La Chiripada Winery (Dixon, New Mexico)

Seems like almost every state makes their own wine now, and New Mexico certainly is no exception. In fact, Albuquerque's Gruet Winery is pretty well known for their sparkling wines. Put a group of graduate students in Los Alamos for 2 weeks and we won't fail to take advantage of the weekends to go wine tasting.

A quick research on the smartphone brought us to La Chiripada.

La Chiripada is a quaint and modest winery in Dixon (50 miles north of Santa Fe) marked by a small adobe structure, where casual wine tastings are held. We walked in with hair still wet from the rafting trip that morning. You can do that in New Mexico, it's just that kind of lifestyle.

Surrounded by the beautiful landscape of New Mexico

La Chiripada was started in 1977 in the Rio Embudo Valley of NM and now produces a variety of red, white, and dessert wines. Many of the red varieties are local, including Canoncito and their most popular, Rio Embudo Red, a local Leon Millot French hybrid grape variety.

Most of the reds weren't "quite there yet" for me being perfectly drinkable and enjoyable but without enough depth. Keep in mind we tried young wines during the tasting, though I did enjoy the Reserve selection.

The whites fared better, on the other hand, with the crispness I tend to look for in my whites.
Since the tasting fee is waived when you buy a bottle, I took home a bottle of the Special Reserve Riesling.

La Chiripada Winery
Hwy 75 (3 miles East of the Hwy 68 and Hwy 75 junction)
Dixon, NM

Giveaway: $50 Gift Certificate to Roy's!

Roy's Restaurant recently launched a promotion for the LA (and surrounding areas) locations called the L.A. Ohana Tour. Here's how it works:

You visit a participating Roy's restaurant and get an Ohana Tour card. Bring this on your second visit and you will receive a free Chocolate Souffle (w/ purchase of entree) !
Come to another participating Roy's again, and you will receive a $20 gift card (w/ purchase of entree) and also be entered into a sweepstake to win a trip to Hawaii.

To make it even easier on you to make that first visit, they are giving away a $50 gift certificate to any participating Roy's location! They include Anaheim, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Pasadena, and Woodland Hills.

To enter, just leave a comment below with your contact information.

*Get an extra entry by sharing about this giveaway on twitter (tweet: "Enter to win $50 Gift Certificate to Roy's from @gourmetpigs ~ http://bit.ly/bXj1G2")
or facebook. Leave another comment letting me know you've done so, so I can keep track.

You have until midnight of Friday, July 9. Good luck!

Upcoming Events: L.A. to Santa Fe!

Thursday, July 8.
Cupcake Showdown

Going to downtown artwalk? Have a cupcake while you're at it! Ten cupcake bakeries will compete for the title of best cupcakes during next week's downtown art walk. Each bakery will give out 300 mini cupcakes to the public (that's 3000 mini cupcakes total!). If a mini isn't enough for you, full sized cupcakes will also be available for purchase. There will also be DJs, a photobooth, and pop-up jewelry shops.
6-9 PM. Free to the public. 620 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA.

Friday, July 9.
East LA Meets Napa

This is one of LA's most interesting events as it prominently features the city's best Latin cuisine along with Latino-owned or operated wineries in Napa! This year, the fifth annual East LA Meets Napa will also feature some wineries of Baja California from Valle de Guadalupe in commemoration of Mexico’s Bicentennial celebration.

The restaurant lineup includes Rivera, Loteria Grill, Cook's Tortas, Phlight, Cacao Mexicatessen, and much more, and will be accompanied by wines from Beringer, Ceja, Sequoia Grove, and more.

Tickets are $150 and can be purchased on www.eastlameetsnapa.com.
6-9 PM, Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St.Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Saturday, July 17.
13th Annual Extravaganza for the Senses

40 LA vendors including Jar, STREET, Valerie Confections, Breadbar, Dr. Bob's Ice Cream and more will join in this fundraising extravaganza for the Saban Free Clinic, accompanied by over 80 wineries including Gruet and Stag's Leap.
The Saban Free Clinic provides freemedical, dental and social services to the needy. This year, the Clinic will provide nearly 90,000 free patient visits to those who need them the most.
Tickets are $80 before July 1 (VIP tickets are available for $200). As of July 1, tickets are $100 and $225, respectively. For more info or reservations, call 323.330.1670 or visit www.thesabanfreeclinic.org/extravaganza.
7-10 PM (6-10PM VIP). Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 North Gower Street, Hollywood, CA 90028.

I won't be able to attend that, unfortunately, but no need to pity me. I will be in Santa Fe with a few other bloggers, attending this:

Friday-Saturday, July 16-17.
Taste of Santa Fe

This is also the 13th year for Taste of Santa Fe, which raises funds for the New Mexico History Museum. The event starts with a gala dinner on July 16, featuring four chefs from Santa Fe and LA's very own Chef John Sedlar of Rivera, who grew up in Santa Fe. There will also be blind judging taste competition, a live auction, and plenty of champagne and wine.
Tickets are $200 pp.
6-9:30PM. New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, NM..

The next day follows with a "Community Taste Event" with 50 food/restaurant stations (+4-5 dessert booths) and 8 wine stations. For Californians trying to get to know the Santa Fe food landscape, what could be a better opportunity?
Tickets are $25 for 12 tastes or $35 for 18 tastes.
2-6PM. Santa Fe Railyard Park, Santa Fe, NM.