Patrick’s Seven Spice Moroccan Lamb Rub Recipe
Food and wine pairings are kind of our jam. As lovers of the wine country lifestyle, our ideal weekend is spent in the kitchen, seasoning and sipping new recipes and old favorites too.
We’re excited to open up our recipe collection to share with you our favorite things to nibble alongside Sea Bird Wines, courtesy of our winemaker, Patrick Durbin! Here’s the recipe for his (not-a-secret-anymore) Seven Spice Moroccan Lamb Rub:
2 Tbl turmeric
2 Tbl smoked paprika
1 Tbl cumin
2 tsp garlic powder or two cloves minced garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
Salt to taste
Mix together and rub lamb chops on all sides. Refrigerate at least six hours or up to day.
Grill (or bake in the oven at 400) about 8-10 min or until chops are 140 degrees at their thickest part.
Enjoy paired with any vintage of our Sea Bird Pinot Noir, though it is particularly delicious when paired with our 2014 Sangiacomo Robert’s Road Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Everything to love about California Pinot Noir is bottled up here, with polished tannins, lush red fruits and hints of leather and cocoa as the wine has aged gracefully, with its greatest years ahead!
When pairing food and wine, you want to looks for things that balance each other. That's why we reach for a our Pinot Noir with these bright and vibrant spices. As a rule with spicy/spiced foods, you can always depend on either off-dry whites, dry whites, and light reds. A Pinot Noir is a perfect light bodied red option, as the lighter tannins will let the food shine while the bright acidity will highlight the unique earthy tones of the spices like turmeric and allspice.
Want to see the recipe in action? Check out our Instagram Reels to see our spice mixing yourself!
4 Fun Ways To Enjoy Wine At Home
Bored at home? Never! We’re pouring up a glass of our favorites wines and keeping things fresh and exciting at home. Here’s a few ways to enjoy wine at home, all paired with a Sea Bird Wine to enjoy along the fun.
Chardonnay + A Bubble Bath
Chances are, you’ve had a long, hard day, no matter what you’ve been doing. If you’re working from home these days, it might be hard to draw the line between “home” and “work” life. So indulge in some self-care by sipping a cool glass of our award winning Sonoma Coast Chardonnay in the bath. You’re here to treat yourself, so make the most of it by:
- Grab a magazine or a new book to read while you soak
- Set the mood by turning on some ocean waves in the background
- Take some tips from Lifehacker and give your bathroom major spa vibes
Pinot Noir + Indoor Picnic
Ahhh…the great Indoors! Bring a little life to your living room and turn a Friday night into an at-home picnic! Bring the whole bottle of this Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir to your picnic spread and set the vibe with flameless candles, plenty of pillows and blankets, and finger-food only (no dishes, than you!). Here are some of our favorite things to picnic with our Robert’s Road Pinot Noir:
- A prosciutto, fig, and arugula sandwich on a baguette.
- Salty, kettle cooked chips with Manchego cheese
- A thin-crust pizza (ordering in is a total YES)
Cabernet + Get Crafty
A little bit of wine really helps those creative juices get flowing! Pop the cork on a bottle of 2013 Broken Rock Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and gather your supplies for a fun night of creating something new and unexpected. Here are some ideas to get you started!
- Take an online painting class for your very own at-home Sip & Paint
- Learn how to letter for this year’s Christmas cards
- Get crafty with some old corks you’ve collected
Poseidon + Themed Movie Night
Take your Netflix & Chill vibes and give it a twist with a themed movie night! Open up a bottle of Poseidon Cabernet Sauvignon and take a deep dive on some ocean cinema. Here’s a list of our top 10 sea-inspired movies to sip along with including:
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Castaway
- The Life Aquatic
- Jaws (the original)
- The Perfect Storm
- Waterworld
- Titanic
- The Poseidon Adventure
- The Cove
- Chasing Mavericks
Check Our Wins at the International Women's Wine Competition
Double Gold & Best In Class. We'll Cheers To That!
This competition was expertly judged by the wine industry’s leading professional women who are experts in their field across the wine industry and media alike! The competition not only recognizes the best wines that appealed to our judges, but also the wines they felt would most appeal and influence other women wine buyers and consumers.
When it comes to wine, the ladies of The Flock know best!
It’s no surprise to us that women are the primary wine buyers (and drinkers!) in most households. It’s our passion to us to share our wine with those who love a great glass and are proud that we hold a popular opinion in this year’s International Women’s Wine Competition!
This competition was expertly judged by the wine industry’s leading professional women, though open to men and women winemakers alike. The competition not only recognizes the best wines that appealed to our judges, but also the wines they felt would most appeal and influence other women wine buyers and consumers.
