Our good friend, Chef and Photographer Gina Garbero, is at it again, developing delicious and quick recipes to pair with our Lloyd Cellars wines. This time she’s offered up a mouthwatering chicken and mushroom dish that integrates our Lloyd Cellars 2020 Carneros Chardonnay into the recipe, which truly enhances the pairing. Make sure to watch Gina’s quick video on preparation below the posted recipe while you sip a glass of Lloyd Cellars 2020 Carneros Chardonnay.
Prep your simple ingredients. Slice the mushrooms and garlic shoots then butterfly the chicken breast so it’s ¼ in thick. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten it so it’s even thickness everywhere. Season with salt and pepper then dredge the breast in cornstarch to give it an even coat.
In a hot skillet with olive oil and fry the chicken on both sides until it’s golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Add butter to the pan with your garlic shoots and mushrooms. When the mushrooms are browned, add a cup of Lloyd chardonnay. Simmer on medium until the sauce reduces by half.
Serve over the chicken garnished with micro greens. Enjoy with a glass of Lloyd Cellars Carneros Chardonnay.
In our most recent Instagram Influencer collaboration with our friends at ApexDrop, we posed the question to everyone, “When was the moment that you realized you loved wine?” We were thinking back to that spellbinding moment in the movie Sideways when actress Virginia Madsen, playing the character Maya, shares her relationship with wine. We paraphrase:
“I like to think about the life of wine. How it’s a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining – if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes….”
As part of this collaboration, we presented the new releases of our Lloyd Cellars 2020 Carneros Chardonnay and 2019 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, along with our Lloyd Cellars Wine Journal and pen to help our friends capture future moments and musings over sips of wine with friends and family.
One of the early gems from this collab was the creation of a recipe by our friend, chef, and photographer Gina Garbero, AKA, the_chubby_home_chef. Of course, as a chef who is constantly developing recipes, she’s decided to use the Lloyd Cellars Wine Journal to capture her tasty creations. Check out Gina’s Scallops with White Wine & Butter Sauce recipe below followed by her how-to video!
Prescription Vineyards sponsored three major events at South Beach Wine & Food Festival to reach consumers and trade in February
Lloyd Cellars and Prescription Vineyards are honored to work with so many great partners across the United States, from our distributors to event producers and through traditional, digital, and social media channels. In 2021, we launched our first national ad campaigns with Wine Spectator, Hemispheres (United Airlines magazine), The Tasting Panel, The Somm Journal, Austin Monthly, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, iHeartRadio Central Florida, and San Antonio Current. 2022 will see our commitment to market support expand, with advertising and in-market visits that will include 30+ events in 17 cities.
National Advertising Campaigns
Our national ads are strategically placed to time with in-market events to drive awareness and visitation to our tasting positions. The February issue of Hemispheres focused on select Q1 and Q2 events.
Outreach to the On- & Off-Premise Trade
Combined with our traditional print campaign partners, we execute robust digital advertising and promotions with our media partners. To drive trade awareness, our partnerships with The Tasting Panel, The Somm Journal, and Wine Spectator, we utilize dedicated emails, newsletter features, and geo-targeting to create awareness and pull for our distributor partners.
The Drop on ApexDrop!
In addition to ApexDrop’s robust content generation and product sampling, each campaign with the 50 Instagram Influencers averages a following of more than 750,000 followers. Over our last nine campaigns, with more scheduled for 2022, our total reach has surpassed 6 million with our Engagements reaching more than 180,000. We invite you to visit our Instagram accounts with Tags to see the quality and diversity of our content and, of course, follow us!
Our Vivino end-of-February 2022 dashboard shows a 69% surge in scans following the South Beach Wine & Food Festival with the Geodata showing Miami as a center of the action.
Vivino allows millions of consumers to instantly search for ratings and reviews. Its scan technology pulls up any bottle in its app so buyers can receive all the wine facts. From the winery perspective, the platform enables us to market to people scanning bottles of wines in our category, track consumer opinion of our wines through scores and review, while also providing geographical intel. Matching geographical scan numbers to in-market events helps us measure effectiveness. Our average rating for both Lloyd Cellars and Prescription Vineyards is 4.28 out of 5.
