Unionville Vineyards Vat 19 Port
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at the winery. The grapes have all been harvested and are soundly asleep in their various barrels and tanks until next year, or the next. To the successful year we’ve had at Unionville Vineyards, I offer a glass of cheer. In this case, the wine that gives me lots of cheer is our 2014 New Jersey State Wine Competition Gold Winner, Vat 19 Port. This delicious Port is a blend of vintages dating back from 2001 to 2012. All produced from 100% estate grown Chambourcin.
If you would like to experience the Holidays in a glass, this award winner is it. Ripe fruit, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, baking spices all filling the glass. One taste, and you’ll think you hear relatives at the door. One glass, and you’ll swear you hear Santa on the roof. It is seldom that a wine evokes so much emotion.
I’m prone to the dramatic, and I like to set the scene. Dinner is over, the dishes are washed and put up. The kitchen lights are out, the kids are in bed and the fire is blazing. Just you and your port. Life is good.
Typically, when I’m enjoying port, I run to the freezer, break off a few frozen chocolate cookie dough pieces, and pop them in the oven. When the timer rings, I’m in that kitchen faster than a marathoner. Chocolate and port go together so well you almost feel guilty. Almost.
Now with the holidays upon us, I have to think of others and invite them into my Port and Chocolate quiet time. For this, I’m offering the following flourless chocolate cake recipe. Flour just gets in the way of chocolate, don’t you think?
Why this works so well, is the intensity of the Port and the intensity of the chocolate match perfectly. This is one of those times when the sum is greater than the parts. Both are sweet and both are rich, but with the Port’s 18.5% alcohol added to the equation, it elevates what you’d think would be too heavy, into pure enjoyment. After the holidays, you can return to the frozen cookie dough, but for now, it’s time to bake.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate-chopped (1 2/3 cups)
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
6 extra large eggs at room temperature (separated)
1 1/2 cups ground nuts
3 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven (not the bottom), and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch layer cake pan or Springform pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper cut to fit precisely. Butter the paper and sides, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess cocoa.
Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl or the top pan of a double boiler. Set over simmering water but not touching the water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove the heat and let cool slightly.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl. Using a whisk or an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, 8-10 minutes with a whisk or 3-5 minutes with a mixer. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the cooled chocolate and the ground nuts.
With clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture one third at a time. Pour into the prepared pan; smooth the top.
Bake until the top puffs and forms a crust, about 50 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Peel off the paper. Transfer to a plate and spread the warm chocolate ganache over the top and sides.
Chocolate Ganache
1 Cup Heavy Cream
10 oz. (2 cups) Semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Gently warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear at the edges. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted. If there are any visible lumps, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Ice the cake with the ganache warm.
Stephen Ruffin
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Desk or vineyard? This is the question I asked myself when making the leap of faith to leave my corporate life behind to pursue my passion for wine. After working in the medical communications space for 10 years, 2022 was the year of epiphany. It may sound old fashion, but I did have a major realization in the beginning of the new year that I was not meant to work behind a desk and chug along doing work that I was no longer passionate about.
My first notion of my interest of wine came during my frequent business trips to Boston about 4 years ago. For the first time I was immersing myself in the world of wine through client dinners, networking events and a lot of self-exploring through Beantown. During this time was my first encounter with sommeliers and wine experts. I was fascinated and intrigued by the expertise knowledge of wine, wine making and learning about the intricacies that goes into producing a bottle of wine. At this moment, I thought about how amazing it was to witness such passion for the craft of wine.
I enrolled in an online sommelier level one course at the Wine School of Philadelphia and began studying and reading everything I could about wine. This is where my 2nd major epiphany happened – I asked myself, the question that I stated in the beginning “desk or vineyard?”
This is the question that started the major stepping stone to my journey. I no longer wanted my wine passion to be in the background – I wanted to be 100% committed and both feet in. Unionville Vineyards was the first winery that popped into my head when I thought about making my “9:00- 5:00” switch. I attended a wedding at Unionville the year prior and loved the atmosphere, the wine and the people. The position that I applied to was half farm work half hospitality. I was instantly attracted to the idea of being out in the field to where it all begins in wine making. Thoughts of my “office” transforming into the beautiful vineyard was something I desired. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Unionville has multiple vineyard sites with the Coventry site located within Coventry Farm in Princeton being my favorite (love the views there!) Working at the different sites allows you to see how the different micro climates, soil and land impact the vines and fruit cluster growth. Also working in the field to me was the perfect learning opportunity to understand the craft of wine making soup to nuts. Being surrounded by vines that produced grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay was eye opening to me. I was so used to seeing the finished product of these grape varietals in their bottled form, but actually being able to perform farming techniques on the vines starts to create another level of perspective and appreciation for wine.
One of my favorite farming tasks to perform in the field on the vines is leaf pulling. Leaf pulling is when you remove leaves from around the fruit clusters. The rule of thumb is to remove leaves that are across and below from the fruit cluster. Removing the leaves creates oxygen flow, openness for pesticides to be sprayed and exposes the fruit to more sunlight. I enjoy seeing the satisfying result of a perfectly balanced vine with the right number of leaves removed. Working in the field creates a huge bond between you and your other field peers. You become a family unit and learn how to work together and communicate as a team. To me, this is a very important factor for having a successful vineyard. My experience with people at Unionville in general has been amazing. You have the opportunity to interact with people from all different backgrounds (teachers, college, corporate, etc.) which makes for some great conversations and comradery.
To anyone reading this, do not be afraid to follow your passion and take a chance on doing what you want to ensure your happiness. It was scary to make such a drastic shift from corporate to farm work, especially since the two are extremely opposite ends of the spectrum, but I have no regrets and I am happy with where my career and focus is going.
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sharon
December 07, 2015
thank you for this! sounds like a winner. thanks for putting it all there so easy for us!