70% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 10% Norton. Featuring Virginia and Maryland-grown fruit (except for the California Malbec), and subbing Norton for the Gamay of the original Loire Valley concept, comes the ultimate "bistro red" — pretty spices, with juicy dark fruits on the palate, and a lively, chunky texture. Unfiltered, no oak.  $10.95

Ez Pizza  The crust is the key, of course, and a good quality double-layer aluminum cookie sheet helps a lot with this dough from the French port city of Marseilles: To make 4 personal-sized thin-crust pizzas, combine 2 cups high-gluten flour with 1.5c unbleached bread flour, pinch of salt, and 1 Tablespoon yeast. Add scant 1c warm water and combine. Knead about five minutes, until dough has a glossy, non-tacky texture (better a little dry than too wet). Cover with a breathable towel and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled. Plop dough onto flat surface, and adjust texture as needed with a little water or flour. Divide into four balls and let rise again for about 20 minutes, until doubled. On a hard surface use rolling pin to flatten each ball into a crush; don't worry about ragged edges, or round shapes, but try to roll to a uniform thickness. Sprinkle cookie sheet with corn meal to prevent sticking, and place flattened dough on sheet. Let rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Top each pizza as you please (we love black olives with fennel seed, and anchovy or sardine), but not so thickly as to disrupt cooking, and bake until cheese and crust are golden, about 20 minutes, rotating pans in oven at least twice. 

92% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Norton. This is a broad-shouldered, aggressively flavored drink in Summer 2010, nicely suited to outdoor grilling sports. It was not an ideal growing season, 2008, and we elected to shorten the wine's barrel time, to preserve fruitiness. It's dense and full of flavor, pointy edges and all. Drink up while the fruit is sappy. $15.95

Roasted Chicken with Herbs  So basic, so rustic, with aromas that complement the herbal overtones of Watershed. Figure one breast portion with attached wing per person — give or take. Organic or kosher chicken is good out of the package, but standard commercial bird, if you must use it, is much juicier after soaking in the refrigerator overnight in brine (1/3c salt per quart of water); avoid boned chicken breasts, which tend to be too dry for roasting. Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry. On stove-top, in heavy oven-worthy fry pan, brown both sides of breasts on medium-high heat, using a little olive oil if needed. Drain fat and juices from pan, then place in hot oven. Roast about 40 minutes, draining liquid once but retaining all in last 15 minutes. The golden chicken is done when pierced and juice runs clear. Right before serving, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, pepper, fennel seed, rosemary, parsley, dill, or other herbs of choice, and add a liberal shot of wine vinegar, plus a little more. Combine with a little Watershed to make enough sauce for drizzling over all the chicken pieces on their plates. Especially fine with roasted carrots and potato wedges, bread, and fresh salad.

Pinot Schmino ~ Blog on Our Cabernet Franc Wines

2008 Ursa Major 
65% Zinfandel, 35% Norton. Our super-premium reserve red is named for its bear-like black color and richness, and also as a tribute to the regal creatures that roam our wilds. To the Greeks and Romans, the bear was the figure of female compassion, a belief derived from observing the mother’s care of her tiny cubs. In the classical world, the bear appeared as a goddess wearing a bear mask, the very symbol of the Great Mother of all creation. Her strength and intelligence, her maternal instinct, her ability to stand human-like on two feet, her understanding of the passing seasons in the natural world, her amazing ability to hibernate, have all contributed to the bear mythos in cults and religions throughout human culture.

Oh Yeah, the wine: Our fifth Ursa release is almost a reverse of the previous formula because, well, it made the best wine in 2008 — no other explanation. It's a towering column of briary old-vine California Zinfandel blackberry flavor with some elderberry zing from the Norton. Those who follow our wines know this is the only hold-over from the days before adequate supplies of local grapes existed in the Mid-Atlantic, but this blend of America's cult grapes, one East and one from the West, is so darn good we can't stop ourselves. Were we not such a tiny boutique winery fanatical about making unusual, delicious wines, the carbon footprint of transporting the Zin from California would be objectionable. But, only 100 cases were made. $21.95

Blue Dolce Port (375ML)
Wildly popular, vividly blueberry dessert wine. $12.95

2008 Studio 42 Blanco 

65% Vidal, 25% Pinot Gris, 7% Seyval, 3% Cabernet Franc vinified as a white wine.      

This unfiltered, nervy dry white wine replaces White Linen Reserve. (Co-owner Nadine G. hated the name.) The sleek, minerally, apricot-cream flavors might have made this the most interesting white we have ever released, were it not for our estate-bottled Cumulus described below! Studio 42: $12.95

Appalachian Bouillabase (Fish Stew)  This satisfying dish is gorgeous and downright "traditional" with either of our white wines, or with our rosé. Whichever you prefer, just use that wine in the soup! This one beats out even chicken soup as a comfort-food fave in our domain, and though inexpensive frozen fish can be used, fresh is certainly tastier. Beyond that, French authorities insist that a proper bouillabase must contain tomato, parsley, white or pink wine, and olive oil. To serve four, use about 1 pound pollock, haddock, or other white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces. (Multiple species of fish add complexity, but, candidly, no farmed fish is healthy, and ditto for much large wild-caught such as tuna or marlin.) In a large stock pan, add to the fish 1 can water-packed sardines and its liquid, and, if you like, some sort of shellfish. (Crayfish, squid, or clams can go in with the other fish, but shrimp should be cooked only about 3 minutes at the very end to preserve its delicate texture.) Whichever, from there go with your preferred veggies, chopping enough carrots, onions, leeks, celery, parsnips — whatever is on hand — with potatoes and parsley, to fill the pot for four. (Purely for aesthetics, we avoid bright green vegetables that compete with pretty parsley in the steaming bowl.) Add about one-half bottle of wine, salt, pepper, fennel seed, bayleaf, plus a couple of good "glug-glugs" of olive oil, fresh or canned tomatoes, and enough water to cover. Boil for 20 minutes, then simmer for as long as you like, allowing to cool before serving. And whatever you do, don't forget good bread or the chabrol at the end: the peasant touch of adding a dollop of wine to the last dregs of the soup to finish.   

2008 Cumulus

Our first-ever release of a blended white wine made entirely from our own grapes (10 years in the making, mind you) seems to build its flavors before your eyes (er, in your mouth); at first sip, the wine is interesting but insignificant, but by Sip 2 or 3, its astonishing smoothness and perfect balance takes over. This Vignoles/Chardonnay/Vidal blend was vinified using native yeasts, then aged on the lees for seven months, and bottled unfiltered. Everyone who samples it in our tasting room, where it is served as the Maker intended only in Riedel crystal, is in love with how the flavors build so beautifully. Hence, the name. $26.95 

2009 Glade Run Rosé (Garrett County Appellation) 

From estate-grown Cabernet Franc, this one has the perfect pitch for a dry pink: mild floral, white pepper, and persistent mineral notes on the nose, with a basically neutral flavor, for pairing with summer and autumnal foods. Its vivid magenta color looks so pretty on the table. $12.95 

Wine Geek Note: Our onion-skin colored 2009 rosé from Pinot Grigio, called Studio 42 Pink, sold in stores and at the winery in Spring 2010. We diverted most of the harvest to a white wine, and the scant supply of 45 cases of very pale rosé was snapped up.

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