Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

The Versatile (and Yummy) Eggplant

Straight from an authentic Italian restaurant is this delicious eggplant recipe. It is a baked eggplant parmesan that woman winemaker and chef, Jacqueline Mitchell of Ojai Pacific View has wowed her family and friends with while taking vacations back home in the US from her “real job” as chef at a local favorite trattoria in the Langhe Italy. Not suprisingly, the wine and food pairing with her own California Dolcetto is out of this world.

Make your own parmigiana con melanzane with this eggplant recipe baked inside.

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Recipes, Wine Grapes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes, Wine Grapes Jacqueline Mitchell

Twists on Burgundy

Saint Laurent is not just in the fashion world: do you know that it is a wine grape too?

Learn fun facts about this grape which could become your next go-to red wine, like:

  • Saint Laurent is the number one most planted red wine grape variety in the Czech Republic;

  • its closest relative is one of the most famous red wine grapes in the world.

Plus, as a bonus in this article, we have a recipe for Beef Bourguignon, or Beef Burgundy, with a twist. What is it? Find out inside!

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

Who’s Hungry for Polpette?

Let's spill the beans on the whole spaghetti and meatballs gig – turns out, it's more Italian American than straight up Italian. Say hello to authentic meatballs, or polpette, the real deal in Italy, where meatballs is the main character, and pasta isn't their sidekick. Learn many ways to serve and make homemade meatballs, and the secret to making a really good polpetta. Get an authentic recipe, that is both easy and versatile for meatballs, spice it up with some traditional Italian wine and food pairings. Get ready to cook, crunch, and sip your way through authentic Italian vibes.

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Not Your Boar-ing Pasta Sauce

It may be a discounted animal… but in many parts of the world the Wild Boar is an important part of life and the kitchen! Explore the world of wild boars, recipes, wine pairings and more traveling through Italy, the Czech Republic, and even the Americas. Stick around to the end for an authentic recipe for Pappardelle con Cinghiale or Pappardelle Pasta with a Wild Boar Ragu sauce including pairing foods of wild wines with wild boar.

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Wine Grapes, Sparkling Wines Sheila Donohue Wine Grapes, Sparkling Wines Sheila Donohue

Wild & Rare At Its Finest

Embark on a journey through the hills of the historic part of the Valdobbiadene wine region, where the enchanting and rare Boschera grape vineyards are hidden amidst an area where the Prosecco grape, glera, takes center stage. In the heart of Italian white wine growing, a story unfolds; one of tradition, sustainability, and the effervescent charm of Pet Nat natural wine. Join us on this odyssey, where craftsmanship and tradition intertwine, giving birth to an Italian sparkling Pet Nat that captivates the senses. Explore the nuances of the rare Boschera grape which makes a wine that not only tantalizes the palate but also reflects a commitment to the land and the timeless beauty of Valdobbiadene.

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Wine Education Jacqueline Mitchell Wine Education Jacqueline Mitchell

Wines that are 'Just Right'

Are you planning a party ? Are you going to one?  Needing a gift but not sure what wine to select?

Hosting a  party or finding a great gift for a wine lover just got easier with our tips on finding crowd-pleasing, drinkable wine that caters to diverse tastes, while also finding wines that are unique and stand out.

We have an approach to finding crowd pleaser wines in our latest blog article. We liken it to Goldilocks - remember her? But now we've moved up, from porridge to wine.

Read on for expert tips and find your own Goldilocks wine!

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Wine Education, Pairings Jacqueline Mitchell Wine Education, Pairings Jacqueline Mitchell

Learn the Art & Science of Wine and Food Pairing

Wine and food pairing can seem like a daunting task, yet, once you get down the basic principles, there is almost no right or wrong. It can turn into a life long skill that you can practice all the time, while alone or in groups, while at home or out and about. Start with this article which lays out an easy to follow approach to pairing foods. Then you’ll be on your way to doing fun and tasty food and wine pairings with others.

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A Spanish Take on Brunch & Breakfast

Who doesn’t love home brunch ideas? Why not for your next brunch, choose a brunch recipe that is steeped in tradition. So much so that its name Duelos y Quebrantos could possibly have influenced the origin of the word “breakfast”.

Try a delicious and easy eggs and chorizo recipe, direct from the windmills in Spain and a Spanish amporae winery. Inside find out what Duelos y Quebrantos is, its historical importance in Spain and even influencing our culture. Then make this breakfast recipe casserole and try pairing it with a natural wine.

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

The Secret Sauce of Midsummer

Nothing quite says summer like a big basket of juicy tomatoes, ready to be cooked down into a fresh tomato sauce or sugo. But that can be labor intensive and take ages… sometimes we need a pasta sauce quick to put on the table and enjoy! Enter the cherry tomato. These small ruby rounds have their own flavors and deliciousness to share. So come inside to find our Italian Vero Chef’s favorite recipe for a cherry tomatoes pasta and our suggested wine pairings.

