December Celebration 2013

Our 6th Annual Celebration Dinner was another wonderful evening of Food and Wine.

Chef Tai Olesky, chef / owner of Mosaic Restaurant in Forestville that closed in 2009, agreed to cater this one time a year event.

We began the evening with a reception of all newly bottled unreleased wines. The 2012's are so exciting, the evening started with a great buzz that continued through each of the 5 course dinner.

The dinner is set up with all library wines, although Mat snuck in a new 2012 favorite for a perfect pairing.Wines being paired dated back to 2005 and included 2007 and 2010 Chardonnay from magnum.

The menu was a combination of 'must have's' from the Mosaic menu and some local winter specialties that included the infamous Dungeness crab and local mushrooms. Every setting had two wine pairings for each course. In between courses the discussion of which of the two wines went best with the food. Fortunately each one had a 50/50 response of favorites. It's always a joy to see a table of friends discussing which pairing stood out to them.

The evening ended with a standing ovation for the chef and a toast to the end of a great year and a cheer to the new year ahead.

October 2013

Grilled Cheese, please with Laura Werlin, Paul Mathew wines and guest chef Crista Luedtke of boon eat & drink and Big Bottom Market.

This October's Foodie Seminar included guest speaker Laura Werlin and each guest received a signed copy of the book.

We started by picking five recipes that were all very different from each other. Each recipe incorporated different cheeses, breads as well as other ingredients. We purchased all the bread from Della Fattoria in Petaluma, one of our favorite bakeries.

With the line up of sandwiches, we offered four different Paul Mathew wines, Chardonnay, Valdiguie, Pinot Noir and Cab Franc. The idea was that every person taste each sandwich with each wine. And they did.

The outcome of pairing preference is always fun and sometimes very surprising.

Double cheddar with Tomato jam - first place pairing Chardonnay. Second place Pinot Noir / tied     
                                                         with Cab Franc. This sandwich was one of the two favorite
                                                         recipes of the evening.

Mozzarella with Proscuitto - First place pairing was Cab Franc. Second place Valdiguie. Although
                                               LW and 2 others preferred the Pinot.

Cheese and cherries -  This sandwich was one of the Favorites of the evening and the pairing was tied
                                  for first place between Valdiguie and Pinot Noir. Great flavors and so fun to pair


Balsamic glazed carrots and Havarti - all or none. This very unusual sandwich was not the favorite 
                                                             and none of us felt it was perfect with any of the wines.

Gorgonzola, Hazelnut and Honey - we had to try it even though we didn't expect the magical pairing.
                                                         Fun sandwich and with additional honey even funner. But pairing
                                                         was limited. Some liked the Cab Franc but many did not.

The greatest thing about Food and Wine is the enjoyment of tasting and discussing the flavors.
We look for to 2014's Mac and Cheese, please with Laura Werlin.

Oct. 2, 2013

Cab Franc and Cab Franc foods

This was the topic of our Sept. Foodie Seminar.

All due to our love of Cab Franc: In 2012 we made our first Cab Franc from Alegria Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. We bottled late February and released it in April. People are often thrilled to see a 100% Cab Franc and sales prove this. Our 200 case production is half sold.

We chose this topic for many reasons:
    One - Knowing the foods that pair with our Cab Franc assists in the joy our customers will have    
              with a purchase and recommendation.
    Two - people often seem confused why our Cab Franc is in a Burgundy bottle.
    Three - Many people have come out of the woodwork claiming to be Cab Franc fans
     Four - we did a blind tasting of Cab Franc's after we had signed the contract last year to
                purchase the grapes and wanted to do some research. We enjoyed the tasting so much, we
                wanted to share our findings.

So, what was the outcome, Read more about our evening.....

We started with 4 glasses per person and did two flights. The wines were all wrapped in paper bags & unknown to all participants.
The first flight of four had two French wines and two Californian. The room was not really divided but the favorite was the last wine, Paul Mathew.
The second flight featured a New Zealand, Finger Lakes, Sonoma and a Napa. These wines all had hands up but the favorite two were the Sonoma and the Finger Lakes.

Once we unleashed the line up of wines, everyone was able to retaste the wines & pick what wine to pair with our foods.

