May 25 - 28                A trip to B.C.'s Okanagan Valley

It had been years, probably 17, since I had visited the Okanagan Wine Region and Mat's 1st visit ever. With a handful of appointments at the top food spots, hotel and winemaker visits, we began our experience.

People are friendly, the area is small and a lot of recommendations are available upon request.
Our best hints were being told the Valley is a 3 hour drive from top to bottom. So, we focused on the top section of the valley our 1st day, the second day we drove down to the middle area and the third day we moved to the lowest section of the valley and finished our trip there.

Our 1st day we arrived mid afternoon and hungry, Salted Brick for lunch was perfect. Local centric, owner / operator, a nice start, seasonal fresh ingredients. And for dinner Raudz is a great addition to what I knew of as a sleepy food scene twenty years ago. Crab cappuccino and preserved lemon risotto were our favorite items but there were so many that we didn't try.

The third day, we stopped in Penticton to pick up a picnic lunch. Brodo Kitchen on main street is owned by a former Four Seasons Hotel chef that I had worked. This stop was both fun and tasty. Knowing Paul's level of experience, I knew the food would be great. We had a chance to catch up while our lunch was being prepared and packed, which was very nice. I would highly recommend Brodo Kitchen for a casual lunch, catered event or a picnic. Another great food experience in the valley for us.

Kelowna is a town of 150,000 population that increases to 500,000 in high season, so we recommend going off season to enjoy the lake front view rooms, multiple restaurants, wineries and picnic areas without crowds.

The wine country is located around the lakes, really stunningly beautiful scenery and the growth of wineries is staggering. We visited many main stays that I've known from the early days but added in many new hot spots and a couple that were just on the way. We struggled to find the perfect map until the last day. Each small region has a map but to view the entire valley, the OK Falls directory has this full map on the back.

Our high light wineries were as follows.
 #1 Blue Mountain - South of Okanagan Falls
This was on the top of my list from twenty years ago. Their sparkling wines sold out regularly and the still wines were and still are so worthy, we brought more than a case home. We tasted with the son of the founders who is the current winemaker, Matt. Each of the wines has such a classic quality without a doubt of sense of place, 100% Estate. Driving to Blue Mountain Winery also assists with this, at the top of a hill at the end of the road, well removed from everything. Wonderful!

 #2 Tantalus - Kelowna
 One of our 1st stops of the trip and we had a connection from Sonoma from a few years ago. While tasting, David the winemaker came by and ended up chatting with us for the remainder of our visit. The wines which we had never tasted were solid. We even got to taste their limited production ice wine. Small production and 100% Estate, definitely worth a visit. We bought a bottle of the Sparkling to enjoy in our hotel, which was unique, searing acid and refreshing.

 #3 Quails Gate - West Kelowna
We started with an early lunch in their restaurant over looking the lake. A lot of wineries have restaurants which is not common in CA due to the laws. Kind of backwards to me with the height of Canadian laws but, this is the only winery restaurant that we ate at.
After our lunch we met with Nikki the winemaker, she invited us into the cellar to taste barrels. We tasted through Chardonnays, Pinot's, a few Bordeaux varietals and finished with a pallet cleanser Pinot Gris. Multiple cooperages all from 2014. It is so fun to hear the trials and tribulations from the cellar perspective, which tasting rooms don't really offer and Nikki has personality plus. Winemakers bonding.

We had our last night in Osoyoos, five minutes from the American border. We opted to stay in the town and search for our final valley dinner by foot. We found a nice little wine bar style spot that
we enjoyed, Dolci Social. All local wine by the glass and small plates over looking main street.

Three days was sufficient to get a lay of the land. We enjoyed seeing yet another different wine region than the one we live in. This trip proved to be a great refresher of the Okanagan and proof that it has upped it's game in every sense.

May 3rd               Spring Wine Club party


Every Spring and Fall we celebrate with our Wine Club. This bi annual event gives our wine club members the opportunity to taste the wines that are in the club shipment and often not yet released to the public.

We created a menu to focus on the wines and highlight what means the most to us, perfect pairings.


Fresh shucked local oysters with a raspberry mignonette and 2014 Rose' of Pinot. The raspberry mignonette is the reason this works so well.

Mat's infamous tuna ceviche with our 1st bottling ever of 2014 Gewurztraminer. An outstanding success! We've been pairing this dish with our rose' and pinot's for years, which do very well. Although the newest addition to our portfolio stole the show as the food and wine pairing stardom.
Many people. me included, don't love this classic German varietal that comes in the tall thin bottle.
All I can say is "Mat is a god dam good winemaker to have changed many peoples perspective".
The truth is also that the Tuna Ceviche really stole the show and great wine pairings were truly noticed.

