Chad's Sherry Cherry Pie

Here at ZD it’s all about wine - 99% of the time. But in every man’s life, there must also come a time for pie. And so, Chad, ZD’s Cellarmaster and Resident Baker, went to work creating his very berry Sherry Cherry Pie.

Sorry, we would have saved you a slice but it was just too good…

Next time you’re at ZD, be sure to see if it’s a very Sherry Cherry day. You may get lucky. After all, shouldn’t every day be a Sherry Cherry day?

Crust Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Cold Butter
6 Tbs. Ice Water
2 tsps. Salt

Crust Preparation:
Combine flour, salt and butter and roughly chop together with two butter knives. While you are chopping the butter up into smaller and smaller pieces and mixing the flour around, add 6 tablespoons of ice water; two at the beginning, two in the middle of chopping and two more after the butter is chopped up into tiny bits. The cold water helps the flour and butter stick together. Next, kneed the pie dough until it holds together into a ball, slice it in half and wrap each half with plastic wrap. Put them in the refrigerator to cool.

Pie Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Corn Starch or Arrowroot
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Dry Sherry
1 tsp. Almond Extract
2 cups Pitted Cherries
1/4 cup Cherry Juice
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbs. Butter

Filling:

1. In a saucepan, combine arrowroot or cornstarch, salt and brown sugar.
2. Whisk in sherry, almond extract, cherry juice and lemon juice. Stir over low heat for about 10 minutes until mixture thickens.
3. While the mixture is thickening, pour one cup of cherries and 1/2 cup white sugar into a separate pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot.
4. Remove the sherry/cherry juice mixture and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter.
5. Once the cherries in the pot have slightly thickened, add the sherry mixture and stir to combine.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out one of the cooled dough balls flat and fit it into a buttered 9 inch pie pan.
3. Spread out the cherry filling into the pastry.
4. Roll out the remaining dough and cut it into 1/4 inch strips. Lay or criss-cross the strips in a lattice position, sealing the edges.
5. Brush egg white over the dough lattice.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the crust is golden brown.

Before you dig into dessert, need inspiration for dinner? Visit us online to view some of ZD’s favorite recipes.

Wine Country Personality: Chris Pisani

What do you get when you mix Brooklyn attitude with Napa style? The answer is some great tasting wine. Chris Pisani, Winemaker for ZD Wines, is a rare combination of east coast street smart and California cool. Growing up in a big Italian family, Chris learned to appreciate the very things that make Napa so memorable: great food, wine and company. This real-world education made him a perfect fit at ZD Wines where family is the cornerstone of the winery's values, and great wine and food fall close behind. During his formative years, Chris studied chemistry in college while spending time with his now-wife, Ina, whose father happened to make wines out of their house in Newburgh, New York. Chris watched, learned, experimented and soon he was hooked. The seed was planted and before long, Chris and Ina were moving to California for a taste of life in the wine country.

To make ends meet when they first arrived, Chris took a job at an environmental consulting firm. Shortly afterwards he followed the path of some of Napa's most renowned winemakers and attended UC Davis to study viticulture and enology. It was here that Chris fell headfirst into the world of winemaking and started down the path that would lead him to ZD.

Robert deLeuze, CEO/Winemaster for ZD Wines, was attending a job fair at UC Davis to potentially meet his next Assistant Winemaker and Chris was eager for the opportunity. They met, talked, had an instant rapport and soon Chris was joining the ZD team. When asked what made Chris stand out amid all of the other hungry soon-to-be winemakers, Robert deLeuze stated that, "Chris is an articulate, well-educated, charming man with an infectious passion for his work. He brings a wealth of knowledge to ZD, making wines (which can often be intimidating) accessible and fun."

Beginning in 1996 as an enologist, Chris quickly took on the role of Assistant Winemaker in 1998, working closely with Robert to understand the tradition and techniques that make up the ZD style. Three years later, Chris was in for another surprise when Robert deLeuze announced that after fifteen years as Winemaker he was stepping back from his role to spend more time on the management of the winery. Chris, in turn, would take over as Winemaker.

