INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I love America, and every Fourth of July I am happy to celebrate this day with friends. America is a great country, and I am so proud to be here.

Fourth of July is just around the corner, and it is a great time to celebrate with a glass of wine and classic American food. I am sure most of you are already planning a backyard cookout, maybe including Santa Fe grilled corn, golden Idaho potatoes, Wisconsin cheeses, California berries, and apple pie made with New York apples.

Celebrating America’ s birthday is also an opportunity to decorate your porch or patio with a cute bouquet of blue hydrangeas, festive red, blue, and white paper lanterns, and wait with anticipation for the grand finale of evening fireworks! If you live in the South, where it is extremely hot this time of year, I would suggest a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio to cool you down. If you live in the Northeast or out West, and are planning to grill steaks you might prefer a bold flavored Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon. Any wine produced in America is perfect for this occasion.

Following in my patriotic spirit, let me suggest some of the best places in America for wine lovers, so next Fourth of July you can plan on visiting some of the following wine regions:

- Napa Valley, California. The American wine capital, where you can enjoy world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

- Sonoma, California.With more than three hundred award winning wineries, it produces some of the best Zinfandel.

- Willamette Valley, Oregon. Famous for its outstanding Pinot Noir.

- Roseburg, Oregon. A slightly warmer climate than Willamette Valley, it is a big producer of Pinot Gris and Riesling.

- Yakima Valley, Washington.The oldest wine region in Washington, producing Chardonnay and Shiraz.

- Finger Lakes, New York. Full of microclimates, it produces award-winning sparkling wines.

- Traverse City, Michigan. A very important wine region producing Cabernet Franc and Baco Noir.

- North Fork, Long Island, New York. 4,000 acres of vineyards, producing some very good Merlot and Chardonnay.

- Oak Grove, Virginia. Having some of the oldest and largest wineries in Virginia, which date back to the days of Thomas Jefferson.

This Fourth of July enjoy a glass of wine and a toast to America!

TIP OF THE WEEK
Check out my friend Debbie Kennedy's recipe for a great Strawberry Mint Sangria:

- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced.

- 1/2 cup mint leaves (about 20 leaves).
- 1/2 oz. brandy.
- 750 ml bottle dry white wine, chilled.
- 12 oz club soda, chilled.

2 qt. glass pitcher combine strawberries, mint and brandy. Slowly pour wine over mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight (if overnight remove mint leaves after 2 hrs). When ready to serve add club soda and stir. Serve over ice.