Whether you’re a beginner in the kitchen or a cooking pro, having a delicious, go-to pasta dish in your repertoire is a must. Especially when you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or date night at home.

For us, a meat and tomato-based sauce-like “Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce” from The New York Times is the perfect way to show someone you care. Make a statement when you pair rich, full-flavored 1000 Stories bourbon barrel-aged red wines like our Cabernet Sauvignon and Gold Rush Red with this iconic pasta dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the pasta
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅔ cup chopped celery
• ⅔ cup chopped carrot
• ¾ pound ground beef chuck (or you can use 1 part pork to 2 parts beef)
• Salt
• Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
• 1 cup whole milk
• Whole nutmeg
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 ½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
• 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds pasta
• Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table

INSTRUCTIONS

• Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.
• Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
• Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating – about 1/8 teaspoon – of nutmeg, and stir.
• Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct.
• Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.

Birria tacos and bourbon barrel-aged Zinfandel are a 1000 Stories match made in heaven. Tender, slow-cooked meat. Ripe fruit, savory spice, and herb notes. What more could you want in this warming dish perfect for winter?

Hailing from the Mexican state of Jalisco, birria is a super savory, slow-cooked stew typically prepared with goat, which means mouthwateringly tender meat and piquant broth.

To create your own birria and bourbon barrel-aged wine pairing at home, check out Claudette Zepeda’s recipe for birria beef tacos via Food & Wine below or support your local birria takeout spot.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast (about 2 1/4 inches thick)
• 2 pounds English-cut beef short ribs (about 3 ribs)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• Adobo
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion, rinsed
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Canola oil, for greasing
• 32 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas or 16 packaged corn tortillas
• Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

Sprinkle chuck roast and short ribs all over with 2 tablespoons salt. Combine roast, ribs, and adobo in a large nonreactive bowl; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer adobo mixture to a large (9 1/2-quart) Dutch oven; add 8 cups water. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid, and place in preheated oven. Bake until meat is fork- tender, about 4 hours.

Step 3

Remove chuck roast and short ribs from braising broth, and transfer to a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return broth in Dutch oven to heat over medium, and cook, uncovered, skimming off fat as needed, until reduced to about 8 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Season broth with salt to taste. Shred meat; discard bones. Toss meat with 1 1/2 cups of the broth.

Step 4

Stir together onion, cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Step 5

Heat a large nonstick electric griddle to 400°F or a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using a paper towel dipped in canola oil, lightly grease griddle. If using fresh tortillas, stack 2 tortillas, and use tongs to dip them together into adobo broth. (If using packaged tortillas, dip 1 tortilla per taco.) Place stacked tortillas on griddle; top with 1/4 cup meat. Repeat with as many tortilla stacks as will comfortably fit on griddle. Cook until bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold tacos in half, gently pressing with a spatula. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat process with oil, adobo broth, remaining tortillas, and remaining meat.

Step 6

Serve tacos hot with onion-cilantro mixture, lime wedges, and remaining adobo broth for dipping or sipping.

Make Ahead

Adobo can be made up to 3 days ahead. Meat can be braised up to 2 days in advance and reheated in broth before shredding meat and reducing broth

Distance has nothing on game night. Whether you’re starting your own virtual game night tradition or taking your weekly poker night online, up the ante with a glass of bourbon barrel-aged wine in hand.

Here are our tips for safely hosting the ultimate virtual game night with friends or the whole family:

Set the scene with a theme: All dressed up with nowhere to go? Sounds like an ideal way to celebrate game night.

Raise the stakes: Everyone wins when this week’s game night loser coordinates next week’s signature cocktail or wine pairing. (Hint: 1000 Stories has you covered.)

Game on: Check out some of our game night favorites.

Card Games: Poker, Gin Rummy, Blackjack, Hearts

Board Games: Backgammon, Chess, Checkers, Monopoly

Word Games: Boggle, Scrabble, 20 Questions, Charades

Every season is grilling season, especially when it comes to firing up a batch of galbi. Ginger, garlic, and Korean pear, or bae, lend these Galbi Korean flanken-cut short ribs their classic aromatic and slightly sweet flavor, made all the better with a touch of char from the grill.