To pair the new unreleased 2013 Ruxton and Horseshoe Bend Vineyard pinot's, we needed to a have a food with oomph and our Grill. Thus Mat chose to grill pork butt with a multi spice dry rub. Simple yumminess with tightly wound youthful Pinot's, a  hit!

The joy of  watching Wine Club members that we might only see twice a year mixing and mingling, An opportunity to go back and forth to the current 2012 Pinot's in the tasting room to the unreleased 2013 Pinot's at the backyard party, not usually an option.

It gives us great pleasure to get feedback on the success of  our wines once they leave our tasting room. Members stash them away to enjoy on their own or share them as a special introduction to guests that are worthy. All in all, our fans help make us who we are, down to earth, husband and wife team, making wines people love to enjoy!

March 30th and 31st          Two Food and Wine Events


Betty Spaghetti is a new restaurant in our neighborhood. They invited us to do a Winemaker dinner.  What a wonderful opportunity for our friends and neighbors to come out to try a new restaurant and enjoy our wines and local company.

The chef came by the tasting room to preview our wines and discuss menu ideas and wine choices. When the menu was sent over a few days later, the excitement started to build. A line up of course descriptions jumped from the page, burrata and apricot paste, chicken liver pate, rabbit ravioli. It was looking like a very promising evening.

Our joyful guests started with a fresh taste of spring in a glass, 2014 Rose' of Pinot. This was paired with the burrata. Not only an incredible pairing but the apricot paste was amazing. Worthy of jarring up this wonderful paste, sous chef Jenn added some baking spice and chili when preparing. This gave the apricot a nice subtle spiciness that worked so well with our Rose'.

Next up was my personal request to feature an item from their dining room menu, chicken liver pate' which I love. We recently released the 2014 Gewurztraminer which I picked as the pairing wine.
The room awed and oohed as they tasted these two together. It works perfect and you can try this pairing anytime at Betty Spaghetti.

A beautiful treat was the Rabbit Ravioli. One friend told Mat he didn't think we ate fast food.
Mat loves Rabbit! It is tricky to showcase the flavor as well it can be perfect for Pinot, which it was.
A great preparation of braised in pinot rabbit, perfect placed in ravioli's with a jus of mushroom and carrots then sprinkled with parmesan. Wow, they did it, a huge hit with the crowd.
Paired with our 2009 library Pinot from Horseshoe Bend vineyard.

The main course was seared duck breast with our 2012 Ruxton Vineyard Pinot Noir. Always a winner to put these two together, tonight showed true to this.

At this point everyone was content beyond need and the perfect finale came out to send us on our way.

Congratulations to the Betty Team from front of the house to back, A splendid evening was had!
betty-spaghetti.com

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Willi's Wine Bar - Tasting Tuesday's        March 31st

When Willi's invited us to participate in this 6 week annual event, there was no hesitation. One o our all time favorite Restauranteurs original spot. We booked us and promptly added reservations for after.

The flight of wines was chosen by the GM / Sommelier Anthony. 2014 Gewurztraminer, 2012 RRV Pinot Noir and 2013bCab Franc. I could hardly wait to see what pairings would be.

#1. Curried Calamari Ceviche, mango, avocado salsa
#2. Salt and pepper scallop, suncoke puree and crispy pancetta
#3. Sweet and sour Figs

This set up is offered once a week on Tuesdays from 4pm - 6pm with a different winery and pairing each week. I think it is run for 6 weeks every Spring.

The regular crowd at Willi's are spoiled with this hip cuisine and we recommend for visitors to Sonoma to experience the Starks at their finest. There is something for everyone.

At 6pm, once the pairing and pouring and informing people about we were are, we sat at the bar for a treat of flavors.

Our 1st Foie Gras since the return from the crazy ban, did not disappoint. And we were treated to 2 very special wine options to pair with, both were exceptional.

New favorite dishes of the evening were a scallop dumpling that was wonderful with our Gewurztraminer and a Goat cheese gnocchi with mushrooms. These dishes are both ultimate wine pairing foods, we would have been happy to have 4 wines with each dish.

We ate to our hearts content and enjoyed a pinot flight. Yes, we are still sold on this great Santa Rosa keeper! Obviously if you haven't been, we'll recommend you go. Our dear friend that visits from Las Vegas won't miss it on every Sonoma County trip.

williswinebar.net     
4404 Old Redwood Hwy
Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Phone number (707) 526-3096    

March 2015                              Artisan Cheese Festival

We love cheese and we love local. This event is in it's 9th year and it screams both.

Not all the cheese is local but probably 80% or more is. The chef's and cheese mongers are. It attracts people from all over the country and it's right here in Sonoma County where the farms are.

This year Friday evening was all about cheese mongers working with a single cheese. The space was filled with bite size morsels displayed.

