Yes I carry a Corkscrew in My Diaper Bag

And no, I don't think there is anything wrong with that, I was a girlscout, and they taught me to always be prepared.

Oregon Pinot Value?

I'm on a serious Oregon Pinot kick while in the planning stages of our trip up there later this summer. We've been experimenting with everything from The Rogue Valley to Willamette and back, with very mixed results. So far my favorite has been the 2009 Adelsheim ( Mike's pick ) and least favorite were Knight's Valley and Argyle, both 2008s. But lets be honest, the great ones were amazing and the just OK ones were still pretty damn good . I just can't wait to drink them on their own soil in September. Vindication for being pregnant during the dream wine trip I planned to Sonoma last year.

So I was at Trader Joes this week for my requisite monthly visit to plan the TJ's class when I ran across their VINTJS 2009 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. As scared as I generally am by their attempts to bottle thier own vino ( read - run screaming from anything that costs under $2 ), I thought it would be fun to compare their Oregon Pinot to some of the exquisite Oregon wines I've had my nose in lately.

The wine is actually produced and bottled for them by Wine by Joe, a young an unpretentious vintner with tongue-in-cheek attitude and aspirations of greatness in the burgeoning Oregon value/quality arena. Most Oregon Pinots run $20 and up - with the average price being $30 or so. I am intrigued by the $9 price point.

Upon "closer inspection" the wine is quite fruity and ripe ( almost sour ), especially up front, and very light in both color and depth of flavor, which tells me it's a bit young . It's got a nice finish though and definitely was improved by a bit of airtime and some food alongside - but what wine isn't. Overall I was impressed with the general quality of this $9 wine, which I enjoyed more than some of it's neighbors I've paid more than quadruple the price for. Certainly not on my list of MUST VISITS while in Oregon, but not bad for the price. On the other hand - more evidence that with Pinot Noir ( unlike many other varietals ), sometimes price really does dictate quality.

Bon Voyage, Katie Finn

Last night we gathered a few dozen of our friends and customers to toast our beloved Katie before she leaves us for greener pastures up North. It was an incredible night, thanks to a beautifully paired menu based on a selection of Katie's favorite wines. Our resident "cork dork" didn't dissapoint with her thoughtful selections of wine that both surprised and delighted us all, and as usual, it was a priveledge for me to pair food with her picks. There were sniffles, stories, hugs and above all - a genuine appreciation for all Katie has brought to our little hamlet for the past three years. I will miss you my friend - so glad you'll be back now and then so we can do our thang'.

"The Last Supper"

Tahbilk Marsanne, Australia -

Roasted Butternut Squash Rissoto with Crispy Pancetta & Parmesan

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay -

Roasted Wild Salmon with Creme Fraiche Polenta, Avocado Corn & Bacon Succotash, Basil Brown Butter

Chateau La Nerthe CDP -

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms and Parmesan Parsnip Puree, Truffle Oil & Crispy Fried Sage

Darioush Signature Cab -

Rosemary Dijon Crusted Lamb Lollipops, Gorgonzola Sauce, Roasted Tomatoes with Oregano

Broadbent "10 year" Malmsey Madiera -

Mascarpone & Banana Stuffed French Toast with Coffee Caramel, Pecans & Seasalt

Food and Wine , Wine & Food

So I am sitting in front of my computer for the 11th straight hour. I am seeing double, and my whole body is stiff!! Unfortunately I was faced with a crazy deadline and only one day to put together a huge project - c'est la vie.

Cork and Fork was excellent on Wednesday! Our team rocks, that's all I can say. We were very busy and the crew handled it like pros, which we are NOT! It was a lot of fun and so many of our wonderful customers came out to support us. Thanks to everyone who joined us, and if you haven't been yet next week is going to be awesome - the menu is shaping up beautifully! By the way - the superstar wine hit of the night was the Val de L'ours french Cab / Syrah blend at $14 a bottle. People were buzzing about it all night and we sold out of every bottle before 8pm - awesome. I just about did a backflip when I tasted it along side the prosciutto carpaccio dish - AMAZING.

Speaking of wine - I found out today that we might not be able to carry one of my absolute favorite wines anymore, and I'm bummed. Sometimes it seems like everything I like gets discontinued, I swear. So I think I'll order a case while I still can - that's the proper response right??

Just finished working on the menu for tomorrow night's Wine Dinner -

Wine Dinner 5/14/10
Kukkula Va’alea / Spiced Carrot Coconut Soup with Crab & Crème Fraiche
Cune Rose' / Prosciutto Wrapped Sea Bass with Melon Coulis and Pesto Oil
Amancaya Malbec / Roman Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragout and Gorgonzola
The Wolftrap / Pork Tenderloin with Caponata and Purple Parmesan Whipped Potatoes
Banyuls / Tiramisu Parfaits

Can you tell I was hungry??

