One week in May                                                May 18, 2017



A Cab Franc Wine Dinner at Harvest Moon Cafe

A few montths ago when I was tasting with Glenda, the Somm at Harvest Moon, we were talking ' Cab Franc '. We were discussing what a great varietal it is and the foods that pair with it. Glenda was in the midst of organizing one of the few Wine Dinners Harvest Moon Café does. This one is all Cab Franc...

Here it is, four courses and five Cab Franc's. 2 Cali wines and 3 French, 2 Chinon and a Cremant. How fun is that!

First up endive filled with seafood / scallop sauce. My favorite dish and paired with the Cab Franc Cremant, very nice. On a warmer than usual late Spring evening, this was perfect!

Our 2015 Cab Franc next paired with charred octopus, loved this pairing. Seaside Metal Restaurant in Guerneville has a charred octopus on the menu that we have loved for years. They will recommend  it paired with our Cab Franc. The char is definitely a good part of the pairing

Two Chinon's were paired next with a roast venison dish, Mat enjoyed this dish. The Chinon's were great both from 2015 vintage. My photo did not do this dish justice.

Next was Lang and Reed Cab Franc from 2013 paired with lamb and potato moussaka. I love our Cab Franc with my moussaka. Both the wine and the food were very different styles from ours, all good. But, I prefer mine and ours.

Our Spring Club Party, all about the summer whites and a couple great Pinot's.

              2016 Rose' of Pinot and 2016 Gewurztraminer  / 2014 TNT Vineyard and 2015 RRV Pinot

Our Oyster guy, hogwash mignonette and Rose' of Pinot. When we only make 65 cases of Rose', it goes only to Wine Club. On a hot day in May it is perfect.

When we pour our Gewurz, people get it, especially when it's paired with Mat's tune ceviche recipe ( on our web site ). This is what I call a perfect pairing. Yum.

The 2 Pinot's for Spring Wine Club are both young, tasting incredible and really fun to pair with this Charles Phan recipe. Fun wines, fun food. The 2015 RRV Pinot is just the beginning of our tiny 2015 vintage production. it was so popular and with only 125 cases, not sure how many non wine club people will even try it.

Visiting Ruxton Vineyard

Around 6:30 am as the sun is rising, A pink reflection off the fog bank. Checking out the just finished flowering vineyard.

                                             A little later in the morning, fog still around

               
The flowering is mostly done in this vineyard, our warmest site being above the fog on a typical day. Now the grape clusters will begin to form.

With May almost behind us and a large array of events, we look forward to SUP, kayaking and golf.
A little break and a chance to breath, smell the flowers and sip on summer wines.

cheers

Dress for a Cure

May 13, 2017

This all started so long ago, I cannot even remember. But, the best part is everything happened so organically, like it was meant to be. We are surrounded by AMAZING people, if you start the conversation.

Iva Hladis created our Dress for a Cure girl. An original by this fabulous artist and dear friend!

Sebastopol Adventure Bootcamp. My team of motivators that I work out with starts with our leader and our MC for Dress for a Cure, Amie Breeze. The beautiful group of 4 women that agreed to donate their time for this Fundraising Event,

The clothing Sponsors were a wonderful combination of retailers and wholesale.

The Clothing, wow, my favorite clothing designers and retail shops all said YES! And donated to the silent Auction.

Indigenous

Susan Hayes Handwovens in Pt. Reyes Station, where I spend my money on a regular basis. ( while doing wine deliveries )

Candace and Christy of Flaunt did the hair & Makeup. I was at ease with the instant bonding being made by all the women involved.

 

The final walk, what great gals who represented the cause and the clothes flawlessly!

 Shelley, a beautiful native of CA. Dressed by Susan Hayes Hand Wovens, what a perfect match. Class all the way!

 

Suzi, one of my first bootcamper introductions, impressed me by her strong commitment to health and well being and a big focus on fun. Suzi wore Indigenous Clothing which is a locally designed wholesale company that can be found in stores across the country.

 

Rachel was the first date booked for a fitting. We met in San Francisco at Cut Loose Outlet Store on Valencia. This afternoon set the stage for the upcoming event. Rachel was an incredible sport and looked great in everything. Cut Loose was made very proud!

  

Tessa, a yoga Instructor, wore Karma Clothing from Sebastopol. Among the yoga clothes are a lot of fun stylish casual wears. I thought the yoga outfit was a great representation of both the model and the clothing store and yet everything she wore shined.

  

 The dream MC! Went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. Shared some sweet stories of the models and extended the information about our sponsors with clarity and perfect timing, kinda like boot camp.

                                  The audience and bidders of our silent auction.
                           We had perfect weather for this backyard Fashion Show.

 Silent Auction made possible by all the wonderful people in our lives, including many Wine Club members and local business owners. Restoration Hardware Athleta, Capabunga, River Soap and on and on...

The incredible Independent Business women that offered appetizers and food bites. Crista Luedtke, owner of boon eat + drink and boon Hotel added so much charisma to Dress for a Cure. This rock star business owner and chef challenger treated our guests with truffle mac'n cheese and pulled pork sliders.


                

                                   A little help from her team

                                               

I feel that every moment of Dress for a Cure filled me with joy and inspiration. All the yes responses  received throughout the months of preparation, gave me hope to move forward. Fundraising is thrilling when surrounded by such incredible people.

Sean Desmond for being a great sport to photograph our event.

Thank you