The Foods: we discovered that Cab Franc goes really well with tomato based foods. So, we had Backyard Restaurant chef Daniel in Forestville prepare four food items:
      Crostini with tomato jam and lardo
      Ratatouie
      Moussaka
      Paella with chicken and chorizo

Everyone was fairly divided with favorites but there was a consistent result; the Cab Francs were great with the food. The New Zealand showed well with the Ratatouie, Paul Mathew showed with the Lardo crostini. I loved the Mossaka!

cheers to another fun evening of food & wine.

Sept. 14, 2013

2013 HARVEST update


Aug. 30th we picked the Ruxton Vineyard Pinot, always the very 1st vineyard for us picked. We got 10 tons of Pinot and our average is just over 5 tons. So, this is looking like a high yielding vintage.

TNT Vineyard was picked Thursday Sept. 12th. This is about 10 days to 2 weeks earlier than normal. The fruit was pristine as Tom'n Tanya are meticulous farmers. 8 tons came in.

Horseshoe Bend Pinot, Weeks Vineyard Chardonnay & our new Pinot Vineyard in Freestone, Bohemian Vineyard are all being looked at this weekend by Mat.

The Alegria Cabernet Franc Vineyard was at 20 brix earlier this week.

Our temperatures have drastically dropped since last weekends highs in the 90's.Mornings are foggy and cool at 55 degrees. This will help draw out harvest as a week ago with the high temperatures it was looking like a possible picking frenzie.

As per every harvest, long hours of work and little time for anything else. We look forward to having some great wines and enjoying Thanksgiving in Nov. when we have time to enjoy good food wine with friends and family.

August 24th, 2013

Freestone Ranch Foodie Seminar

Last weekend we hosted our August Foodie Seminar with Susan Brady, female rancher @ Freestone Ranch.

Our beef focused evening was a culinary treat. We focused mostly on red wines although the Rose of Pinot shows well with a few of the dishes. The following will explain the prepared foods and favorite pairings of the evening.

We started with an amuse bouche beef broth, this was to get the taste buds prepped for the many coming beef dishes.

Carpaccio ( beef filet ) - we had a 3 way split of favorites:
                     2012 Rose' of Pinot / 2010 TNT Vineyard Pinot Noir / 2012 Cab Franc

Meatballs ( Joy of cooking recipe ) - 2012 Cab Franc won 1st place followed
                    2nd - 2010 TNT Vineyard Pinot Noir   and 3rd 2010 RRV Pinot

Short Ribs ( Adhoc cook book ) - One of Mat's favorite foods to cook and fun to pair. We had a tie
                     for best pairing: 2010 RRV Pinot & 2012 Cab Franc

Rib eye Grilled with salt & pepper - The winning wine was 2010 RRV Pinot
                     In 2nd place was a 50/50 tie between 2012 Cab Franc / 2010 TNT Pinot

 
Beef Jerky ( Charles Phan cook book ) - We had a 50/50 tie between the 2 Pinot's although Mat
                     really likes the 2012 Rose of Pinot with this beef preparation and surprising that the Cab
                     Franc was not well matched.

All in all another fun evening of Food & Wine.

August 15, 2013

Busy days here in Sonoma:
          Started the month off in Traverse City, MI visiting family. Snuck in a little wine tasting    
          which was thoroughly enjoyable & different from Sonoma ( came back with a mixed case of 
          Riesling, Pinot Gris & Cab Franc ). Viewed some beautiful sunflower fields, kayaked the Platt
          River, and got a little Horseshoeing in. All round great trip!

         Now it's back to bottling & checking up on vineyards. Veraison is pretty much complete so,    
         the count down begins.

July 21, 2013

Here comes harvest!

Yesterday Mat walked through TNT & Ruxton Vineyards. The Ruxton was at about 20% veraison
The TNT was closer to 2%. This photo is an example of veraison from a previous vintage.

It's looking like another great vintage for us. We'll keep you posted on what's happening in the vineyards & then crush.
An exciting time of year that we anticipate.

July 13, 2013

Foodie Seminar - The world of Truffles

       This months seminar was the 1st to sell out in our summer series.

       Truffles: we started with the expectations of getting fresh summer truffles from Oregon. As the date drew closer, we found that like our 2013 mushroom season, the truffle season suffered from the lack of rain. Our option was frozen truffles or using truffle products. We chose the 2nd option & found it to be a huge success. Initially we were all a little disappointed but in the end, the lower cost & experience was terrific.

