Art of the Dose, New Guy Running Two Buck Chuck, Chicken Strips Battle Rejoined, a Decent “Half a Glass” and More! In This Edition of Woody’s Whine!

By Woody Mosgers
woodywine@aol.com

Writing from the edge of the Russian River in Sonoma County

“I like the “Whine” because it’s about good food and drink and has interesting tidbits.”
MarMar

Art of the Dose

On a recent Sunday in May we visited Breathless Sparkling Wine up in Healdsburg. It’s a family affair, headed by three sisters who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with for several years now as they are related, in several ways, to the private label sparkling wine producer Rack & Riddle.

The event offered tasters the opportunity to try their hand at learning how to create the proper final blend of a sparkling wine by adding what is called the “dosage” which is a little bit of wine and sugar that balances out the wine at the end of the winemaking process

“It’s the final addition that we can make at the end of the winemaking process,” offers Penny Gadd-Coster the highly acclaimed winemaker and consultant whose been involved with Rack & Riddle since 2007 and now for several years with the Breathless Wines brand.

So we got the chance to try our hand at making our “final blends” as we had four wines, all Blanc the Blanc i.e. white wine from white grapes and in this case all Chardonnay in front of us. The first wine had no dose giving us the opportunity to see how a dose changes the overall character of the wine.

The flavor of the three doses we had to use were Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Muscat. I can report that in some cases all it took was a drop or two to change the entire flavor profile of the base wine, rather interesting and it featured a lot of “Oh my’s” and surprised laughter.

“The process I to go through as the winemaker is to establish what the dose should be to make the best finished wine,” explains Gadd-Coster. “I usually start alone and then whittle it down to my choice”, she continues, “and present it to the team to find out what they liked, what they didn’t like, and what they’d change, and then to come to some sort of a consensus, I think it’s really nice to have a team effort, that’s part of the process,” she concludes. She then presents the approved blend to the client for tasting and review.

Asked if they ever disagree and Gadd-Coster immediately responds, “Oh yeah”. I ask if they’re allowed to – I get another “Yeah, they are and actually it’s a great learning thing for me. Somebody will maybe pick up a little nuance that I didn’t that may be important to them or maybe something that they want to eliminate, and then we work towards an agreement on the final blend to make sure the client is happy.”

As a final note, I learn that in the sparkling wine bottling process a measured dose is actually added to each bottle by a machine called….the doser.

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Two Buck Chuck CEO Rethinking How We Approach Wine

Bronco Wine Co.’s new CEO plans to transform the company, focusing on younger consumers and premium wines after the recent acquisition of Santa Rosa’s Wine Hooligans.

Dominic “Dom” Engels started in 2024 as CEO of Bronco Wine Co., best known as the maker of Trader Joe’s “Two Buck Chuck” brand. Bronco recently acquired Santa Rosa-based Wine Hooligans, which since 2013 has been acquiring and turning around brands such as Cycles Gladiator.

The February acquisition of Wine Hooligans, which includes a winery in Santa Rosa, represents more than just an expansion of Bronco’s portfolio, according to Engels.

“We’re not just adding another brand,” Engels said. “We’re fundamentally rethinking how we approach wine, how we connect with consumers and how we build brands that resonate with younger generations.”

Engels is candid about the challenges the industry faces.

“We’ve done this to ourselves,” he said bluntly. ”We’ve been silent in the face of loud marketing from alternative beverages.”

The Wine Hooligans acquisition provides Bronco with a further foothold in the North Coast region, complementing its existing vineyard and winery assets in Napa and Sonoma counties, he said.

The company is exploring multiple innovative approaches to attract younger consumers. This includes experimenting with new packaging formats like box wines and potentially canned wines, given an adequate supply of aluminum. Engels sees particular promise in box wines, which offer convenience for outdoors or sporting events and also solves the problem of wine oxidation after opening.

“Consumers are going to find ways to interact with the product as they want.”

This consumer-centric approach extends to Bronco’s plans for expanding direct-to-consumer experiences. The company plans to open additional tasting rooms, including potential locations at the main winery in Ceres near Modesto CA. and at the Santa Rosa facility.

The strategy goes beyond simply adding new sales channels. Engels emphasizes creating memorable, shareable experiences that resonate with millennials and Generation Z.

“Physical experiences are what really engender brand loyalty for younger generations,” he said.

“We need to be intentional about capturing consumers aged 20 to 30,” Engels said. This means developing brands and experiences that go beyond simple price competition, focusing instead on creating meaningful connections with consumers.

“We’re interested in pumping more shared enthusiasm into the world of wine.”

North Bay Business Journal

*****

Its McCrispy Strips Verses KFC Hand Breaded Tenders in Chicken Battle

The rhetoric began immediately; “Why settle for a strip from a burger chain when you can get a deal on what we believe is the best tasting tender, from the originator of fried chicken?” KFC U.S. president Catherine Tan-Gillespie said in a statement.

“We’re raising the chicken game to a new level with McCrispy Strips: irresistibly craveable chicken strips made with juicy, 100% white meat, coated with crispy golden-brown breading and bursting with a bold, new black pepper flavor.

So first off the tasting panel’s McDonald’s McCrispy Strips were a dark brown not golden-brown, possibly over cooked, but there was visual evidence of lots of black pepper. I thought the stripes appeared artificial in appearance as they were so uniform with multiple ridges across each piece???

The tasting panel looked past the visual and agreed that; “There is a nice peppery flavor to the first bite, the chicken is cooked well and it’s a decent portion and a decent bite that’s not dried out”.

McDonald’s fries literally seem to be smaller these days; not the portion but the individual fry itself and they don’t taste anywhere as good as they used to, ours were room temperature at best that indicates to me that they had been sitting even though it was the lunch hour.