But, don’t worry. Any method—gas or charcoal grill, grill pan, or hot skillet—will work well for this dish. For us, grilling is a state of mind.

Thinly cut lengthwise across the bone, this short rib preparation soaks up all the delicious marinade and cooks quickly, the perfect cut to marinate ahead of time for a quick cook the next day. Get cooking, and pair your galbi with a bottle of 1000 Stories Bourbon barrel-aged Gold Rush Red.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 pounds short ribs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• ½ cup water
• 1 small onion
• 2 green onions
• 1 small Korean pear, peeled
• 4 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Coat short ribs in brown sugar
2. For the marinade, mix remaining ingredients together and evenly coat meat
3. Refrigerate overnight in a plastic bag or flat container
4. Grill meat in the method of your choice and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and black pepper to taste

Whether you’ll be hitting the slopes, reading by the fire, or doing everything in between, welcome the winter season with 1000 Stories Chardonnay. Aged in French and American oak before being finished in bourbon barrels, our Chardonnay is a cool-weather must-have.

Channeling quintessential California characteristics, our Chardonnay is full-bodied, richly textured, and brimming with lush fruit flavors. Crafted with care, small-batch 1000 Stories Chardonnay is the bourbon barrel-aged wine built for beating chilly winter temperatures.

 Downright delicious and bold enough for even the most rugged wintertime adventures, grab a bottle and write your own story this winter.

First mentioned in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in 1843, the Smoking Bishop Cocktail is warm, sweet, and perfect for the holidays. For a modernized take, we’ve recreated the recipe found in “Drinking with Dickens”, written by the author’s great-grandson Cedric, and brought it all together with one of our favorite bottles of red – the 1000 Stories Zinfandel.

Perfectly balanced, our Zinfandel is bourbon barrel-aged and exceptionally smooth with a ripe raspberry character. The bramble and berry palate is accented by a savory richness, layered over notes of dried herbs and burnt vanilla for the perfect balance. 

What you need: 

• 6 Seville oranges
• ½ cup Demerara sugar
• 1 bottle 1000 Stories Zinfandel 
• 1 bottle Ruby Port
• 30 cloves (optional)
• 5 dried green cardamom pods
• Orange peel for garnish

If you can’t find Seville oranges, don’t worry. Simply substitute five navel oranges and add the juice of one lemon when roasting, and you’ll be in good shape. 

You can even bottle this batch cocktail to enjoy any time of the year! In this case, just fortify your concoction with Orange Brandy and omit the port. When ready to serve, simply heat your drink and add the port with a cup of water.

Note: When your cocktail is finished brewing, it may actually appear to be smoking slightly as the vapor rises, hence the name – the Smoking Bishop! 

So whether you’re curling up with a classic novel, or treating your friends and family at home, let’s all raise our glass to the timeless power of a good story!

Zesty, herbaceous, and deliciously tangy, chimichurri adds an out of this world flavor to just about anything you put it on! Argentine in origin, this versatile sauce is often enjoyed at traditional Asado barbecues and gatherings in various South American countries – and it also happens to pair perfectly alongside some of your favorite bottles of 1000 Stories Red. 

Instructions

To make your homemade chimichurri, finely chop and combine parsley, garlic, and oregano, then stir in olive oil, vinegar, and lemon zest. Season with salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes for an extra kick. It’s that easy!

Serving

Transfer your just-grilled steak onto a cutting board.
Slice it into thin strips and spoon your chimichurri over the top. Now you’re at the most important step – it’s time to pour your wine.

For a smooth and savory richness on the palette, try pairing your meal with a bottle of 1000 Stories Zinfandel. If you’re looking for a more layered and complex pairing, we’d recommend our Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of burnt sugar, vanilla, dried herbs, and a slightly smoky finish to elevate each bite.

If you’re looking for a timeless blend, try a glass of 1000 Stories Gold Rush Red and enjoy ripe, juicy red fruits with heady notes of spice and a finish of dried herbs and charred vanilla. Salud!