     David Campbell, of mycoventures, was our guest speaker & expert on the topic. David is our Mushroom Foray guide every February. He is a  crowd pleaser with his knowledge & enthusiasm on the subject. He offers tours 'Italian truffle & Wine Forays' which was a topic of discussion with our world of truffles evening.

     We prepared 6 food items all enhanced with truffles. We used truffle oil, truffle butter, truffle salt & truffle paste. Our food items included Truffle Tremor cheese from Cypress Grove, Truffled deviled duck eggs, Potato truffle Torte, Sautéed fresh corn with truffle butter, Truffle & Mushroom Risotto. Grilled Beef Filet with truffle salt and the finale was a locally made chocolate truffle.

     The pairings as always, are so fun with several group opinions. The following are the results of favorite pairings...

Truffle Tremor - Tied between our Rose' of  Pinot, Pinot Noir & Valdiguie

Deviled eggs - #1 Chardonnay, 2nd place tie...Rose & Pinot

Potato Torte - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay 2nd,  Valdiguie 3rd

Fresh Corn in truffle butter - Chardonnay / Pinot Noir / Rose' - all tied

Risotto - Pinot Noir then Cab Franc

Filet of Beef - Cab Franc. & then Pinot Noir

     To be totally honest, 50% of the group said Pinot was the favorite for every item. But I like to look at the balance of what is discussed and some people love Pinot so much that nothing compares.
I personally enjoyed the Rose' so much with the 1st two items and was pleasantly surprised that Pinot was not my 1st pick for any pairing accept the risotto.
    
    Once again, the fun energy, educational element & most importantly the Food & Wine were a winning combo.

For future Foodie event calendar see our events page. Email or call for more info

        Savory Spice Shop & Paul Mathew Wines          
        June 2013

Our June Foodie seminar was a great evening of flavors & fun! We focused on four spice blends of very different characters from The Savory Spice shop.

We started with 7 blends and narrowed our pairing down to 4 which we think represent very opposing flavors. Nantucket Rosemary & Citrus, Coastal CA Fennel Pollen, Park Hill Maple & Spice Pepper and Carolina High BBQ Rub.

We prepared each blend on a skinless chicken breast brushed with olive oil then sprinkled with the spice blend on both sides and grilled on our Primo grill.

Focusing on 5 wines, 2012 Rosé of Pinot, 2010 Chardonnay, 2012 Valdigue, 2010 Pinot Noir ( Ruxton Vineyard ) and 2012 Cab Franc, gave plenty of opportunity for discussion.

Everyone tasted through the wines and each spiced chicken individually & we recorded the results to share.

             -          Nantucket blend – 30% for each Chardonnay, Rosé & Valdiguie

            -          Coastal CA - 75% Pinot then Chardonnay & 3^rd was a tie of Vadiguie, Rosé                           Cab Franc
            -          Park Hill Maple – 70% Pinot then all other wines tied ( we all agreed that this    
                          spice  blend  was the most versatile
            -          Carolina High – 50% / 50% Pinot Noir & Rosé

Personally I enjoyed the Rosé and the Cab Franc with every one but the consensus of the group did not. The only way to really know is by trying this at home.

The evening of spice heaven ended with Vindaloo Sweet Potatoes which we have regularly at home, served with 2009 TNT Pinot from the library. Not only was the wine devine but the pairing completed the evening like dessert. This recipe will appear on our recipe page within the month.

Every month our Foodie Seminar focuses on a different local purveyor of Fine Food. Calendar of these events is on our Web site, www.paulmathewvineyards.com

             You can purchase these spice blends on line or if you have a local Savory Spice Shop. www.savoryspiceshop.com

 

May 5, 2013

Savory Spice Shop

Our next Foodie Seminar, June 22^nd is sure to be a big hit.

This shop is an adventure for Foodie’s to visit. I went right to the curry section which had more selection than I’ve seen before. Smelling the spice jars,  reading the labels, I was lost in a heaven of Food thoughts.

When Pat & Cheryl, owners of the Savory Spice Shop came for our initial meting, the discussion was not far from my heaven but this time of recipes and wine pairings.

