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
Taste With Our Winemaker + Samantha Sommelier!
We went vintage for this tasting hosting by Millennial Wine Competition
The Millennial Wine Competition is a fresh take on wine tasting competitions, and we are excited to see the results come through when the judges sip and score some of the hottest new wine and spirits brands on August 26th this year.
We had the chance to treat one of the competition judges Samantha Capadli, AKA Samantha Sommelier in a live Instagram tasting with our winemaker, Patrick Durbin. We dug a little into our cellar to bring out a couple of really great bottles. You know, for quality control purposes! And also because we love seeing our wine “grow up” and sharing it with new friends!
2015 Robert’s Road Chardonnay – Sonoma Coast
Coming from the Robert’s Road Vineyard grown by the Sangiacomo Family, this special lot of Chardonnay has routinely been a “crowd-pleaser” scoring us high-fives from friends, and awards from judges.
Grown the the northernmost vineyard at the base of Sonoma Mountain and at the North End of the Petaluma Gap, this fruit gets incredible influence from the ocean, resulting in bright acidity and perfectly balanced Sonoma-style fruit. It’s what we refer to as a Burgundy style wine from Sonoma Coast.
Patrick’s Perfect Pairings:
- September Oysters
- Seared Muscles
- Grilled Chicken w/ herb butter
Samantha’s Perfect Pairing:
- Oysters (or any type of shellfish)
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Roasted Turkey
- Cheeseboard before dinner
2014 Broken Rock Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
The 2014 is what we can confidently refer to as “the vintage of the decade” due to its perfectly balanced tannins and plush fruit when it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
We’ve sourced this Cabernet Sauvignon from the Broken Rock Vineyard in Napa Valley, located just off the Silverado Trail at the foot of Atlas Peak. This west-facing vineyard plot soaks up all that lush afternoon Napa sunshine while still benefitting from it’s slope location, lending to the perfect balance of “mountain fruit” structure with rich Valley floor fruit.
Patrick and Samantha unanimously agree that this wine (and frankly, all red wines) are best served with a little chill, shooting for 55-65 degrees, which is essential right out of wine fridge temperatures.
Patrick’s Perfect Pairing:
- Moroccan Lamb (grilled) to play with the baking spices coming through
- “Slab & A Cab” AKA any grilled red meat
Samantha’s Perfect Pairing:
- Netflix (but be careful with it or the alcohol will catch up to you!)
- Anything on the grill
This wine is showing lovely with lush velvety tannins without too much grit, and just a little touch of baking spice and oak leaving you balanced.
Top takeaway from Patrick & Sam? Leaves your Chardonnay a little less chilled & chill your red just enough.
Click here to watch the tasting over on the Millennial Wine Competition Instagram page!
Want to know the final scores from the competition in August? Make sure you’re signed up on our mailing list where we’ll release scores and new wine releases to The Flock! Simply fill out the contact form below and we’ll add you to the list.
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!
4 Ways To Save The Environment This Holiday Season
We have a lot to be grateful for this year at Sea Bird Wines. Great wine, great company to share it with, and a beautiful place on Earth to enjoy it…what else can you ask for? As the holiday season approaches, there are so many opportunities to be a conscious consumer and shop with boutique brands that are contributing to a more sustainable footprint on the world.
The CDC reports that Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve than any other period of the year. The plastic and paper waste is overwhelming and impacts our oceans the hardest. Our every-day ecosystem depends on the resources from our coast in ways you might not expect; a healthy coastline gives us everything from the food we enjoy, clean air to breathe and (most importantly) great wine grown with coastal influences from regions like Napa and Sonoma. That’s why this holiday season we are bringing you more ways to help preserve the planet while still serving up the fun.
Ready for some inspiration? These are a few ways that members of The Flock can help create a more sustainable holiday season:
- Volunteer for coastal cleanup
Around the holidays, there is an abundance of opportunities to serve your community and give back. Some of the most overlooked volunteer opportunities can be clean-up work. The pollution of our oceans impacts the health of our communities inland. Search for volunteer opportunities from coast to coast through a non-profit resource like Ocean Conservancy.
- Reduce wrapping waste by using eco-friendly wrapping paper
If every American family wrapped only 3 presents in recycled materials, we could save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields this year. Zero-waste wrapping paper is trending this year, and is not only great for the environment, but extremely chic when done tastefully. Save items such as newspaper, scrap fabric, a patterned men’s button-down or a vintage scarf for wrapping material. Up-cycle items like strips of scrap fabric, hemp, or leather cords for ties, and utilize fresh herbs and greenery like pine branches or rosemary for a finishing touch.
- Get creative with a gift for the kids
Kids get an excess of toys for Christmas, and most of them are mass-produced products made with plastic and packaging materials that lead to waste. If you’re gifting for a child this year, consider a gift that doesn’t come with batteries. Get creative with the gifts you have to offer and remember that time and memories are the best gifts you can give.
Your favorite book, a trip to the zoo with you, or a special date night voucher for a movie (their choice!) are presents that are unique, thoughtful, and are low-impact on the environment.
- Drink Sea Bird Wines
With so many options for wine to adorn your tables during the holidays, it can be a challenge to choose one that everyone will enjoy. By selecting a boutique California brand like Sea Bird Wines to shop with, you are able to show up your average grocery store purchase for a crowd-pleasing selection with a story to tell. Mom can enjoy a glass (or three) of Robert’s Road Chardonnay and Cousin Joe will tell you all about the tasting notes of our silky-smooth Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir (we hear he’s a Level 1 Sommelier).
Impress your friends and family with our award-winning boutique production wine while you sip and swirl with confidence, knowing that you made a mindful choice this season. The core value of Sea Bird wines is crafting a more sustainable future for us all. That’s why proceeds from every bottle are donated to non-profits dedicated to protecting and preserving seabird habitats on coastlines all over the country..
Contributing to a better environment can be as easy as buying a few bottles of your new favorite wine.
And let’s be honest, by the time the holiday season arrives…you’ll be ready for easy.