Winemaker Dinner with Mike Grgich

It's not too often you get to be in the presence of a living legend, let alone spend an evening sharing your craft with them. It's kind of like playing a round with Arnold Palmer, or going to the movies with Meryl Streep, I suppose. On Friday I got to live out a little bit of a life long dream - creating a wine dinner to highlight the wines of perhaps my biggest winemaking "crush", the incomparable Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate. To me, he's like an 86 year old rockstar. I was honored and delighted to host him at the school for what was surely one of the most memorable nights of my career so far=)




Mike is a notorious flirt - I think he enjoyed being surrounded by all of us girls doting on him all night.




Here's Mike toasting with Katie and Maria, his lovely assistant.




On to the menu!

With the o8' Fume Blanc, we paired a Seared Diver Scallop, Curried Corn Pudding and Mango Buerre Blanc with Basil Oil. A light and delicious pairing that was accentuated by the nice acidity in the fume.





The 07' Napa Chardonnay was a daunting task - after all, Mr. Grgich is known for making perhaps the most famous Chardonnay EVER!! Lots of nice lemon undescores the oak here - so we went with a lemon infused dish, that turned out to be an excellent pairing.
Housemade Brie & Fresh Tarragon Ravioli with Lemon Infused Cream and Pine Nut Gremolata





Next up - a Grgich Library selection - Milejenko's Old Vine Zin 06'. Milejenko is Mike's Croatian name - and he likes to wax poetic about Zin - genetically proven to be a product of his native country! A no brainer pairing here for me after having tasted this ripe spicey zin - Star Anise & Clove Braised Lamb with Bacon & Blue Cheese Polenta, Cherry - Zin Reduction & Sauteed Sprout Leaves.

This was my favorite wine of the night - the 05' Napa Cab. Consequently this also resulted in the most successful pairing of the night - exquisite!!

Fliet Medalion with Gorgonzola Butter, Parsnip Puree and Leek & Wild Mushroom Melange

Oh boy - this one was a doozy too. Mike brought us his special 06' Violetta Late Harvest Riesling, which we paired with Vanilla Orange Scented French Toast "Cubes" with Peach Ameretto Gelee, Maple Mascarpone Cream and Praline Crumbs. Even the most full guests squeezed this one in - so incredible. I was so surprised at the acid in this dessert wine - I've never had such a balanced late harvest riesling. YUM



Mike & more ladies! We all got "pinned" that night - he brought us all Grgich Hills Estate pins to wear.

Graciously signing wine for everyone after dinner with his signature gold pen. He also brought me a signed copy of The Judgement of Paris - a book that recounts the true story of his role in the famous Paris Tasting of 1976.

What a remarkable evening we had. Can't wait to do it again next year!! Thanks to everyone at Grgich, Katie for all of your generous help, and all of our staff who did an amazing job as usual=)

Friday's Wine Dinner

This Friday's Wine Dinner was so much fun, with a terrific menu and some fantastic wines. Here are some photos of what we made along with descriptions and the wines Katie selected=)



Julie made these fabulous little Crab Ravioli, they were light and creamy and fresh. She actually let me make the Lemon Pesto sauce to go with them, ha. We burned the first round of toasted pinenuts but version 2.0 was perfect.

This dish paired soooooo perfectly with our Neil Ellis Chardonnay from South Africa.


This ended up being Katie's favorite dish. Fresh Sea Scallop & Grilled Corn Cakes served with an Apricot Ginger Cream. The funny thing was that when we pan seared them, the corn kernels started "popping" like crazy. Will definitely be making these again!

Another wonderful pairing - the Sur Luchtel Viognier , really picked up the apricot notes and played off the scallops beautifully.


I loved this dish and will absolutely keep tweaking it until it's just right. Prosciuto wrapped Tuscan Melon on Arugula dressed with a Roasted Garlic & Thyme Vinaigrette. Then we crumbled fresh Greek Feta over the top - so good!!

Just right with the Chateau Val Joanis Rose ( of syrah ) - the feta is superb with this wine.



Well this photo looks awful but the dish is our signature Braised Beef Short Ribs ( yay- they're back!!) served with a Red Wine & Apple Cider Reduction and Gorgonzola Whipped Potatoes. I'm so thrilled to be doing comfort food again , it just makes people really happy!

I put lots of fresh ground pepper in this to stand up to the Angus the Bull Cab from South Australia.



We have been going risotto crazy this week - this one included Black Olives, Manchego and Sausage, and it was delicious.

A lovely final wine - one of our favorties from Portugal - the last of our stash of Crasto Duaro.






A sweet fall inspired ending - Vanilla Poached Pears with Cinnamon Yogurt Cream and Homemade Salt Caramel, topped with crumbled Biscotti. LOVE!

Friday - On the Road Again

Goodbye Sonoma, hello California Coastline. Heading back down the 101 to the 1, we were greeted at the Golden Gate Bridge by socked-in fog that lasted the whole day. It was gloomy, dreary and beautiful! We stopped just North of Half Moon Bay at a little hidden beach and enjoyed the big surf.

All over the Half Moon Area were the famous pumpkins, getting ready for Halloween.

We stopped in Santa Cruz where Mike & I lived for a year during college. This was Mike's old house, right next door to Natural Bridges beach.

We remembered it being bigger . .