We will have a guest chef preparing 4 samples of chosen spice blends that will be paired with 4 different wines although, the idea is to try all and discover your own conclusion.

 

Another fun evening to book if you’re not already reserved.

Limited seating. For reservation 707 865 2505

 

 

March 25, 2013

Foodie Seminars

When we opened our Tasting Room last November, the excitement about our Dining Room, Foodie Room and possibly soon to be Supper Club, our inspiration grew.

Next month the 4th Foodie Seminar and last of our 1st trimester will be complete. To call them a success comes from the Sold Out status and the wonderful comments from the attendees. April's to be next to add to this reaction. How could it not, Liberty Farms Duck.

To add to the excitement, Our 2nd trimester will be announced next month. As our Foodie Seminars become more public in the Spring news letter alongside the Spring Wine Club releases, we expect a wider audience of Foodies signing up.

This being said, today's comversations hold no less excitement than the last months. Discussions with Laura Werlin, Author of 'Grilled Cheese Please' and Freestone Ranch along many more.

The 'Grilled Cheese Please' book has been available for purchase in the tasting Room since we opened. Alongside the purchase of the book are many great stories not unlike my own. Hence one of the many reasons for having the book in stock. My childhood memories of my brother in law giving me a loaf of bread & a pack of cheese for my 13th birthday. I know I'm not alone in my love of the old stand by which can now be an adult treat with the right recipe.

Enough said, these seminars are fun interactive, exploding of Food & Wine and limited.
Look forward to seeing many of you there.
cheers

March 21, 2013

We received new magnum racks as a gift ftrom friends that built a beautiful cellar in their home,
Ours are in the Tasting Room.

Why buy magnums?

 
 A few years ago we  served a combination of 6 magnums during a family reunion. That’s one great use for magnums; a large group of guests. We were thrilled by the freshness of the 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, one we no longer produce because the vineyard fruit is not available to us. The second rationale for a magnum is the 2006 vintage literally tasted like a wine made a year ago. The large format allows the wine to age differently than a 750 ml. It is widely regarded as the ideal size bottle for ageing fine wine, being large enough to slow the ageing process but not to big as to be unyielding. Number three, is when we do serve magnums people love the specialty related to ‘not just an every day wine’. A special feeling arises when magnums are opened, from the pulling of the cork to the serving of the bottle. Not to mention the enjoyment of the consuming. A magnum is also an impressive gift. Fourth reason; As a gift, an unspoken message of celebration is intended.

 

March Foodie Seminar with Cowgirl Creamery, great evening!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LX4W_lQYeY

 

MARCH 1, 2013

Just bottled, not officially released, if you come by you might get a taste 

February 27, 2013

Cheese & Wine or Wine & Cheese

It's all good wether you start with the cheese or the wine. But, the pairing can be crucial, make the wine & cheese better if you pair right.
Yesterday Michael from Cowgirl Creamery & I sat down to the task of pairing Paul Mathew wines with cheese. Yes, it was fun. Michael has an amazing palate! His 8 years of experience with cheeses is incredible.

We tasted alot of great pairings & some not so much. Needless to say the cheeses were great & so were the wines. To know how to pair the two is great, that is why our next 'Foodie Seminar' in March is pairing the two with Michael co hosting and Mat & Barb of Paul Mathew wines.

A few additional cheese treats will be served along side a recipe booklet with room for notes.
This sold out event will be repeated in the Fall

Feb. 23, 2013

Cab Franc and Brussel Sprouts

Last nght we had a great dinner & evening at our local favorite, boon eat + drink. We ordered a 'must have' starter, brussel sprouts, to share while we were welcoming the evening with our Vineyard Owner friends from Alegria Vineyard.
Mat brought a tank sample of the 2012 Alegria Vinyard Cab Franc that's getting bottling next week. As the brussel sprouts arrived we were in discussion &tasting of the Cab Franc & I tasted the brussel sprouts & WOW, an incredible pairing. As everyone at the table followed suit & agreed, we called owner Crista Luedtke to the table to taste our newest foodie discovery, who knew?
We're bottling the 2012 Cab Franc & will be releasing in our Tasting Room sometime this spring.

If you like Cab Franc & like brussel sprouts, you're going to LOVE this pairing. Recipe available on boon eat + drink web site.