Recent The Tasting Panel & The Somm Journal Scores for Our New Releases
Enhanced by notes of chervil, oregano, and chamomile, a luscious lemon meringue eeks out at mid-palate. Crushed stone, white pepper and vibrant minerality – plus that spark of acidity – is just the right Rx for its great food-pairing abilities. 92
>>> Publisher’s Picks
Lloyd Cellars 2020 Chardonnay, Carneros ($40)
Creamy notes of toasted vanilla, with a surge of cookie dough, ripe melon, kiwi, and peanut brittle. The wine caresses with a sumptuous touch. 94
>>> Down the Aisle
Prescription Cellars 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County ($30)
Grainy tannins fulfill a mission to coat the teeth with blueberry compote. The gushing, dynamo of a wine features plump plums, powdered cocoa, and blooming lavender. This Prescription is really an over-the-counter cure for disbelievers of Alexander Valley’s side effect of textural lushness. Winemaker Rob Lloyd over-delivers on some amazing medicine for the soul. 93
>>> Publisher’s Picks Section
Lloyd Cellars by Robert Lloyd 2019 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County ($50)
Its carmine hue is deep and inviting, and scents of heather and a woodsy forest are sensual. Full and generous with a lather of huckleberry and dark chocolate coffee bean. Layers of tilled soil and dried flowers keep it exciting and complex. The brown-sugared cinnamon finish goes deep on the finish. 94
We Invite Our Partners to Follow the Action on Facebook & Instagram!
Prescription Vineyards was the exclusive wine sponsor for South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s ‘Steak & Whiskey’ event hosted by Celeb Chef Michael Symon in February
Lloyd Cellars and Prescription Vineyards are so excited for 2022 and getting back on the road to share our wines with our fans and new friends. Along with participating in many classic festivals such as South Beach Food & Festival, three California Wine Festivals (Dana Point, Carlsbad, and Santa Barbara), and Austin Food & Wine Festival, we’ll also be producing our own signature events in select cities. These celebrations include Friday-Eve Live, Ferments & Fashion, and Art of the Sip. You’ll see in our featured list below, we do have some TBA’s, which we’ll be filling in as more event partners are confirmed. If you have any questions concerning events, email us Info@LloydCellars.com. Cheers!
Tired of eating Holiday Leftovers? We recommend Bob Blumer’s Lobster Tacos to reset fatigued palates
Please, no more turkey and gravy and tryptophan crashes. Give me some energizing south-of-the-boarder zing to brighten a winter day – and pair it with the hedonistic pleasure of eating lobster. Now that’s a reset! The other bonus is that tacos are finger food, so how nice is a meal that doesn’t create another pile of dishes in the sink.
This is the sixth installment of Blumer’s ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ 2021 recipes series with Lloyd Cellars. If you’d like to see all of his ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ recipes, we invite you to scroll through our Online Recipes section. Shop our Online Store or utilize our Store Locatorfor local shopping!
3ouncesbest-available butter(about 3/4 of a stick)
1clovegarlicminced
½cupcilantrominced, divided
½jalapeno chiliideally red for color, stemmed, seeded and minced
zest of 1 lemon + 3 tablespoons juicedivided
zest of 1 orange
4medium sizeroughly 6-inches flour or corn tortillas
2ripe avocados
2green onionssliced finely
Your favorite salsa or hot sauce
1limequartered for serving
Instructions
Use a heavy sharp knife to cut the lobster tails in half. (Place your knife on the end where the flesh is exposed and cut down through to the tail.)
Brush 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, half of the cilantro, jalapeno, citrus zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat and reserve.
Half and pit avocados. In a medium bowl, mash avocado with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the remaining cilantro and the green onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Preheat grill to medium/medium-high direct heat, or heat a heavy skillet to medium-high.
Place lobster tails cut-side down on grill or pan and cook for 4 minutes. Flip, and baste generously with butter mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes, or until tails are cooked throughout.
As the tails are cooking, burnish the tortillas on the grill or stovetop until toasted.
Spread avocado mixture and salsa over each of the tortillas, then place lobster tails, in their shells, overtop. Instruct the diners to pull their own lobster meat.
Notes
Either or: Serve 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main
Shopping tip: Frozen lobster tails are not as expensive as you might imagine, and are available in the fish section of many large grocery stores.
Celeb Chef & Cookbook Author Bob Blumer is also an artist who fills his world with surreal works of visual deliciousness, like his Candy Cane Shrimp illustration above!