Five short years after joining the winery, Chris was responsible for producing ZD's signature-style well balanced, fruit-driven Chardonnays; intense, flavorful Pinot Noirs; and opulent, rich Cabernet Sauvignons. "It is important to maintain the commitment to quality that makes ZD Wines so unique," claims Chris. "As a family owned and operated business it is rare to see that level of commitment and I feel such a sense of pride knowing that the wines we produce are crafted from the best possible grapes, with an attention to winemaking that comes from ZD's 40 years of history and experience. When creating a wine, we create it with the customer in mind, with our fans in mind, not the critics. By enjoying our wines, they are sharing in our history, in our heart, and in the passion that we put forth every day. It's why we do what we do."

After thirteen years, ZD Wines is still thrilled to have Chris on board, helping to produce the wines that have garnered recognition in the spirit that drives our time-honored traditions.

To learn more about Chris and ZD's winemaking process, schedule a private tour and tasting with him for a one-of-a-kind experience.

Tours: By Appointment Only. CLICK HERE to learn more.

ZD Wines
8383 Silverado Trail
Rutherford, CA 94558
www.zdwines.com

One Thing Leads to Another: Musings in New York

Off I went to New York City, chasing a 9 liter bottle of our 1993 25th Anniversary Chardonnay (now 16 years old) to pour alongside our current release 2007 Chardonnay. The latter was recognized by Wine & Spirits Magazine as one of the Top Restaurant Wines in the Country. After 20 years of creating the poll, Wine & Spirits Magazine kicked-off its first ever “Top of the List” tasting at City Winery in Manhattan on June 2nd.

I landed in NY on Monday evening in time to meet up with a few friends for a glass of wine at City Hall Restaurant. Patrick Burke, a friend and associate of mine joined me at the restaurant. He mentioned that on a recent trip to Burgundy he had come across a bottle of ZD 1972 Pinot Noir in a retail store! He was kind enough to purchase it and bring it all the way back for me, as a gift. The wine was about 2 inches below its original fill height looking more like a keepsake than something we would actually drink. I thanked him, and put it in my wine bag (everyone should have one) and forgot about it as we headed off to dinner at Del Frisco’s.

At Del Frisco’s, we were warmly received by David O’Day, Corporate Wine Director, and his Sommelier, Crystal Friedman. Serving Abacus X (1992-2008) with their delicious steaks was a treat to be remembered. Why stop now, the next day we had lunch at Modern where Belinda Chang, Wine Director, formerly of San Francisco’s Fifth Floor, and Chicago’s Charlie Trotter, now resides. Belinda obviously knows how to find exceptional cuisine to pair with her wine lists. The “Slow Poached Egg in a Jar” with Maine Lobster, hearts of palm… is fantastic!

Time for the tasting! Opening a 9 Liter bottle (1993 ZD Chardonnay) is of course exciting. The golden wine that poured from the bottle was like nectar. The rich honey character was a reminder of a great Sauterne without the sugar. I received a lot of questions about how to go about pouring this wine out of a 9 Liter. A decanter both allowed me to keep the wine at a nice temperature as well as to not feel as if I was spending a night at the gym. Pouring the 1993 alongside our 2007 Chardonnay with its citrus, tropical fruit characters of grapefruit, pineapple and coconut showcased the differences between young and old. Check out older Magnums of ZD Chardonnay, as we are pouring and selling them in our tasting room through the month of June.

After the short three hour tasting, I still had over half of the 9 liter remaining. What to do? Time to visit more friends! I don’t have a great answer for carrying a 9 Liter bottle of Chardonnay down the streets of NYC. At Blue Ribbon we shared a little of our good fortune, and of course enjoyed a seafood platter upon arrival. The seafood disappeared before our eyes, but the bottle did not. Now where to go?