Over one thousand wines were entered in the competition, with just 48 Best of Class designations…of which, we were happy to take the show with two our upcoming release of our 2016 Poseidon Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford and our 2017 Sea Bird Chardonnay from Sea. Rita Hills.
We also led the pack scoring a Double Gold medal with our 2017 Sea Bird Pinot Noir from Sea. Rita Hills. Who needs a side-by-side sip of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir!
Interested in getting first access to this wine upon release? Send us a note and we'll add you to The Flock!
What To Drink Now: A Vintage Report Update
Our winemaker, Patrick Durbin, fondly notes, “I love watching my wines grow up.” And for good reason. At Sea Bird Wines, we believe in relaxed wines to enjoy with friends and loved ones. That kind of wines that are as interesting as they are easy-drinking. Vintage after vintage report, we stay dedicated to taking Great Vines To Great Times with ever bottle. To make choosing your next bottle even easier, here’s a peek into our cellar with a vintage report update to see if you should hold or drink your favorite Sea Bird Wines bottles with our easy guide.
2013
This was an ideal growing season all across California. Ideal growing conditions offered moderate temperatures all throughout the growing season without rain or extreme temperatures.
What you need to know: Napa
• Dry conditions and a long sunny summer resulted in Cabernet Sauvignon that steals that show over all varietals.
• Patient growers were able to moderate soaring sugar levels to cultivate a Cabernet Sauvignon with balance, bright fruit and robust tannins that lend to long aging potential for years to come. Or, if you’re a tannin fiend, a tight, grippy wine ready to impress with structure.
Hold it: 2013 Broken Rock Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
Located on the east side of Napa near Soda Canyon and Atlas Peak, this vineyard produces bright fruit with a balanced acidity thanks to the volcanic mountainside soils. The structure of this Bordeaux inspired blend representative of the best of Napa Valley results in black cherry and cola notes, nuanced vanilla and a touch of white pepper that will continue to evolve in your cellar. These last five years have just started to soften the edges of the fine tannin structure, but can easily go about 3-5 more for a luxurious expression of this iconic vintage to come.
What you need to know: Sonoma
• The growing season was off to an early start in Sonoma with abundant sunshine and moderate temperatures similar to neighboring Napa.
• Quality AND quality abound! Pinot Noir in particular grew large crops offering a volume of premium wine.
Drink it: 2013 Sonoma Stage Pinot Noir - Sonoma
The Sonoma Stage vineyard is nestled between the Petaluma Gap and Los Carneros as the south end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Cool morning fog and warm winds cultivate a Pinot Noir with classic red fruits, dark cherries and touches of cocoa and leather for a balanced Pinot ready to drink now. Enjoy a glass now as the delicious tertiary flavors have developed beautifully.
2014
Drought in the winemaking world is a delicate balance. However, it struck the perfect cord in 2014 offering lower yields, but higher quality. Sprinkling with a few well-timed rains over the growing season offered a sunny summer and a ripe fall.
What you need to know: Napa
• The perfect blend of 2012 and 2013 was the best way to describe 2014.
• Bright red fruits, balanced acidity and lower yields delivered a dreamlike vintage, especially for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
• An early harvest still delivered deep color, intense aromatics and lively acidity across the board.
Hold It: 2014 Poseidon Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
This was the perfect vintage to showcase our show-stopping Poseidon Cabernet Sauvignon. Aptly named after the kind of the sea, it is comprised of the “king of grapes,” Cabernet Sauvignon from a premiere Napa Valley vineyard. The G3 vineyard is home to some of the most prestigious fruit in the Valley in the Rutherford AVA. Polished tannin, wild berries, and a hint of Rutherford Dust this wine can easily rest its trident for years to come in your cellar.
What you need to know: Sonoma
• Early season come in slow and steady with
• The drought season was still going strong. For now, it allowed for high quality and reduced yield…perfect for premium vineyards.
• The warm weather paired with little rains resulted in higher alcohol wines that overall had a welcoming ripe aroma and flavors, and softer acidity…perfect for wines that are drinking well sooner than later!
Drink it: 2014 Sangiacomo Robert’s Road Pinot Noir - Sonoma
This family-owned vineyard is the ideal Sonoma Pinot Noir site. Long slow growing seasons thanks to the coastal Sonoma influence offer fog until mid-day and warm sunshine for even ripening. The bright red fruits of this vineyard shine in this Pinot Noir with a bottle ready to pop now!
Enjoy summertime drinking with our current release wines, all available to purchase online. And stay tuned in the Fall for our upcoming vintage report update and releases coming soon!