Bob Blumer and Ms. Claus got together recently to plot out a menu for St. Nick’s return from his annual worldwide gifting tour. We can only imagine how hungry he is on Christmas Day, right? Early on in the appetizer planning, the two decided they could do some gift giving themselves by sharing, in advance, Blumer’s famous ‘Shrimp on the Barbie’ recipe, with a holiday twist. The recipe comes with the option to grill or pan sear.
This is the fifth installment of Blumer’s ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ 2021 recipes series with Lloyd Cellars. If you’d like to see all of his ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ recipes, we invite you to scroll through our Online Recipes section. Shop our Online Store or utilize our Store Locatorfor local shopping!
1½poundsuncooked 16/20 count shrimpideally wild, or whatever size shrimp you prefer
2tablespoonsneutral oil + extra if pan searing
Shell and devein shrimp.
Ina medium bowlmix all dry seasonings. Add shrimp and oil and toss to thoroughly cover shrimp. Reserve.
Blistered Jalapeno Salsa Verde
1tablespoonnatural oil
2jalapeno chilisstemmed and halved length-wise
1/4white onionlayers separated
2garlic clovespeeled
1cupfresh cilantrolightly packed
½teaspooncumin
½teaspoonsalt
1tablespoonwhite vinegar
Ina large sauté pan over highadd oil. When oil is hot, add jalapenos, onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, tossing frequently, or until blistered and toasted on the outside. Let cool.
Transfer pan contents to a blender. Add cilantrocumin, salt, vinegar and 1/3 cup of water. Puree until very smooth. Reserve.
Instructions
Grilled Version
Preheat grill to direct high heat.
Grill shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, or until shrimp are marked and no longer translucent. Serve with dipping sauce.
Pan Version
Open a window to avoid setting off your smoke alarm.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. When it is smoking hot, add 1 – 2 tablespoons oil. Wait a beat, then add as many shrimp as pan will accommodate without overlapping. Cook for about one minute per side, or until no longer translucent.
Serve with dipping sauce.
Notes
Advance Work: The dry rub can be made ahead and stored in a sealed jar. Make extra—it lasts almost indefinitely. Shrimp can be peeled and deveined up to a day in advance.
Growing up should never mean loosing your sense of whimsy or adventure – especially in the kitchen!
In our fourth installment of Celeb Chef and Cookbook Author Bob Blumer’s seven-part ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ series for Lloyd Cellars, he delivers his crazy-delicious ‘Ahi Sno-Cone’ recipe while evoking fond childhood memories. Oh, the joy of childhood when your parents would give in to ‘Please, please, please, can we get a sno-cone!’ They’d fane reluctance as they slipped you change and allowed you to make the purchase on your own. It was part of growing up, learning to negotiate, and managing a transaction. Blumer constantly reminds us to revel in the joy and memories of eating our favorite things by flavor bombing nostalgic bites for the here and now of our adult lives!
12, 4 or 6-ounce paper cones (available in office water coolers and at restaurant supply stores)
Ingredients
1cuppeanut oil for brushing wonton wrappers
16 3½-inchsquare wonton wrappers4 are back-ups
10ouncessushi-quality ahi tunadiced finely
1fragrant peachpapaya or mango peeled, pitted and diced into ¼-inch cubes
2green onionssliced finely
10mint leaveschopped finely
zest of 1 lime
2tablespoonssesame seedstoasted
1teaspoonwasabi paste
2teaspoonstoasted sesame oil
2tablespoonssoy sauce
1tablespoonhoney
1teaspoonfreshly grated ginger
1tablespoonlime juice
1ripe avocadopeeled and pitted
2tablespoonslemon juice
salt and pepper
Pinchof ground cayenne pepper
12teeny weenie cherry tomatoesor cranberries, or pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, set out 1 cup peanut oil along with a small pastry brush. On a baking sheet, set out 12 paper cones.
Trim 12 wonton wrappers according to diagram (see below). Generously brush both sides of each wrapper with peanut oil. Wrap 1 wrapper around each cone and press seam together. Twist the bottom around itself and pinch to seal. Bake for 5 – 7 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. When cones cool, twist them off the cups. Reserve.
In a medium bowl, combine tuna, peach, green onion, mint, zest and sesame seeds. Reserve.
In a small bowl, combine wasabi, sesame oil, soy, honey, ginger and lime juice. Taste and adjust if necessary. Reserve.
