The Twitter tasting event #SauvBlanc is already gearing up. Wine tasters from around the world are going to tweet about Sauvignon Blancs. A few friends will join us as we taste four different Sauvignon Blancs, one from France, one from New Zealand, one from California made with late harvest grapes sourced from Washington and the fourth from Napa.
Just to make things a bit more intriguing, I paired the Sauvignon Blancs with appetizers. Been in the kitchen for a few hours working on an avocado dip and a salmon and goat cheese on toast appetizer. Kathy is going to wrap crescent roll dough around Brie and drizzle honey and walnuts on it; then bake it. Yum!
Of course we didn’t plan on dinner and on the east coast it is nearing the dinner hour. So I’ll go with simple: pasta and pesto. This should actually pair well with Sauvignon Blanc.
For those with a Twitter account, follow #SauvBlanc and see what people from around the world are tweeting about Sauvignon Blancs.
Check out the 6th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, Washington. The event begins March 5 and continues March 6 and 7. The event proceeds will go to the Rotary Club to fund their charitable projects and activities. For more information visit the website.
A visit to Charleston will give you the opportunity to participate in the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival. This event is scheduled from March 4 – 7. For details and ticket information, check the website
Will you be in Portland, Oregon this weekend? On March 6, there will be a Classics Wine Auction. This auction will help five local charities involved with children and families. More information is available at http://www.classicwinesauction.com/.
If you can’t visit a festival or auction this weekend, how about trying a new varietal wine or perhaps a wine from a winery you haven’t had before.
Cheers! Kathy
People are finding many uses for Twitter, among them a wine tasting. On March 4th 2010, people from around the world are going to tweet about Sauvignon Blancs made anywhere in the world. What a perfect excuse for a wine tasting party. Sauvignon Blanc is a grape that can be made into wine with different tasting profiles. The recipe for this wine tasting party is to select a few Sauvignon Blancs, make a few appetizers and have some friends over. Every now and then, people can tweet.
I had a bottle of Sweet Surrender a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Keyways Vineyard & Winery in Temecula. I’m going to pair this wine with a honey, walnut baked Brie. The honey on the Brie should match with the honey nuances from this late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. I believe the grapes for this wine were sourced from Washington.
For my other selections, we went to the Wine Bin in Ellicott City, Maryland to purchase some other Sauvignon Blancs. A 2007 Domaine du Tremblay Quincy will represent the Loire Valley, in France. I plan to match this wine with an avocado based dip. Two wines will pair with a smoked salmon and goat cheese appetizer. A 2008 Culley Sauvignon Blanc is from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. A Honig Sauvignon Blanc is from Napa Valley, California.
The wines are ready, now its time to work on gathering the ingredients for the appetizers.
If you wish to follow and or post tweets on Twitter about Sauvignon Blanc use the #SauvBlanc hashtag.
Yesterday I wrote about the direct shipping bill in Maryland. This week is very important and anyone can submit written testimony on the bill. Written testimony must be received by Thursday at 12pm. No matter what state you live in, if you are experiencing successes with direct shipping please add your support to the proponents of Maryland’s House Bill 716. Shouldn’t residents of Maryland have the same rights that many other US residents have? If you have visited wineries in other states and enjoyed their wines wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have the wine shipped directly to your home?
For details on supplying written or oral testimony, visit this page on the Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws. Maryland consumers can use your help. If you have questions contact Jennifer Levy, Director of Legislative Affairs for MBBWL, at jlevy@mbbwl.org
Cheers! Kathy
This week is very important for Maryland consumers. On Friday, March 5, the Maryland House will be listening to testimony regarding direct shipping of wine. Written testimony and oral testimony are acceptable. To find out the details and how you can help go to Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws or contact their Legislative Affairs Director at jlevy@mbbwl.org.
Visit Annapolis, Maryland and sign up to give testimony on Friday, March 5 in support of direct shipping. Help Maryland consumers succeed in overturning archaic wine legislation. 2010 can be the year of direct shipping for Maryland!
Plan on staying for the weekend and enjoy the beautiful capitol of Maryland with its history, fine restaurants, the Naval Academy, museums and tours.
Cheers! Kathy
February 28, 2010 – 10:21 am
The Julia Cekala Charitable Foundation is sponsoring their 3rd annual wine event on Friday, March 12th from 7 to 11pm. The event will be at Christina’s in Foxborough (Foxboro), Massachusetts. The event includes wine tasting, food, music, dancing, raffles and a silent auction. Tickets are $45 per person.
The Julia Cekala Charitable Foundation was created to remember Julia, a nine year old with many medical problems but a love of life. Visit the foundation’s website to learn more about Julia.
If you want to volunteer or donate to raffles and auctions, visit The Julia Cekala Charitable Foundation website.
Cheers! Kathy
February 27, 2010 – 9:28 am
If you are looking for the recipe for St. Julian Red Wine Dressing mentioned in the earlier blog, use this link to the recipe on Wine Trail Traveler.
Cheers!
February 27, 2010 – 1:05 am
St. Julian Winery is the oldest winery in Michigan. They have four additional tasting rooms in the state. Be sure to include enough time during your visit to enjoy the winery tour where you will discover a large collection of “antique” wine making equipment. We visited St. Julian in 2009.
St. Julian provided the recipe for St. Julian Red Wine Dressing. Eleven ingredients are simply blended together and chilled before serving over greens. Two of the ingredients are St. Julian Wine Vinegar and St. Julian Red Wine. The other ingredients are commonly found in the kitchen. For the complete recipe, visit the Wine Trail Traveler recipe site.
Enjoy exploring the world of recipes with wine.
Cheers! Kathy
February 26, 2010 – 1:05 am
This week we enjoyed dinner and wine with good friends, whom we do not have the opportunity to see as frequently as we would like due to family and work obligations. It’s amazing how the time can fly by when catching up on what’s been happening in each of our families.
We enjoyed a delicious salmon that had been marinated and served with quinoa. A salad with a raspberry homemade salad dressing was terrific. This meal was paired with a Pinot Noir from C. Donatiello Winery in Healdsburg, California. With a smooth mouth feel, the wine paired well with the marinated salmon.
C. Donatiello Winery, located in Sonoma Valley, produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. If you have the opportunity to visit the winery during the growing season take time to wander through the spacious gardens in front of the winery. These gardens feature two smaller gardens with plants that feature aromas found in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
An article about C. Donatiello Winery is available on the Wine Trail Traveler website.
For dessert, we enjoyed ice cream with petite biscotti and a glass of dessert wine, Terry had made in 2009. The wine was made from a kit and was remarkably good with dessert.
What wine and food pairing have you enjoyed recently?
Cheers, Kathy
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Maryland’s House Bill 716 – Direct Wine Shipping
Yesterday I wrote about the direct shipping bill in Maryland. This week is very important and anyone can submit written testimony on the bill. Written testimony must be received by Thursday at 12pm. No matter what state you live in, if you are experiencing successes with direct shipping please add your support to the proponents of Maryland’s House Bill 716. Shouldn’t residents of Maryland have the same rights that many other US residents have? If you have visited wineries in other states and enjoyed their wines wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have the wine shipped directly to your home?
For details on supplying written or oral testimony, visit this page on the Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws. Maryland consumers can use your help. If you have questions contact Jennifer Levy, Director of Legislative Affairs for MBBWL, at jlevy@mbbwl.org
Cheers! Kathy