How about Lure? Once again the 9 Liter was the envy of the 6-8 block walk. At the restaurant, the ever jovial Executive Chef Josh Kapon and Sommelier, Natalie Tapken welcomed us with open arms and delicious sushi to continue the evening. As we listened to 80’s rock in background, and tested each other’s band knowledge of that era, we remembered the 1972 Pinot Noir in my wine bag! Should we open it? At first there was hesitation, which was followed by reserved excitement. Once opened, the first pour was offered to John Coyle, our NY distributor’s top salesman. The first word of out of his mouth was “Wow”! The wine was truly spectacular. I am just happy to say I knew the man who made this very special wine, as “Dad”. Thanks, Patrick!

And, yes, we finished the 9 Liter…

- Brett deLeuze, President

ZD is Socializing - Internet Style

It always seemed to me that being social and using the internet to socialize were on opposite ends of the communication spectrum. The internet being reserved for the nerds too shy and awkward to make it in the real world. However, it seems that the tables have turned and that the “place to be” is on the internet, using sites like Facebook and others to achieve your social networking dreams.

I suppose that I was a late bloomer with this social networking phenomenon. Being that I am the “3rd Generation” of the deLeuze family at ZD and being in my mid 20’s, once I finally got signed up with Facebook, I found that the majority of my friends were there waiting for me to join the party.

The real reason that I finally made my own Facebook page was because the ZD Wines page that I wanted to create needed an administrator. However, once you enter the world of Facebook, the more friends (or fans in ZD’s case) you have, the cooler you are. So the race was on not only to make Facebook friends of my real life friends, but to get a quality ZD page going so that I would be able to build a group of ZD fans who were on Facebook. As of right now, the friend/fan score is Brandon - 63, ZD – 86.

The ZD Wines Facebook page has turned out to be a success, and I suspect that it will become more useful as more people become aware of it. I post all of our upcoming events on the page, as well as give little updates about interesting things that are happening around the winery. If you have a moment, check out the facebook site, let us know what you think about the site, and if you are a fan of our wines, become a fan of our page!

- Brandon deLeuze, Assistant Winemaker

Spring Bud Break

Well, it’s mid-April and the valley is beginning to “green-up” with bud break at about 90%. Seeing the new shoots emerge always brings a mix of excitement and surprise! Is it really spring already? Are all of our bottling materials ordered? What is Accuweather saying about the weather? All of these thoughts wake us from our winter slowdown, and we realize once again that mother nature is always present, marking time for us with the change of seasons.

For Rafael Llamas, ZD’s Vineyard Manager, it will mean long days ahead of mowing cover crop, fixing broken stakes, replanting vines, and of course making sure the wind machines are in good working order and ready to go in the event of a frost. After last year’s difficult frost season, every one is a bit nervous, however, we are almost past the most dangerous part of the season. Usually by the third week of April the risk is over, and Rafael can finally get a good nights sleep!

For us in the cellar, its time to check in with the 2008 wines. The 2008 Chardonnay blends are cold-stabilizing in tank as I write this, and the Pinot Noir is blended and resting in barrel until July. With a few more tastings, we should have our 2008 Cabernet blends figured out and before you know it we’ll be talking about bottling and harvest. Wow, is it spring already??

On a side note, we just released our 2007 Rosa Lee Petit Sirah. This wine is absolutely delicious, and only 500 cases were produced. Order now, as its available only thorough the winery! Celebrate spring in ZD-style.

~ Chris Pisani, Winemaker

Solar Celebration

As of February 12, 2009 our first annual billing cycle with PG&E has come to an end. Even with all of the crushing, pumping, bottling, chilling, computing and lighting throughout the year, we ended up producing more electricity than we used. Economically, you could say that we blew it since we do not get paid for the excess energy we deliver to PG&E. But from our view, this is simply an opportunity to do even more with our solar energy going forward. The next change will be to replace the propane water heater with an electric unit that will use our clean solar electricity.

Some Details on our Solar System:

Sizing: We originally sized the system to pay for 95% of our electricity costs. This was designed to be as economically beneficial as possible since we will only be reimbursed for the total costs of the electricity that we use at this site. Any excess energy produced on an annual basis will not be paid for. Due to our current rate schedule, this is not a kilowatt for kilowatt trade.