In a mini food processor, or in a bowl with a whisk, puree avocado and lemon juice until it is super smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Transfer to a small piping bag or a small resealable bag with the corner clipped. Reserve.
To Finish & Serve
Add dressing to tuna, starting with half. Toss and add more as required to dress, but not drench. Taste and add a pinch of salt if necessary. Spoon tuna into cones. Top with a dollop of avocado puree and a cherry tomato. Serve cones in shot glasses, or your own cone holder.
Notes
Uncommon Goods: Cone-shaped paper cups (available in office water coolers, at restaurant supply stores like Smart & Final, or on Amazon.com); sushi quality tuna is available at most groceries with a fresh fish counter. Have the fishmonger sign off on you consuming it raw before purchasing.Level of Difficulty: Wonton cones require the pattern-making skills and dexterity of an amateur seamstress.Shortcuts: Skip the wonton cups and serve tartare in paper cones or mini paper cups.Advance Work: Wonton cones, dressing, and the slicing and dicing of tartare ingredients can be done earlier in the day. Toss just before serving.
Blumer is an Ambassador to Second Harvest in Toronto and a supporter of Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. He’s pictured here with Chef Mary Sue Milliken, Share Our Strength Emeritus Board Member
Lloyd Cellars is recommending that you embrace and fight being crabby this holiday season. First, by supporting Blumer’s efforts in fighting hunger through Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. You’ll feel so good knowing you’re helping feed hungry children. Second, by embracing Blumer’s savory Crab (Cup)cakes recipe below to share with friends and family this holiday season. This magical recipe, which pairs beautifully with both our Carneros Chardonnay and Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is guaranteed to lift the spirits of even the most committed Grinch in your social circle.
About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty.
This December, Blumer launched his 12 Drops of Christmas campaign on Instagram @BobBlumer. Every day he is offering an item from his art archives or cookbooks. Where noted, 100% of the selling price will be in the form of a direct, tax-deductible donation to @NoKidHungry, as part of his fundraising for the upcoming 2-day, 200-mile Chefscycle.
Other items—which will be noted—are conventional sales. His first drop was a signed, limited-edition lithograph he illustrated for his book Surreal Gourmet Entertains. It is 22” x 32” on fine art paper. The price is a $200usd, tax-deductible donation to NoKidHungry. He’s covering the postage and is happy to personalize it. There are a few available. DM him on Instagram @BobBlumer to order and arrange for the direct donation.
cupcake liners; muffin tin (not uncommon, but crucial); piping bag with a startip (ideal, but not necessary)
Ingredients
Crab Cupcake
1small beet
2medium russet potatoespeeled and quartered
2tablespoonsheavy creamat room temperature
2tablespoonsbutterat room temperature
Salt and pepper
1egg
1green onionfinely sliced
2tablespoonsred bell pepperfinely chopped
2tablespoonsbread crumbs or panko
1tablespoonsour cream
zest of 1 lemon + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2tablespoonsfinely chopped Italian parsley leaves
1garlic clovefinely chopped
¼jalapeño pepperseeds discarded, minced
8ouncesfreshfrozen or tinned crab meat (your choices will vary depending on your shopping options. But fear not, all versions will be tasty in this recipe)
Instructions
To Finish & Serve
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spray interior of muffin tin with spray oil. Line the tin with 4 paper liners. Generously spray interior of liners. Spoon crab mixture into liners. Gently press crab mixture down and flatten level with the top of the tin.
Just before putting cupcakes in the oven, reheat potatoes by covering the bowl with aluminum foil and placing it over a pot of boiling water for 5 – 10 minutes. When potatoes are steaming hot, finely grate approximately 1 tablespoon of beet and add it to potatoes. Blend thoroughly with a fork. Add more beet for a deeper color if desired.
Bake cupcakes for 8 minutes, or until cakes are fully set, yet still moist. Remove cakes from tin immediately so that they do not continue to cook.
Use a piping bag with a star tip, or a table knife to ice the cupcakes.
Notes
Level of difficulty: About the same as making cupcakes from scratchAdvance work: The crab mixture can be prepared earlier in the day, to the point that the cakes are ready to be baked. Bake and ice just before serving; Mashed potatoes can be made earlier in the day then reheated over a double boiler just before serving (add grated beet after reheating)
Keyword Bob Blumer, Crab Appetizer, Lloyd Cellars, Recipe
Blumer’s ‘Coconut-Crusted Scallop Lollies’ is a new spin his recipe featured in his previous cookbooks ‘Glutton for Pleasure’ and ‘Surreal Gourmet Bites.’ Don’t miss our link below to gift his current book ‘Flavor Bomb’ with a collection of Lloyd Cellars wines!