On the other hand – “The KFC double hand-breaded tenders including the chain’s signature 11 herbs and spices” and fries are hot when served at our table wrapped in a parchment style paper and a box, nice touch as the chicken and the fries really hold the heat which adds to the their overall flavor that comes from obviously being freshly cooked. The fries tasted fresh and looked hand cut unlike the frozen ones at McDonald’s.

The tasting panel agreed, “The chicken is a tasty and tender bite with great flavor, really, really good”, not sure if I could count all the “11 herbs and spices” but there was a really great overall flavor to the chicken. “Chicken is a very tasty, tender bite with great flavor – really, really good!”

I don’t get the biscuit as part of the deal and it’s not that great, a nice scoop of cold slaw would have been a nice touch.

We went to the McDonald’s first and figured we had a winner until our first bite at KFC and were totally taken by their chicken tenders and their excellent fries, there’s NO! contest as to who’s got the best chicken tenders.

******

Half a Glass
What Number is Your Tillamook Cheese?

We toured Oregon wine country many years ago on a trip out to Portland that included a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory and headquarters, a brand that we had only recently at that time, become familiar with.

We like the cheese a lot and I found the following review recently at TheTasting Table.com. I have edited it for space as it went on for 2,600 words and the author didn’t have much to say about cheeses 7-10.

6. Whole Milk Mozzarella

Home pizza chefs, get ready to meet your new base cheese of choice as it’s an exceptionally good mozzarella that’s balanced in all respects. This version of mozzarella is slightly sharper than the average, but I’d bet it would make your pizza, cheese dip, and homemade mozzarella sticks even more flavorful. It shreds easily and is clearly good for melting, with a superior texture.

5. Medium Cheddar

Its texture is smooth and creamy, and it has almost a honeyed sweetness that only enhances its savory qualities. Overall, I’d call this block very flavorful for medium cheddar.

4. Extra Sharp Cheddar

Sharper cheeses are aged longer and these blocks get a hefty punch of flavor from being aged for 15 months, but it also had the most bitter end of all the cheeses I tasted. Still, there were mild sweet notes present and it would make a good addition to any cheeseboard.

3. Sharp Cheddar

At first bite, this will taste like your classic sharp cheddar, but take a bite and savor it, and you’ll be met with a delightful experience. It’s an easy cheddar to enjoy and holds a little more interest than the medium cheddar, and it tastes great both on its own and as part of a larger meal.

2. Sharp White Cheddar

If you want a cheese that has great depth of flavor and could be identified by taste alone, you’d be hard-pressed to find any better than this aged white cheddar.

The white cheddar was intensely flavorful and at the beginning of the bite you’ll get sharp nutty notes and a creamy quality to keep the overall cheese from tasting bitter. Moreover, the end of the bite will greet you with the slightest hint of fruity sweetness, but the cheese is definitely sharp, in fact I’d call this a good introduction to the world of sharp white cheddars.

1. Extra Sharp White Cheddar

The Extra Sharp White Cheddar was the indisputable top choice in this ranking. I’d still call this block the superior cheese — it’s a sophisticated choice for any use and sure to hold its own alongside whatever you may pair it with. It has a very creamy, rich mouthfeel that will trigger every taste bud.

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This is the Bacon You Should Bring Home

To help you find the best bacon for your breakfast table and beyond, we set out to determine which brands are actually worth buying.

How we tested

For our taste test, we selected seven bacon brands from grocery stores and online retailers based on their popularity and availability.

To keep things as fair as possible, we only tested center-cut bacon. Like regular, aka “American-style” bacon, center-cut bacon comes from the pork belly, but the fatty ends are trimmed off.

So, what makes great bacon? According to our criteria, it should have a rich smokiness, a crisp snap, and balanced seasoning. The brands below hit these marks, and are worthy of your breakfast table or BLT.

Best overall: Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon

Its level of umami, the highly sought-after savory “fifth taste,” was undeniable and stood out amongst the other options. It had a stellar snap and a long-lasting crispness that didn’t dissolve the instant it hit your tongue (a common flaw in ultra-crisp bacon).

Best smokiness: North Country Smokehouse Cob Smoked Bacon 

North Country Smokehouse lives up to its name with this delectably nuanced smoked bacon. It utilizes corn cob smoking.  This process imparts the bacon with a smoky flavor that boasts an elegant sweetness and is unlike anything we’ve tasted.

Best for a BLT: Jimmy Dean Applewood Smoked Bacon 

A BLT sandwich is an exercise in texture — toasted bread that is soft inside, juicy tomato, crunchy lettuce, and of course, crisp bacon. Unlike breakfast bacon, BLT bacon needs to be sturdy enough to hold up to the juiciness of the tomato without getting soggy. Jimmy Dean’s Applewood Smoked Bacon is up to the task: Out of all the bacon we tried, it had the least shrinkage and a robust, porky flavor.

Crispiest: Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked 

If you’re on the chase for the crispiest bacon, look no further than good old Oscar Mayer.  It still stands the test of time. This bacon cooked up to be shatteringly crisp, making it a clear-cut choice for bacon bits to top a chowder, loaded baked potato, or wedge salad

Food & Wine

*****

“I don’t drink wine because I believe it’s reducing my mortality risk. It brings me joy, and that’s enough”.
Esther Mobley, Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle

That’s My Whine and I could me wrong…

My recipes for a Turkey Burger with Smoked Cheddar and Fresh Corn Salsa and Pickled Potato Salad with Pickles, Pepperoncini, Mayo and Mustard are in fact right here. Enjoy!

Woody Mosgers, cooks, custom caters, writes, drinks, matches wine and food and offers wine country tour information and planning in Santa Rosa Sonoma, CA.
Woodywine@aol.com