Hey, wine is for more than just drinking. (Whoa.) For example, have you ever had a White Port and Pear Conserve? (Recipe at the bottom of this post.) Me neither! Fortunately, I am friends with, and live within walking distance from, Brook Hurst Stephens. You may know her from her charming and enthusiastic blog, Learn To Preserve; she’s also a Certified Master Food Preserver. And she was gracious enough to open her doors for taping an episode of my podcast, Wine Without Worry, dedicated to the topic of preserving with wine.
I knew Brook was a pro; see how she had all the ingredients laid out? And I was touched that she added a blood orange, my favorite fruit, into the citrus mix. With Brook ably in charge as the recipe guru, I had to do something to impress her. How about an easy wine-based cocktail? I love that Brook chose white Port for our canning exercise, as it is the main component in one of the most underrated refreshing drinks in the world. And you don’t have to be a mixologist to make it. Plus, no muddling.
Just fill a glass with ice, add a couple shots of white Port (the one we used had a touch of sweetness), top with club soda, and add a wedge of lemon or lime. This is how you make a drab Seattle April afternoon feel like July in the tropics.
Between sips, you’ll hear some of the cooking action come through on the podcast: chopping, slicing, and dicing. Which is totally appropriate considering Brook has put together an audio journey called “The Sounds of Preserving“. Have a listen:
“The Sounds of Preserving” from Kabja Concepts on Vimeo.
Just as sights and smells can provoke and promote memories, so can sounds. The sound of uncorking a wine reminded me how I met Brook probably eight years ago while working at a wine shop; she was a sales representative for a local distributor and the shop was one of her accounts. We discuss how she got into the wine business, and venture further back in time to see how growing up in Wenatchee (“Apple Capital of the World“) nurtured her love for canning and preserving. Brook even owned a bar–which apparently had a fantastic neon sign–in Wenatchee for a spell.
I left Brook’s house with a cute jar of White Port and Pear Conserve, and a vow (preserved on the podcast) to volunteer for unlimited chopping and peeling duty as the pounds and pounds of produce roll in to Learn to Preserve World-Wide HQ. Have a listen to my pledge:
Wine Without Worry Episode 8 on iTunes: Use Wine in the Kitchen to Learn to Preserve


















This focus on fun drinking is part of what prompted Vine Wine to start Pet-Nat Week in 2012. I am the store’s buyer, and when I came on found that Vine Wine’s owner, Talitha Whidbee, and I share a love of pet-nat. So, to kick off the first official week of summer, we organized a series of tastings featuring only pétillant naturel sparkling wines. Vine Wine will be continuing the fun-filled summer boozefest this year in the last week of June, expanding it to include more events and other retailers and restaurants. We want our friends and customers to have a chance to see that wine doesn’t have to be serious all of the time; wine is meant to be enjoyed and shared.


