitled Geographical Digest.
May 11th 2021 @ 9:00am PT National Geographic “Pinot Noir: Aspects from Delicacy to Durability“ Webinar, moderated by Master of Wine Andrea Robinson, in association with the Somm Foundation Winemaker Rob Lloyd to Speak to Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
July 29th 2021 @ Time TBA Buyer’s Forum: In association with the Somm Foundation, Prescription Vineyards tastes along with 40 qualified wine buyers featuring the upcoming release of our 2019 Clarksburg Chardonnay Winemaker Rob Lloyd & Director of Sales Greg Moore Lead Our Discussion
September 14th 2021 @ 9:00am PT National Geographic “Balancing Act: Chardonnay at its Best’ Webinar in association with the Somm Foundation Winemaker Rob Lloyd to Speak to Carneros Chardonnay
Note: These webinars are part of a year-long marketing campaign that includes advertising, editorial and social media
ApexDrop Instagram Influencer Campaigns
ApexDrop is a marketing firm that manages a network of thousands of Instagram Influencers. We produced three campaigns from October 2020 to February 2021, including our holiday campaign in partnership with Celebrity Chef, Author, and Artist Bob Blumer, to celebrate the holidays and his new cookbook Flavorbomb. Blumer has had three shows on the Food Network, has penned many award-winning cookbooks, and holds 8 Guinness World Book of Records.
We have scheduled three campaigns for 2021 running March through August. With each effort, we engage with 50 hand-selected Instagram Influencers. We set the theme, hashtags, and photo wish list. All User-Generated Content, including comments/reviews and photos, becomes the property of Lloyd Cellars for promotion through our Social Media Networks and beyond.
In addition to the robust content generation and product sampling, each campaign with the 50 Instagram Influencers has had a total following of more than 750,000 followers. Over our last three campaigns, our total reach has surpassed 1.5 million with our Engagements reaching more than 60,000. We invite you to visit our Instagram accounts with Tags to see the quality and diversity of our content and, of course, follow us!
‘Favorite Wines We Drank in 2020’ Article Scores Lloyd Cellars 2019 Carneros Chardonnay 94 Points
Cheers magazine wrote: We asked our panel of independent wine professionals to recall their favorite bottles they drank in the past year. As always, these selections include brief tasting notes, a grade and the wine’s retail price (which can vary from store to store and market to market). Unless noted otherwise, prices reflect 750-ml. bottles. Tasting notes: Ripe pear, apple and tropical fruits are potent, elegant and all over the nose and palate. Structure and balance are provided by rich vanilla notes, and the finish is powerful and luscious. Read more…
Our Flavorbomb Holiday Collection includes four wines with Blumer’s new cookbook. Read on…
From our family to yours, we hope you remain safe and healthy. Certainly, the holidays will be like nothing any of us have experienced before. During shelter-in-place, we’ve found ourselves cooking as a family more than ever. This is why we share a holiday gift collection that includes each of our four wines and the new cookbook, Flavorbomb by Gastronaut and Author Bob Blumer.
Blumer is also an eight-timeGuinness World Recordholder, creator and host of the television series Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment, and a producer and host of World’s Weirdest Restaurants. If you’re like us and not dining out like you used to, then this is the cookbook for you. It’s loaded with insider tips and recipes to achieve the widely addictive flavors served up by your favorite chefs and restaurants!
Don’t let Barbie tempt you, this blog feature is about Bob Blumer’s lobster recipe, not shrimp!
If you haven’t heard the rumorswirling around the Napa Valley, winemaker Rob Lloyd is a pescetarian. This may have been why Rob selected our next recipe ‘Grilled Lobster Tails with Citrus-Infused Butter’ by Gastronaut and ‘Flavorbomb‘ cookbook author Bob Blumer in Part II of our five-part Holiday Series. Read Part I…
Blumer has long been known for his surreal recipes that look like, say, a flower pot, yet turns out to be a to-die-for salad. Humor has also been a signature of Blumer’s culinary artistry. On one occasion, a couple of years back, Blumer served up his famous ‘Shrimp on the Barbie’ recipe at a Napa Valley dinner to appease Rob’s pescetarianism ways. The guests were quite amused and then sated by the pure deliciousness of the dish!
For our Holiday Series, we’re taking the crustacean-theme up a couple of notches with Blumer’s grilled lobster recipe. As Blumer says, “Nothing says decadence like grilled lobster tails basted with a cilantro-chili-citrus butter.”
Of course, we’re pairing the dish with the equally decadent Lloyd Cellars 2019 Carneros Chardonnay! Order your Chardonnay now…
Grilled Lobster Tails with Citrus-Infused Butter
Gastronaut Bob Blumer
Paired with Lloyd Cellars 2019 Carneros Chardonnay
Using a heavy sharp knife, cut the lobster tails in half. Place your knife on the end where the flesh is exposed and cut down through to the tail. Alternatively, you can butterfly the tail by cutting through the top shell and the flesh, but not through the bottom shell.