Rate Schedule: We are on an A-6 rate schedule. This means we are charged at varying rates for the electricity we use depending on the time of year and the time of day. We are paid for the electricity that we generate at these same rates. This works well for a solar system because the rate is the highest at the time when we are producing the most electricity (when the sun is shining). Note on the rate schedule below that the rate for “On Peak” energy is more than three times the rate for “Off Peak”. We can increase our efficiency even more by scheduling energy use, such as charging our electric forklifts, for the Off Peak times.

Efficiency: In our ongoing efforts to be as ecological as possible we have continued to increase our energy efficiency. Two of our largest projects include upgrades to the chillers and air compressors with high efficiency units.

During this change we replaced our old 30 hp air compressor with two direct drive units. One unit is 20 hp with a variable frequency drive and the other is a 10hp unit. In the off-season, we can run the smaller unit daily, only using the larger unit when necessary. We will continue to look for ways to be as efficient as possible.

Future Plans: With the solar system that we have in place and the improvements that we have made to our operation, it is very likely that we will continue to overproduce electricity. To continue maximizing the use of that energy, we are impatiently awaiting the availability of electric cars. What a great way to commute, with free clean energy!

Real Time Monitor:
Check out our current production and get other interesting facts about our solar system HERE

~ Robert deLeuze, Winemaster/CEO

Ecological Farming Conference - Asilomar, CA

As the Wine Educator at ZD Wines, I was excited by the opportunity to attend the 29th Annual Ecological Farming Conference to learn more about the latest trends in organic & biodynamic farming, alternative energy, and related earth sensitive farming philosophies. It was an enlightening and humbling experience on many levels.

At the conference, in the company of Robert deLeuze, CEO & Winemaster; Julie deLeuze, Executive Director; Rafael Llamas, Vineyard Manager; Barbie Jamieson, Retail Sales Director; Chris Pisani, Winemaker; and Brandon deLeuze, Assistant Winemaker, we “divided and conquered” to gather information at as many relevant seminars as possible. With so much to take in, the strategy was effective in our efforts to access the immense knowledge, experience and optimism present at the conference.

It was an eye-opening experience listening to some of the true pioneers of the organic farming movement, some of whom have been actively transforming the industry since the late sixties. Pioneers though they may be, they were as diverse as the crowd of professionals you might find at a Grateful Dead show (in fact, Jerry Garcia’s widow had an inspiring short film on “soil” that I viewed with the ZD boys). It was refreshing, as we all seemed to connect on a deeper level, and it made me proud to work for ZD, whose belief and focus on organic farming began in the early 1980’s.

For the sake of efficiency I am going to list several of my highlights from the conference:

• There are billions of farmers on this planet growing the crops we eat while there are only a handful (3 or 4) of Multinational Corporations (MNC’s) that control the channels in which this food is “dispensed” back to the billions of us that eat it. Something’s fundamentally wrong with this picture, as many of the people growing the food are dying of starvation, at the expense of the MNC’s profit!

• The amount of potential energy produced everyday by the Sun is equivalent to all of our stored energy (oil, coal, and natural gas) on Earth! It took billions of years to store these “reserves”, so we should treat them as such and focus on Solar and other renewable energy sources.

• “Conventional” farming actually depletes our soil, while Composting actually builds soil! Compost is the best natural fertilizer that you can find, and it’s even better if you produce your own. It adds organic matter back to the soil, helping build up our soil, rather than using it up!

• Organic Farming is not just a movement; it’s the way the world needs to farm! While science has provided some conveniences (pest control & increased yields) during the past century, these techniques are not sustainable. We need to get back to our “roots” and encourage science to incorporate a more natural and sustainable farming focus.

I hope that you who have taken the time to read this have found something to inspire you to help make this world a better place. I know I am a fortunate lad who’s trying to lead by example, and may you do the same. Let’s toast (with your favorite ZD, of course!) to making this world a better place to live, one glass of wine at a time!

~ Trent Ghiringhelli, Wine Educator