Paul Mathew Vineyards

Sunday, July 14, 2013

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

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

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

Sunday, May 5, 2013

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

Monday, March 25, 2013

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

Thursday, March 21, 2013

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.