Memorial Day Weekend Fun with Sea Bird Wines
It’s the best long-weekend of the year as Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. It’s the perfect time to kick back, pop open some bottles, and enjoy time with friends and family.
Need some inspiration to curate a backyard BBQ that will really kick off the best summer yet? Here’s our top tips for a Memorial Day party filled with fun and, of course, great wine.
Ditch The Plastic
Opt for simple clean-up that’s easy on both you, and the environment with alternative green disposables like these bamboo cutlery sets and eco-friendly compostable plates.
Red or White?
Trick question. It’s both! Keep both options available to guests for easy drinking and pairing with everything on the menu.
A smooth white wine with bright acidity like Sea Bird Wines 2015 Sangiacomo Robert’s Road Chardonnay is a great option for a bright warm day. Keep it at cellar temperature (that’s a cool 52 degrees!) and sip all day long.
For red drinkers, opt for a wine with lighter tannins and a fresh vibrant red fruit profile like Sea Bird Wines 2014 Sangiacomo Robert’s Road Pinot Noir.
The best part of bringing out a few bottles of Sea Bird Wines is not only showing your guests a boutique, small-production wine they might not have heard of (yet!) but also knowing that the proceeds of our wines go back to supporting marine habitats. It's an easy excuse to open another bottle...or two!
Mix Up Your Grill Options
We’re not saying cut it out entirely…but it’s hard to argue with the facts. The dramatic effects of reducing red meat consumption even one day a week could save as much as 900 gallons of water, and the energy equivalent of 5 weeks worth of driving fuel. Take the opportunity on Memorial Day Monday to sub in extra veggies with fun recipes like this Mixed Grilled Vegetables with Fontina Fonduta.
Even better? Take advantage of your outside grill to serve up a sustainable fish in place of red meat! Use a reliable source like Seafood Watch – funded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium –
to consciously shop for a low-impact seafood source to fire up on the grill.
Graze Away
Keep the hangry at bay, with the summer fun and guests arriving at different times it can be hard to pin down everyone for a sit-down meal. Instead, keep a grazing board stacked with a variety of fruit, cheeses, crackers and charcuterie to make sure that everyone has something to keep them fueled through all the fun.
Trade Screen Time For Green Time
Whether it’s a grown-up party or we’re bringing all ages out, a sunny summer day is the perfect time to leave the screens inside and get out on the grass to play.
There are two times when “bigger is better”: when it’s a magnum bottle of Sea Bird Wine, and when it’s a life-size version of yard games! Super-size your lawn game fun with Jumbo Jenga, Giant Wood Rolling Dice, or even this Collossal Size Checkers Rug to bring out everyone’s competitive side.
Raise a glass and a toast to spending time with friends and loved ones…and the start to the best summer yet.
Having fun with us out in the world? Don’t forget to tag your glass with #seabirdwines and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more tips and summer fun all season long!
Spotlight Wine: 2014 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir
Farmed by the Sangiocomo Family, we sourced our 2014 Sangiocomo Pinot Noir from this prestigious Sonoma vineyard just at the base of the Sonoma Mountain.
A long, slow growing season with well-draining, silty soil makes this the ideal place to grow Pinot Noir, along with Chardonnay. The vineyard welcomes in a cool morning fog from the far northern edge of the Petaluma Gap, and long, warmer days over the course of the growing season. The result is balanced, healthy vines planted to over 130 acres.
The 2014 vintage was another year for the books in California winemaking, and the Sangiocomo Pinot Noir vineyard was no exception. This vintage brought and early spring, and as a result, an early finish in the fall. Perfectly warm days and cool nights in Sonoma cultivated the best expression of balance in Pinot Noir with elegant tannins, bright fruit and lively acidity.
Sea Bird’s 2014 Sangiacomo Road Pinot Noir brings the fruit from this well-respected vineyard to life. Aromas of raspberries, violets and leather rise from the glass. This wine spent 14 months in New and Used French Oak barrels, lending a medium weight to the wine with minimal oak influence that allows the polished tannins to shine through.
A recipe for #GreatTimes
With its bright acidity and lush mouthfeel, our Pinot Noir goes to great lengths and plays beautifully with a light and fresh meal.
This Baked Salmon with Herbs & Lemon is a perfect weeknight meal with minimal prep, lush flavor, and captures the savory notes of the wine in an elegant finish. Whether you’re kicking your feet up on a Tuesday or inviting close friends for dinner, enjoy an easy meal with a bottle of wine that will take you from Great Vines to Great Times, one sip at a time.