Feb. 22, 2013

Our next Foodie Seminar is rescheuled for Friday March 8th @ 6pm

We have Michael Zilber of Cowgirl Creamery presenting a line up tasting of local cheeses paired with Paul Mathew wines. This interactive seminar includes the cheese tasting, wine pairings plus a great oportunity to discuss cheese & wine in a comfortable tableside atmosphere.

Feb. 14th, 2013

Wine brings people together

This past weekend we had our Annual Mushroom Foray. This sold out event requires full participation from the guests and this year’s attendees were a fine example.

This event is attended mostly by couples, although once the group begins the foraging, everyone seems to find a new friend to share their findings with on the forest floor.

As time rolls on, guests who have foraged to their hearts content stroll back to the lodge for the second stage of the day, wine tasting, hors’ duerves, a roaring fire place and some good conversation or craic.  The returning guests arrive sporadically over a 30 – 40 minute period in random groups, with a common bond of enough of the out and ready for the Inn.

Conversations continue from the outdoors in, trials and tribulations of mushrooming or even not, what else do we have in common. This year’s conversations unveiled not just one but two groups of strangers that discovered a mutual overlap of teenage schooling. Yes, they had been to the same school, had common friends and even reminisced school songs.

It’s always a joy to have great people in a group that come together for a mutual interest like this but it’s even more special when pasts and futures meet and memories are shared and friendships restored.

Wine is something to enjoy and share with friends new and old and Paul Mathew Vineyards Events offers a great environment to do so.

cheers

Feb. 1, 2013

Looking forward to our February Foodie Seminar ' Mushroom Foray.' SOLD OUT with a waiting list.
We are preparing the trails tomorrow to ensure that they are hikable.
Whole Liberty Ducks are ordered for the lunch.
We have back up Matsutaki's, Hedgehogs & Cauliflower mushrooms ready to show & Tell.

Call for details about other upcoming 'Foodie Seminars'.

Jan. 26, 2013 Foodie Seminar

Olive Oil Tasting by Olivery's

 The place setting for Olive Oil / Dungeness Crab Foodie Seminar

Roast Dungeness Crab

Line up of wines: 2012 Rose', 2010 Chardonnay, 2010 RRV Pinot

 

Crab cakes

Jan. 23, 2013

Our Valdiguie can now be enjoyed @ French Blue in St. Helena.

 January 10, 2013

Customer testament:

"Wanted to tell you that the wine I bought for my party was a complete success. Everyone was very impressed. Everyone had a different favorite so there was not an absolute winner. I particularly liked the Horseshoe bend. The rose of pinot noir was absolutely delicious. My wife and other french friends couldn't believe that this wine was not from France."

 

Jorge F., CA

 

"Not to belabor the point, but, as is often the case nowadays, Marg and I do not finish a bottle and leave some for the next night. Tonight, we opened another pinot from a 'grand' producer. And as has also often been the case, we loved the first wine. In this case, there was really no comparison. Your TNT blew away the other -- and it was good."

 

Dick, GA

 

 

"Just wanted to let you know that we had dinner at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room the other night and were extremely pleased to find and order a bottle of Valdiguie. We enjoyed it so much that a few nights later we went into our stash and opened one of our few remaining bottles. We've been hoarding our supply but need a replenishment asap."

Paul, HI

JAN. 5, 2013

Foodie Seminar for the following 4 months:

January 26th  - Olive Oil & Dungeness Crab. Claire Odie from Olivery Olive Oil 
                         producing  Sonoma County Olive Oil alongside crab & olive oil foods
                         SOLD OUT

February 9th - Mushroom Foray  SOLD OUT

March 9th - Cowgirl Creamery - Michael Zilber, the Pt. Reyes Station Manager will discuss local      
                    cheeses paired with Paul Mathew Wines. 

April 13th - Liberty Duck owner Jim Reichardt will discuss farming practices
                    Alongside duck food preparations by Mat Gustafson, pairing with Paul Mathew wines.

January 3rd, 2013

Two months ago today our Tasting Room opened.

The chalk board is a hit. 2012 Rose' is flying out the door in winter & we are meeting so many great Wine lovers from near & afar.


Check out the blog Irene Turner created, http://irene-turner.com/2012/11/paul-mathew-wine-tasting-room-sonoma-county-design/
Foodie Seminars begin late January. Calendar to be posted.