Saturday has a full schedule of seminars that take place in the hotel's many conference rooms. We have attended many in the past and this year opted not.

The Grand Tasting on Saturday evening has many Sonoma County and a few Bay area chef's serving a creation that incorporates a cheese. This is the event to enjoy food and wine. Our table was set in the middle of the room, a great spot to recommend people to different tables for wine pairing's. We were pouring Pinot of course but Chardonnay and Cab Franc as well.

Nick's Cove from Tomales Bay served a Lobster Poutine that paired great with our Chardonnay.
Ahwhanee had beef cheeks on a polenta cake that we recommended with our Horseshoe Bend Pinot.
There was a very fun grilled tomato sandwich with cheese soup by the Duck Club in Bodega Bay.
So many incredible ideas you might consider attending next year.

Sunday is the very popular market place where hundreds of people come to taste the individual cheeses and purchase. Many other cheese friendly products are being sampled as well as wines, beer and ciders. Mat takes this event under his wing and I stay in the Tasting Room. He comes home tired and full with many stories of the people he's met from all over the country that have favored our wines and the opportunity they had for the introduction. It is great exposure for us and we love supporting this very cheesy event.

Check the web site for next year. It is a must put on the calendar for March's schedule 2016.

artisancheesefestival.com

Feb. 28, 2015           Blind Pinot Noir Tasting

 

One of our Wine Club members–and now a good friend–toured Oregon’s Willamette Valley last fall. He visited a lot of vineyards, and brought back a treasure trove of Pinot Noirs. Excited about his discoveries, and wanting to share them with friends, he asked if he could use our Dining Room space for a blind tasting.

Mat & I are big fans of blind tasting, so we were thrilled to co-host and participate. We feel that blind tasting is the very best way to taste wine without any preconceived expectations, and this night was no exception.

 

The two organizers chose to taste 12 wines in three flights. Within each flight was one surprise selection that was not from Oregon. All the wines in the first two flights (a total of eight) were from 2012. The third flight was a combination of older vintages. Each bottle was bagged and numbered, and they were poured in front of us at the table with nothing visible other than the top ridge of the bottle. We ten lucky participants went through each flight individually, taking notes in silence, accompanied only by the noises of pouring, swirling, sipping, and spitting. At the end of each flight, we discussed each of the wines, voted and ranked them, and then unveiled them from the paper bags.

After we tasted through the three flights and tallied the scores, we enjoyed a potluck dinner with the now-exposed wines, giving everyone a chance to go back and re-taste the Pinots alone and with food. The experience generated lively discussion throughout the evening. Everyone enjoyed the focused tasting and appreciated learning what wines they liked without knowing what they were, uninfluenced by name, vintage, region…

The fact is that all the Pinot Noirs in the lineup were good, high-quality, well-made wines. We had to make tough choices during the blind tasting, but once food was introduced into the equation, each wine was great in its own right. Some of the wines did better with the food, providing another lesson on pairing food and wine. There were no losers among the 12 selections, and the true winners were the participants around the table that evening. It was such a fun, lively, and educational event – blind tasting might become regular happening at Paul Mathew.

 Below I’ve listed the evening’s wines, separated in flights, and indicated the winner of each flight. By a unanimous vote, before the wines were unveiled, one wine was voted the top wine of the night. It was thrilling to see the bag come off the wine that was awarded the highest rating, and amazing that every single participant selected this wine, without knowing what it was, as the best of the dozen we tasted  blind.

First flight: All 2012 vintage

1.      Patricia Green, clone 115
2.      Paul Mathew, Bohemia Vineyard
3.      Ken Wright, Shea Vineyard
4.      Bergstrom, Shea Vineyard

 Patricia Green placed #1 for the group although all four women at the table gave their highest rating to Paul Mathew, which placed #2.

Second flight: 

5.      Gevry Chambertin, Cuvee Bertin  2009
6.      Archery Summit  2012
7.      White Rose Luciole Vineyard  2012
8.   Bergstrom, Le Pre Du Col Vineyard  2012

The Burgundy placed #1 in the group with Archery Summit coming in second.

Third flight: Mixed vintages

9.      Paul Mathew 2009 Ruxton Vineyard
10.  Lenne 2008
11.  Le Cadeau reserve 2011
12.  Domiane Drouhin Laurene 2011

2009 Paul Mathew Ruxton Vineyard was unanimously voted as the #1 wine of this flight and of the evening as whole. Second place was Domaine Drouhin.

 

As you can imagine, it was extremely gratifying that our wine came in first place. I didn’t even know it was in the lineup, as Mat had helped pull together the surprise selections from outside the Willamette Valley. Not only did it feel great to see our Pinot get the highest rating – unanimously – at this blind tasting; it also once again validates Mat’s exceptional winemaking skills.

