Here's to Longevity. Cheers!! #WinePW

Longevity.....Long Life, Durability, Endurance, Vitality.  During this month of February when we celebrate Black History Month, Lunar New Year and Valentine Day it is a very good and appropriate word.

The Wine Pairing Weekend gang are celebrating Black History Month by showcasing BIPOC wines and wineries.  I have chosen to share Longevity Wines.  

Longevity is owned by Phil Long.  He and his wife Debra opened the California Winery in Livermore Valley after their hobby of winemaking outgrew their garage.  Debra named the Winery Longevity as a play on their last name as well as a tribute to their enduring love.  

Phil designed the logo of the heart filled with vines and smaller hearts inspired by the Artisan made glass hearts that he would give to Debra each Valentine's Day.

Longevity was not Debra's, however, and she passed away in 2019, three years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Phil's son now assists his father with the wine making responsibilities.

Phil is host to Black Vines, a Wine Festival celebrating the culture, art and wine of the black community. This 11th annual event is scheduled for February 26th in Berkley, California. 

I purchased a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of Chardonnay from my local grocer.  Wanting to continue the Longevity theme I decided to make a Heart Healthy meals to pair with the wine.

I found this recipe for a Garlic Cashew Chicken Skillet, that I am sharing with you today,  from Eating Well and paired it, very successfully with the Chardonnay. 

Slightly sweet and slightly spicy this scrumptious, colorful dish is prepared and baked in one skillet cutting down on cleanup.  It is chock full of vegetables, chicken and a quinoa/brown rice mixture, seasoned with Asian flavors and then sprinkled with crushed cashews for some texture.  

The crisp, clean acidity of the Chardonnay paired perfectly with the Asian flavors of this dish.  This wine is aged in French Oak Barrels but is not overly oaky.  In fact, I got very little oak, which is good if, like me, you find that too much oak detracts from the wine.

I paired the Cabernet with sliders inspired by a recipe from the American Heart Association (sans the cheese, of course).  That recipe will be coming up on the blog at a later date.  The Cabernet is everything I love about a California Cab.  Deep, Dark, Smooth, Silky and a little bit of Spicy.  It paired perfectly with the burgers and sweet potato fries.  

David of Cooking Chat invites us each year to join him during Black History Month to pay homage and "put a spotlight on winery owners & winemakers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). " 

He is gathering us together tomorrow for conversation on the winery owners and winemakers we discovered and the foods we chose pair with the wines we found.  We would love for you to join us.  You will find us on Twitter chat at 11 AM ET by following #Winepw.  Here are the topics we will be discussing:

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares "Here's to Longevity. Cheers!!"
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing "Cherry-Kissed Pairing: Maison Noir's Horseshoes and Handgrenades + Steaks in a Cherry Pan Sauce" 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares "Back to Brown Estate - for Zin this time"
• Deanna from Wineivore pairs Long Life Noodles + Longevity Chardonnay with a Unique Twist /
• Susannah from Avvinare features "a "a trio of delightful wines from Theopolis Vineyards"
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley "Organic Field Number Fifteen Fulfills a Lifelong Dream in El Dorado #winePW #BHM" and "NFL Super Star Charles Woodson’s “Intercept” Pinot Noir Paired with Smoked Ham #winePW #BHM"
• Nicole from SommsTable is "Cooking to the Wine: Longevity Pinot Grigio with Crab Cakes"
• David from Cooking Chat will pair "Berbere Lentil Chili with Rosé from the McBride Sisters"