Brush all of the exposed flesh with oil and season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
In a small pan, over medium heat, melt butter. When it starts to bubble, add garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, citrus zest and juice. Stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat and reserve.
Preheat grill to medium/medium-high direct heat, or heat a heavy skillet to medium-high.
If you have halved the tails, place cut side down on grill or pan and cook for 4 minutes. Flip, and baste generously with butter. Cook for 2 more minutes, or until tails are cooked throughout.
If you have butterflied the tails, place cut side down on grill or pan and cook for 4 minutes. Flip, and baste generously with butter. Cook for 4 more minutes, or until tails are cooked throughout.
Serve immediately with remaining butter.
Notes
Fresh and frozen lobster tails can be sourced year-round at Kolikof.com
If you live for wildly addictive, life-affirming tastesensations that knock you off your feet, yet can’t figure out how to make them at home, you have just found your kindred cookbook spirit. Welcome to Flavorbomb, by Bob Blumer, and published by Penguin Random House Canada.
Rob Lloyd, Lamar Engel of Wine Militia, and Greg Moore of Lloyd Cellars and wife Jennifer Moore dive into Blumer’s Swingin’ Salmon Burger at Hollywood Hills brunch!
Rob and Bonnie Lloyd have been fans of Blumer’s mind-bending creativity and ‘flavor bomb’ dishes for many years. Luckily, Blumer is a fan of Lloyd Cellars’ wines. For the 2020 holidays, the trio has decided to team up to pair a couple of Blumer’s Flavorbomb recipes, along with a selection of other past cookbook recipes that love Lloyd Cellars wine!
The Lloyd’s met Blumer through their years as wine co-hosts for MUSEXPO: The United Nations of Music & Media in Los Angeles. Each year, Blumer hosts a private brunch at his home in the Hollywood Hills for the conference’s winery partners. It was at one of these brunches that Blumer ‘tested’ the following Swingin’ Salmon Burger recipe on the Lloyd’s and friends, so we thought it appropriate to start the Flavorbomb narrative with this delicious pescatarian burger.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing some amazing holiday gifting ideas, including one with Blumer’s new book, as well as five recipes in a series of stories as part of the launch of our new News & Recipes blog. We now share Blumer’s Swingin’ Salmon Burger recipe, which pairs beautifully with both our Carneros Chardonnay and Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir!
This juicy salmon burger goes both ways. It swims upstream and down—and it pairs equally as well with our big luscious Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir or our complex Carneros Chardonnay.
1lbFresh salmon filletAvoid previously frozen salmon if possible
1Poblano chili or jalapeño chili
1/4tspSalt
1/4tspFreshly ground black pepper
1Egg
3Green onions, finelysliced
2Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2Red bell pepper, trimmed and diced
2tbspSourcream or mayonnaise
1tbspDijonmustard
1/4cupParsley, roughly stemmed
1/4cupBreadcrumbs or Panko
4Airy burger buns (ideally brioche)
4tbspHomemade aioli or store-bought mayonnaise
1Zest of lemon + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
2tbspDill, chopped finely
1Ripe avocado
3tbspOlive oil, divided
Instructions
Using a sharp knife,remove skin from salmon. Remove any pin bones from the salmon, then roughly cutsalmon into ½-inch cubes. Reserve.
Blacken poblano over a gas burner or BBQ. Put it in a bagfor 5 minutes, then peel off and the discard skin along with the seeds andstem. Reserve.
To a food processor, addegg, green onion, garlic, poblano, bell pepper, sour cream, Dijon, cilantro,breadcrumbs, lemon zest + juice, salt ad pepper. Pulse four or five times. Addsalmon and pulse another 4 or 5 times or until coarsely chopped and blendedwith the other ingredients—but well before the point that it turns to mush. Ifyou don't have a food processor, chop salmon into tiny pieces, then blend withall the aforementioned ingredients in a bowl. Form salmon mixture into 4patties. Reserve.
In a small bowl, blend aioli or mayo with dill. Reserve.
In a medium bowl, use afork to mash avocado. Add a pinch of salt and lemon juice. Blend and reserve.
Ifbuns are too thick or too dense, pull a little bread from the center of the tophalf, or slice a bit off from one or both of the cut sides. While patties are cooking, brush buns with oil andtoast, cut side down, in a pan or on a grill until cut side is lightly browned.
To a sauté pan overmedium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. When pan is smoking hot, add patties andcook, loosely covered, for about 4 minutes per side, or until the outsides arecrusty and the centers are just cooked (i.e. opague).
Notes
To serve Schmear bottom bun with aioli, and top bun with avocado
Advance work Aioli can be made up to a day in advance. Patties can be made up to a day in advance. Plan-overs Patties freeze well and will last in airtight wrapping for up to 6 months.
Keyword Bob Blumer, burger, Chardonnay, Lloyd Cellars, Pinot Noir, salomon