 I encourage you to try a blind tasting of your own. If you need any help with the guidelines, or if you would like a simple way to keep score, please be in touch.

 

 

 

 

February 7th, 2015    

MUSHROOM MONTH

We're a bit late with our first post of 2015, but I think you'll forgive us because it's about another one of our favorite things: Mushroom Foraging. And what a better way to do it than with 25 enthusiastic Wine Club members!

We host this foraging event every year, with the exception of last year, when we had no rain and no mushrooms. The Foray is one of our most popular Wine Club events. Most people who attend want to come back every year. This year was no exception; while our members clamor to attend, every year we manage to include a few newbies.

This year's mushroom season started off well in the autumn with a nice amount of porcinis. Moving into December, when we had substantial rainfall, the hedgehogs and black trumpets starting coming up. Then the new year arrived with a nearly total absence of rain in January, and it seemed as if  mushroom season was doomed.

The date of our Foray happened to coincide with the first storm of 2015; predictions called for five inches of rain and wild wind. As the weekend approached, the emails and phone calls began to pour in as many who enrolled questioned whether we would cancel the event. Fortunately, it stormed on Friday and Sunday, leaving Saturday, our foraging day, with a mix of sun and clouds but no rain until 5 pm, when we were all done. This was good luck for all of us who prefer to forage without rain dripping down our backs. We get wet enough as it is hiking through branches and brambles.

After foraging around the hilly property, our group returned to the lodge with tremendous amounts of mushrooms. The day was full of smiling faces with baskets full of black trumpets and hedgehogs. Members also brought back a few random nonedible finds to discuss with David Campbell, our mycological specialist and guide. It was a truly successful day of foraging.

The happy foragers were rewarded with a hearty lunch of wild mushroom lasagna and plenty of Paul Mathew Pinot Noir. This is when tales of the trails are told by foraging friends. There's plenty of discussion of what will happen with the bounty of mushrooms going home with the hunters. Which recipes, who cooks, who picks the wine....

Cheers to all you mushroom finatics and foraging friends, and BIG Thank you to the clean up crew!

December Celebration  Dec. 7, 2014

This eighth annual Celebration is one of our favorite events of the year. We are so lucky to feature the chef of former Mosaic Restaurant from Forestville, Tai Olesky.

The evening reception in itself is special: we pour all the 2013 newly bottled Pinot Noirs. These wines won't release for 10 months to 16 months from now. Upon entering, a welcome taste and palate prepper of the 2013 Chardonnay is the 1st wine of the night, which just released Dec. 1st.
A perfect accompaniment to the mussel soup being passed. A rich blended and creamless bisque like shot glass on a Fall evening.

The guest are seated at 7pm in the Tasting Room that has been transformed into a dining room. The only reminence of the room is the bar and wines. A long table seating twenty people is laid with burgundy glasses and silverware.

Our 1st course of the evening, a beautiful chestnut soup. So good, licking the bowl was discussed.
Two wines to pair, our 2010 Chardonnay and 2007 Horseshoe Bend Pinot Noir. They both went well although the Chardonnay in itself was showing so well, people were drawn to it.

Next up, a crab salad accompanied by Satsuma, heart of Palm and Blood Orange Puree . Two Pinot Noirs to pair, both from the 2006 Vintage, Ruxton Vineyard and TNT Vineyard.

The infamous mushroom dish from Mosaic days followed. This dish won the hearts of the consumers then and tonight was no different. For the guests that remembered this dish, it's a main reason for coming tonight. And the guests that missed out after the Restaurant closing in 2009, were thrilled to get a taste of the past. Served with grilled Nightengale baguette and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam, the warm combination of local mushrooms sautéed in a hot pan with madera, herbs and cream. What's not to like. It's hard to share this dish as it was served family style. Paired with 2 Pinot Noir's, one from 2008, Horsehoe Bend Vineyard and the second out of magnum from 2010, our Russian River Valley blend.

The main course, braised lamb served with polenta and more two Pinot Noirs. This time both from 2009 vintage, TNT Vineyard and Ruston Vineyard. The rivalry between Mat's and my favorite vineyard's ruled the conversation. Ruxton is typically our lamb pairing although tonight due to the preparation and influence of polenta, the TNT won the best pairing.

A finale of petit fors from Patisserie Angelica and the introduction of the chef and his team providing the plates received a standing ovation. The consensus from the full bellied crowd was that they require the 1st notification of next years event date.

Another fun filled evening of food and wine "ala"' Paul Mathew Vineyards wines. We are so lucky to not just to have such fine wines but great friends to share them with.

Thank you to Susan Adler photography for supplying such quality shots to reflect back.