New Feature! Cozy Wine of the Month!

I’m so excited to introduce a new monthly addition, COZY WINE OF THE MONTH. If there is one thing Miss Cozy loves it’s a delicious glass of wine!!!! Cozyland’s Connesieur is Ms. Lisa Patson (yup, that’s what sisters are all about!!!!). After returning from 2 years abroad in Switzerland travelling often to the south of France to take advantage of the vast viticulture Lisa and her husband Neil now spend a lot of time exploring the wines of the Central Coast. I’ve asked Lisa to select one wine a month from either the Santa Ynez (Santa Barbara) region or a little more North in Paso Robles.

AUGUST IS ALL ABOUT ROBLAR!

ROBLAR SAUVIGNON BLANC

Roblar Sauvignon Blanc

One of our favorite new wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley is Roblar, located on Roblar Avenue right off the 154 going into Santa Ynez. The winery celebrated it’s one year anniversary in May and the word is definitely out since it always seems to be buzzing with lots of people tasting and enjoying the beautiful grounds. Roblar is also unique because it has a full time chef and serves lunch daily and Sunday brunch, in addition to their cooking classes. We’ve had the chance to participate in two of the classes–Greek and most recently Italian–both of which were sold out and seem to be drawing people from all over Southern CA.

Right now our favorite wine they’re pouring is the ’07 Sauvignon Blanc, which according to the winery is “showing notes of pear, dry honeydew melon, grapefruit and faint citrus flowers.” Perfect for a hot summer day and with the attached recipe. Bon Appetit!

Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad

• 20 medium shrimp (about 3/4 pound)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons dry or off-dry white wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup diced ripe mango
• Milk or cream (optional)
• 2 medium avocados
• Lettuce leaves
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1. Prepare a charcoal grill and ignite the coals. When they have completely ashed over, spread the coals around and fit the grill over them.

2. Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp. Thread them on skewers (you’ll need four), five to a skewer. Season lightly with salt and pepper. When the fire is ready, grill the shrimp about 1 minute on each side, until just barely cooked through. Remove them from their skewers into a bowl and sprinkle them with wine while they are hot. Let them cool.

3. Make the sauce by pureeing the oil, vinegar and mango in a blender or food processor until very smooth and creamy, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a little milk or cream.

4. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, removing the pit. Slice each half into six pieces. Alternate the avocado slices and shrimp on each of four plates. Garnish with a few tender lettuce leaves. Spoon some of the sauce over the shrimp and avocado and scatter some of the sliced green onion and diced tomato over the shrimp and sauce.

Serves 4.

Sounds like an amazing combo to me, thanks Lisa (I’ve actually got a bottle chilling in the ‘fridge as we speak!) Looking forward to what September brings!