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Your Go-To Guide For the Best Wine and Cheese Pairings

Now that you have at your fingertips these 5 Tips for Pairing Cheese and Wine let’s put your knowledge to practice with some of the best cheese and wine pairing suggestions. In this guide we break down wine and cheeses by category including favorite wine and cheese pairings by some Vero producers. Pairing cheese and wine allows for a lot of fun experimentation, making get-togethera more engaging and interactive. Use this guide as a “go-to” when seeking out the best cheese and wine pairing to have at your next party.

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Dine Like a Local Romagnolo

In the countryside of Romagna, Italy, capretto al forno, or oven roasted goat, is a popular recipe, especially when drizzled with a really good Italian olive oil. We have an authentic recipe to share straight from the local trattorias of Romagna, thanks to the Braschi Boys sharing their passions of food, not only wine. In fact, Braschi’s recommended pairing wine with food with this goat recipe is a full bodied red wine: their riserva sangiovese wine. Check it out!

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

A Patchwork Quilt of Pasta

Straight from the land of pasta, comes a journey exploring a traditional filled pasta. While it is not the more well known tortellini, it is just as delicious and versatile. It is tortelli pasta from Romagna, the eastern half of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. Learn all about tortelli in this article, including pairing wine with food, and find an original homemade pasta recipe from one of the Braschi boys, Romagna natives who run the traditional Romagna winery Braschi.

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

Put Some Primavera in Your Pasta

We’ve heard the dish Pasta Primavera before, right? Do you know why it’s called primavera?… Spoiler alert, it means spring in Italian, but what does the word primavera come from? Find out in the article and get yourself an authentic trattoria recipe from Italy to make your own sugo for vegetables with pasta, great for pairing with Sauvignon Blanc.

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

Making Fresh Pasta with Wild Plants

We might think of nettles as a nasty weed, but it actually has loads of benefits, from to curing ailments, to being a tasty and nutritional food. Find the inner forager in you as we continue to explore backyard-to-table cuisine in this article with a fresh homemade pasta recipe that uses this wild food plant, making it flavorful and healthy. Check out this article to discover nettles tea benefits, get the nettles pasta recipe, find out what sugo to serve it with, as well as natural wine to pair along.

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Wine Education Jacqueline Mitchell Wine Education Jacqueline Mitchell

Wine for Beer Drinkers

Wine and beer lovers need not pick a side! Let us find middle ground in the wine vs beer discussion with something that both can love. Through exploring alternative wines and lambic sour beer, we can find beers that wine lovers can enjoy and pet nat wine that beer fans will fall in love with. In this article we find the common ground between wine and beer, so beer drinkers can find wines that they will enjoy.

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Cin Cin to the Spritz

What’s behind the phenomenon of the Spritz cocktail? How did the Spritz come about, why is it so popular, and how do you make it? It’s a recipe with 2 key ingredients and from there, it’s fair game to improvise, either using different ingredients or different proportions of the same ingredients. Because, you see, the way you have your Spritz is a very personal taste preference, like asking someone how you take your coffee. For those of you making cocktails at home, we have a recipe Spritz Aperol, for you to get started to become a Spritz Master.

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

Become a Master of Sugo

What is sugo? It’s become a trending culinary topic in the US as of late. Get on board with this authentic sugo recipe from an Italian restaurant in the heart of the Langhe, Italy that is a local favorite eating spot in Italy’s mecca of culinary delights, plus it is Nonna approved and tested. Get the full recipe inside and have a bottle of barbera d alba to fully recreate an authentic Langhe experience at home.

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Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell Recipes Jacqueline Mitchell

A Recipe from the Streets of Venice

Straight from the winding canals of Venice, Italy, is a cod recipe easy to pull together even last minute. A creamy spread, put this baccala mantecato on toast to make cicchetti, or bite-sized appetizer ready to pair with Italian wine. Get this authentic trattoria recipe inside. And, Veneto native, winemaker Sandro de Bruno’s favorite food pairing for a wine tasting would be this baccalà with an Italian sparkling wine from the Veneto area, like his classic method Durello.

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Holidays, Pairings Jacqueline Mitchell Holidays, Pairings Jacqueline Mitchell

Matchmaking Wine & Food during the Holidays

How are YOU celebrating the Holidays? Whether pairing foods like potato latke or Grandma’s favorite Christmas cookie, this guide to pairing wine and food will help you choose a great Holiday wine for your table no matter what you celebrate. Inside you will find suggestions for not only full bodied red wines, or age worthy white wines, but also sparkling wines from Italy and sweet dessert wines. Pick out great tasting Christmas wines, wines to pair with Hannukah’s fried feasts and New Years Sparklers.

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A Wine Gift Guide for Everybody on Your List

You want to give wine for gift, and you want it to be special, either something they don’t have already, or something that will surprise, and impress them, yet something that they will also like the taste of. That seems like a tall order for what seems like a simple task, especially with the myriad of wine selections out there.

We’ve made it easier for you to gift for wine lovers with our first wine gift guide, that we are introducing just in time for the holiday gifting season.

For the wine lover on your list, be it a friend, colleague, customer, family member, or significant other, use our wine and olive oil gift guide to find a wine in line with their wine taste preferences, whether it’s bold red wines, old world wine, natural wine, orange wines, rose wines, champagne style wines, pet nat wines, even EVOO, use our list to find the best wine for gift giving and build your own wine gift baskets.

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