The 2012 Drink Local Wine Conference opened on Friday evening with a media welcome dinner at the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion. Media, wine growers, winemakers and state officials mingled as we drank a Bookcliff Vineyards 2010 Muscat Blanc and/or a Cottonwood Cellars 2008 Lemberger. We had the Muscat Blanc and paired it with a dandelion greens (pictured right) and Windsor Dairy Glendevey Tart. The Muscat Blanc was refreshing and the dandelion greens made me wonder if I could use the dandelion greens at my house rather than casting them out. They were quite delicious.

Six wines were served with the dinner (the first four pictured left). The first course was a salad that had some unusual items in it such as English pea and mascarpone gelato and watermelon radish. Paired with the salad was a Settembre Cellars 2009 Chardonnay and a Creekside Cellars Rosé. The main course was a tasting of Black Cat Farm pork done three ways. This was paired with Guy Drew Vineyards 2010 Riesling and an Anemoi Zephyrus. For dessert we had an Ovaltine chocolate pudding and some Black Star chocolates. The desserts were paired with a Whitewater Hill Vineyards Riesling Icewine and The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Divinity.

As in previous posts while at conferences, my wine notes are in the form of a Haiku

Settembre Cellars 2009 Chardonnay Haiku:
Chardonnay light pear
Smooth vanilla salad greens
Gelato  pairing.

Creekside Cellars Rosé Haiku (pictured right):
Rose sweet pairing
Adds fruit to greens and radish
Red berries candy.

Guy Drew Vineyards 2010 Riesling  Haiku:
Riesling paired with pork
Floral and fruity meet fat
Acid cleans palate.

Whitewater Hill Vineyards Riesling Icewine  Haiku:
A Riesling ice wine
The strings in an orchestra
Sweet acid dessert.

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Divinity  Haiku:
Divinity a Port
Oh we can not call it Port
Smooth dessert ending.

Cheers,
Terry