JULY 2014

PINK Party - all Rose' wines and the foods to pair


Rose's are an interesting topic. Great for summer, hors d'oeurves, pre dinner, sunsets, picnics, brunch... I could go on for ever.  We've been fans for decades.

So many people are uncertain about Rose's, mostly because of style. Our Rose' is 100% Pinot Noir made from the Saignee method of bleeding small amounts of juice from the Pinot Noir within the first hour of going into tank. There is also a small amount that drips off the sorting table added.

We process the juice in stainless steel to retain all the natural acidity. Our Rose' is just off bone dry.
I like high acid bone dry but as it turns out our customers like just a touch of natural sweet.

For our Rose' seminar, we decided to show three rose's. Two still wines from: one from the current Vintage 2013 and the other from 2012. In the process of our growth, Mat & I, huge fans of sparkling wine, are now producing a Brut Rose'. We did a trial year which was not disgorged and no dosage added. It is a bone dry sparkling, this was the third wine of the evening.


As per our usual set up for the Foodie Seminars, each guest has 3 glasses lined up in front with the three different wines. And then each course is introduced individually for everyone to taste with each wine. The line up of  food pairings for this Rose' evening is as follows:

We picked the classic raw oysters on the half shell with a Raspberry mignonette to start.

Second course, Smoked Salmon Mousse

Third course - Mediteranean Frittata

Fourth course - Strawberry and Goat Cheese Sandwich

The results of favorite pairings is always so much fun. To see how people discover something surprising and new to them. How much this attention to pairing can enhance all your dining pleasure.

The favorite wine of the night was our Sparkling Rose, not for sale. Our 2012 Brut Rose will release sometime in 2015. Still needs to complete second fermentation, disgorge...

1) Oysters - 70% liked the Sparkling best
2) Salmon Mousse - 2013 Rose' won the next pairing with 2012 coming in 2nd
3) Frittata - 2013 Rose' won this also, Sparkling 2nd and then 2012.
      It was discussed that depending on the bite each wine had it's opportunity.
4) Strawberry / goat cheese Sandwich - 2013 won again Although Sparkiling and 2012 were tied closely for 2nd.

We all chatted about how each Rose' had a relavence to each dish and the dish was enhanced from each wine differently. How much food changes wine and vice versa.

Another fun night!

We finished with fresh strawberries served with shaved bitter sweet chocolate.

June 7th, 2014

Slider Party

We were invited to a friendly slider party competition. The invitation read that almost anything was game as long as there was 2 outsides and an inside. A wine pairing with the dish was part of the rules.

Mat set off to try several ideas. Starting with a long list of 10 different protein ideas, we crossed off 50% for several reasons and began sampling ideas. We tried an Oyster poor boy, roast duck with cherry sauce, a chicken wing slider and a filet with cambazola, which is what we ended up doing.

The night was to be organized by the group in terms of 1st course and following by intensity. We offered ours to be last except for dessert which there was one.

The day of the last couple to arrive blew us all away, knowing they'd present 1st, they came complete, plated, trayed, cold sparkling and beautiful. WOW, what a start!

Scallop Slider with cold slaw paired with Brut Rose'

The 2nd team started prepping and grilling moments after we all bounced back by the bar set from the team one.

Salmon with fruit salad and another sparkling was served. The pairing was spectacular and the champagne alone was wonderful, who needs food? Well, it was another great pairing.

We were off to such an impressive start the conversation was lost on the intensity of the competition.

Up next was our team of gracious hosts. Seared tuna with a ginger wasabi slaw paired with Pinot.
We had moved inside at this point and the sky had turned to dusk. The plates were placed, wine was poured and the lights became dim.
The coolest thing about each transition of course, the wine pairing appropriately grew. We all love Pinot Noir and this pairing worked so great with wasabi and ginger going head to head with the Pinot. It worked!

With bellies getting full, Mat stepped up to the grill with his onions carmelized, filet grilled and the Nightengale bread ready to plate. Main course is served with Paul Mathew Cab Franc. I must say after three seafood courses the filet was a welcome change. Intense and worthy.

Our final team, not as foodie centric as the rest of the group, did the finale justice! Right from the current Sunset Magazine pages, a vanilla ice cream sandwich with fresh blueberries and plated to perfection. Served with late harvest Sauvignon Blanc and class!

 Team 5 did make a wonderful finish to a spectacular evening of friendly competition. It was decided that everyone was a winner and we all were worthy of an award which the host so graciously gave.

My personal opinion was the same although, I do offer my personal awards:
Team 1 - best presentation
Team 2 - best side
Team 3 - best pairing
Team 4 - best slider
Team 5 - best service

And voila, are you jealous? Hire us to entertain you!
cheers
West County Supper Club

May 17th
Freestone Artisan Cheese and Paul Mathew Wines

Omar is such a delight to listen to, owner and cheese monger of Freestone Artisan Cheese. His cheese chatter is entertaining and insightful.