And my really "old" house, a 150 year old victorian right on the corner of Mission and the 1. I swear, it was haunted, and that's all I'm going to say=)

Our home for the night, Carmel-by the-Sea. We walked around for hours, which was delightful, and wound up at Clint Eastwoods Hogs Breath Inn. We had to try the artichoke soup to compare it with the one in La Quinta. Maybe because the artichokes come from nearby Castroville - there was something special about it.

What a fun place.

And with that - we got a good nights rest since we both got sick in the last few days of the trip. The next day was really nothing to write home about - just a quick cut through to the 5 and a boring , non-scenic ride home.

Today is a day of R&R for us in Los Angeles. It has been a lot of fun chronicling our adventures and I hope you enjoyed coming with us, albeit virtually. Our first Cooking with Class trip was a success and we look forward to many more to come, hopefully you will join us=)))))

Thursday

Our first stop on Thursday was the Benovia Winery - a brand new state of the art property built on a former apple orchard. We were super excited about coming here because many of us had tasted the exquisite Benovia Pinot at the school before when we carried it several months ago.



Pinot on the Vine - ready to be picked that day or the next.




We learned that the wire netting is a very expensive bird deterrent.





I had to include a picture of Van #2, chauffeured all week by yours truly.

Our host explaining how varietal grapes are grafted to native American root stock to avoid disease.

As there is no public access to this winery, our tasting room was the barreling room!

Perhaps my favorite wine of the whole week was our last at Benovia - the sweetly complex Zinfandel that was a total surprise to me.

Outside we find the owner himself sorting through grapes by hand before they go into the crusher.

Our next stop was probably the highlight of the trip for many. The truly lovely Foppoli family opened up their family home and welcomed us in like old friends. Our stop began with a tasting of the spectacular chardonnay right in the vineyard under an old oak tree. Dominique Foppoli and his intern Whitney shared the incredible story of their family's journey into making some of the most sought after white wines in California. We were all mesmerized!

Then we ventured up a hill through the cow pasture to an outlook over the spectacular Russian River Valley, while sipping the next wine, Russian River Chardonnay. It was very special and one of the best unoaked chards I've tasted.

Next we sat down in the family's back yard for an amazing lunch & tasting. As time went by we were also treated to meeting the menagerie of Foppoli animals. This is Mike making friends with Luigi - half great dane half italian mastif, if you can imagine the size of him.

We were taken care of by Dominique's lovely mom Terri and his charming father, Richard.

Intermittently, we all got lap visits from "Kitty", and even got in trouble for letting her walk on the table.

Dominique & Richard pose with their amazing wine.

Mom making friends with the Foppoli cows and horses.

This was their adorable mascot, Eeyore.

Di was finally able to make friends with him. I was petrified he was going to kick her!

Next we had an impromptu visit to Martinelli Winery, where Dominique called in a favor and the owner herself, Regina Martinelli met us and tasted us on their 92pt. plus scoring wines. She was super fun, we had a great experience there.

This was our only unplanned stop on the whole trip!

Last stop of the day - Arista Winery. We couldn't wait to check out their famed Japanese gardens. One of the most picturesque things we did all week.

Through the gardens to the knoll where we tasted.

Arista specializes in Pinot Noir.

We had a great time, and the handsome young owner even stopped by to say hello. Some of the ladies reeeaallly enjoyed that.

After a brief rest stop at the hotel, we headed to downtown Healdsberg for our last dinner of the week at the incomparable Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen. Our group had a lovely private room in the grounds of the Hotel Healdsberg where we were wined and dined with a seven course chef's tasting menu.

We started with an amuse bouche - a ceviche of hamachi & salmon.

Next we tried the lemon flavored Madeleine topped with smoked Salmon mousse and caviar with ab it of lemony oil & chive.

At this point our chef stopped in to say hello and welcome us. We also enjoyed the sommelier and GM popping in intermittently to speak about each course of food and wine.

This was amazing - seared baby hamachi over a radish & baby greens salad dressed with kaffir lime and champagne vinaigrette with avocado mousse and teeny tiny melon balls.

I forgot to take a before photo of this as I was SO excited to taste it - toasted Farro "risotto" with pesto and pecorino cheese. One of the culinary highlights of the week for me.

Gorgeous local sweet corn and peeled baby tomatoes in a concasse topped with fresh seared Ahi. It was just perfectly executed.

The requisite filet, done expertly, with a rich mushroom puree and roasted artichoke hearts and demiglace. The portion sizes for everything were just right.

My FAVORITE dessert of the week!! Fresh local berries with mini lemon tartlets shaped like flowers over a toasted marshmallow meringue with tart strawberry sorbet. I wanted to go around and finish other peoples plates . . . .

And with that, our amazing week came to a close. We all said our goodbyes that evening as everyone was departing at different times Friday for destinations that varied. Some went on to more wining and dining while other headed home for good. Overall I think everyone had a wonderful, intimate experience in Wine Country.

Sonoma opened it's arms to us in every way and by the end of the week we all were considering a permanent move! I can't say enough good things about the places and people there and will try and post a list of all the places we went with the highest recommendation from myself and our whole group. If you have the chance to visit this beautiful and friendly place, do not hesitate to bypass Napa and head to what is surely one of the most amazing places I've ever had the pleasure to visit.