Pietra Santa 2011 Sassolino and Shepherds Pie

 
 Wine Name: Pietra Santa 2011 Sassolino

Wine: Red blend
Country: USA	Region:
Rating: Very Good	Price: $14
Sorry we have not been able to release a new blog every week lately, but we have been rather busy. We are doing a follow on from our most recent blog, where we use the leftovers from a roast lamb to make Shepherds Pie. We chose a Pietra Santa 2011 Sassolino red blend from the central coast of California to have with the meal. The Pietrea Santa winery is a family-run winery with a history dating back to 1850’s. The area is noted for distinctive granite and limestone soils, giving the winery its name, which means “Sacred Stone” in Italian. The location is in a small valley inland from Monterey Bay and is influenced by the cooling coastal breezes. The winery produces various wines and is also a producer of olive oils. Going with the Italian theme and the connection to the rocky soils, the name Sassolio means “little stone” in Italian. http://www.pietrasantawinery.com/   The wine is a blend containing 81% the Italian Sangiovese grape and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon which results in a very pleasant and drinkable blend. It is a dark red mixture with a very delicate wooded and earthy bouquet. The earthiness continues through to the taste and creates a complex mix with a very slight hint of oak and strong overtones of cherry and subtle hints of plum. Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional English dish intended to make use of the leftovers from roast meats including beef and lamb. We used this recipe to make a Shepherds Pie from the roast lamb used in our most recent blog. It is a great way to make a quick, easy and delicious meal. It can also be frozen but make sure it is completely defrosted before cooking. Ingredients: Leftover roast meat cut into cubes. Onion Potatoes Baked  Beans (vegetarian) Worcestershire sauce Method: First peel the potatoes, boil, and continue to make into mashed potato. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice onion into thin rings and sauté in some light oil until soft. Place cubed meat in an oven proof dish and splash a little Worcestershire sauce over it (to taste). Cover meat with onions.   Cover meat and onions evenly with baked beans (We recommend Heinz Englash Baked Beans in tomato sauce). Then using a spoon, place mashed potato over the top of the beans. Make sure dish is covered. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling under the potato. Turn on the broiler (grill) and brown the top lightly so the potato crisps a little. Rating: Very Good. Pairs very well with red meats and tastes particularly well with chocolate so make sure you save some for a little treat at the end of your meal. Available from Specs in Houston.