The selection of cheeses for this evenings tasting ran the full range, all local plus one from Wisconsin. Sheep, cow and goat were all present. Soft, gooey, semi and hard, all represented as well. To pair, we poured 2013 Rose' of Pinot, 2011 Chardonnay, 2012 Valdiguie and 2011 RRV Pinot.
The toughest job was to keep the crowd focused and get through tasting each cheese with each wine.

We did it!!!!!  The results are fascinating. The real truth is cheese is a very difficult subject for wine pairings, many don't work. My rule of thumb, where it's made. ie: Sancerre ( sauvignon blanc ) and goat cheese. We don't make a SB, so the closest, our 2013 Rose' of Pinot. Stainless steel fermentation, dry and crisp. Yet, this didn't really work with the goat cheese but the Pinot Noir did. We're not in France. The rules don't really apply because in CA all the cheeses are made in Sonoma / Marin Counties from all different milks. And our Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Noir styles run a full range as well. So, here are the results from out tasting....

Pugs Leap ( goat ) - semi soft. Went OK with Rose' which was expected to go best. Chardonnay was the favorite pairing with this cheese.
The Bomb by Bohemian Creamery ( cow ) - Rose' was the winning pair although Pinot came in second.
Gypsy ( goat ) - Non were great/ all were OK. The cheese was FAB!
Weirauch ( cow ) - What a wonderful cheese! We agreed that the wines were once again all OK but
Pepato, Bethweather ( sheep ) - One of the favorite cheeses and well paired with Pinot
Marissa from Wisconsin ( Sheep ) - Hard cheese that did pretty well with the Pinot. Mat G. liked it with the Rose' too.
Camembert - yummy, creamy not so great with any wine but wonderful with Nightengale Baguette!!!

The greatest quote of the night "Wine and cheese are two Diva's struggling for the title". Thank you Omar for enlightening us with fabulous cheese and some great cheese banter.

Never stop tasting cheese and wine or wine and cheese, whichever way you prefer to view it.
cheers

March 2014  Cheese, cheese & more cheese talk

We kicked off the 8th Annual Artisan Cheese Festival with our sold out "Foodie Seminar" featuring
'Mac & Cheese' by Laura Werlin.

Four recipes from the book were tasted one at a time with a line up of Paul Mathew wines.
We enjoy the discussion more than anything, as every time new pairings, surprising pairings and group conclusions never seize to amuse.

We started with a big winner from page 42, Truffle, cream and mushroom

#2. South of the border, page 127 - a surprising winner for me.

#3. Sonoma mac & cheese, page 33, which is loaded with our fabulous local cheeses.

#4. Cheddar, bacon and roast tomatoes page 16.

The results are usually divided but a group consensus verses my personal choice. So I give you both.

The line up of wines were Rose' of Pinot 2013, 2011 Chardonnay, 2012 Valdiguie and RRV Pinot 2011. We added a Cab Franc taste with the final recipe for fun.

Truffle, cream and mushroom was the over all winning recipe and the group decided that the dish went with ALL the wines, excluding cab franc which we did not taste. The rich combination of truffle and locally sourced mushrooms would be expected for Pinot Noir. The Rose' and chardonnay tied first place for me although much of the group liked the Valdiguie best. Agree to agree that there was not a bad pairing.

South of the border was the real thrill for me. A green tomatillo influenced dish that I loved with our Chardonnay and Rose'. A perfect summer dish which I don't usually associate with mac and cheese.
And then the die hard Valdiguie fans would not budge on this favorite pairing.

Sonoma mac and cheese influenced by Pt. Reyes Toma and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam is so rich and wonderful. A true mac and cheese lovers recipe. Valdiguie was the #1 pick for wine pairing and then there was me solidly sold on Chardonnay. This is amazing because I am truly not a Chardonnay grape fan but I am a fan of perfect pairings.

Cheddar, bacon and roast tomatoes changed things up. The addition of meat brought on the Cab Franc taste which tied 50/50 with the Pinot. Group consensus, no seperaters on this.

All in all, another fun filled night of food and wine banter.


And then Friday, Saturday & Sunday Artisan Cheese Festival fun...

JANUARY 2014
    Winter Wine Land

Our 1st official Winter Wine Land was a huge success!

We featured 2 local products paired with Paul Mathew wines.
Redwood Hills cheeses, Chili Chevre, Crottin & aged Cheddar.
Plus Earth Bounty Chardonnay onion jam.
The pairings were as follows:
                 2012 Chardonnay, Weeks Vineyard - Crottin & onion jam
                 2011 Pinot Noir, TNT Vineyard - aged Cheddar
                 2012 Cab Franc, Alegria Vineyard - Chili Chevre

People responded so well to the pairings and it was fun focusing on local products that we believe in.

These products can be purchased locally as well in our Tasting Room.

This was the kick off to our Tasting Room stocking 'picnic foods' in our new fridge.
You nay come by for a tasting and stay for a picnic. No need to stop on your way.

Winter Wine Land was a beautiful sunny January that more resembled Spring in Graton than Winter.
So it was kind of a Spring Wine Land in Graton and our backyard.

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.