Brighten Your Next Holiday Party with Some Tropical Sunshine!
In this season of giving, it’s important to put thought into what you want to share with friends and family, and this extends to what you bring to your table. Sure, there are times when time isn’t on your side and turning a quick appetizer is what makes sense. Other times, and quite honestly it’s a foodie personality trait, we want to serve up a show-stopper both visually and in taste. If you’re looking for a memorable app for your next holiday gathering, these lollies are sure to make a big impression.
In our second installment of Bob Blumer’s seven-part ‘Pescatarian Holiday’ series with Lloyd Cellars, we present his Coconut-Crusted Scallop Lollies recipe. At first glance, it may seem a bit daunting. However, as Bob notes in the recipe below, “Mastering this recipe is like learning how to line dance. If you attempt all of the steps together, it can be intimidating the first time around. But if you tackle each of the four individual steps of this recipe one at a time, they are a cinch to master.”
2tablespoonsseasoned rice vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice
1tablespoongrated fresh ginger
1tablespoonDijon mustard
Note: Place all dipping sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. Purée. Reserve.
Coconut-Crusted Scallop Lollies Ingredients
1coconutfirst timers should buy a spare coconut—or see shortcuts at the end of the recipe
1/2cupbeer
1¼cupsall-purpose flourdivided
1egg
½teaspooncayenne pepper
¾teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
12medium-size scallops20/30—which refers to the number of scallops in a pound
3-5cupspeanut oilor vegetable oil, for frying
1navel orangefor presentation
12 6-inchbamboo skewers
Instructions
With the coconut and a medium-size bowl in hand, go find yourself a concrete step. Break the coconut in half by banging the center along the equator of the coconut repeatedly on the edge of the step. Split the coconut over the bowl and salvage as much of the coconut water as possible. Reserve the smaller half of the coconut. Bang the larger half on the concrete to break it into smaller pieces.
Back in your kitchen, use a table knife to separate the coconut meat from the shell. Then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the brown skin from the meat. Using the fine-to-medium section of your grater, shred 2 cups of coconut. Reserve in a shallow bowl.
Pour coconut water into a measuring cup and if necessary, top off with beer or sparkling water until you have 3/4 cup of liquid. Reserve. If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently do not have any coconut water), replace mixture with 3/4 cup of beer or sparkling water.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, coconut water/beer mixture, egg, cayenne, baking powder, and salt. Beat until it is smooth. Add a bit more flour or beer, if necessary, so that the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter. Reserve.
Use a paper towel to pat dry the scallops. In a medium bowl, toss scallops with the remaining ¼ cup of flour, then shake off excess flour. Then skewer one scallop on the end of each bamboo skewer (do this gently so as not to tear scallops with the skewers). Reserve.
Pour oil into a small, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350°F.
While oil is heating, dip and roll each scallop in the batter, then pat it down in the coconut shreds so that the entire “lollie” is covered in coconut shreds. Transfer to a plate.
When oil is ready, submerge 4 scallops at a time into the oil. (Don’t worry if the skewers go into the oil). Fry for approximately 2 – 3 minutes, or until coconut is golden brown. Rotate once or twice as they fry. Transfer finished lollies to a paper towel.
Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil. Adjust heat, wait until oil returns to 350°F, and continue with next batch.
Cut the bottom off the orange and skewer with lollies. Serve the dipping sauce in the reserved coconut half. (Use a napkin ring, an onion slice, or a small ramekin to support the coconut shell).
Notes
Level of Difficulty: Like learning how to line dance. If you attempt all of the steps together, it can be intimidating the first time around. But if you tackle each of the four individual steps of this recipe one at a time, they are a cinch to master.
Our Inaugural ‘Ferments & Fashion’ Mixer Brings Style and Smiles to Chicago’s Bustling South Loop!
Special thanks to Sweeney Taud StudioZ & Social Club for hosting us, to DJ Simmy for stepping in on the turntables, and of course vintage clothing stylist Derricka Cole for her paring vintage collection with our vintages. Check her out at @old_new_thrifted2. The following is a gallery that was captured by our friend and photographer Gina Gabero!
