Vineyard 511

Wine Tasting in Chianti

Ed and I recently spent a week in a guesthouse in the Chianti region of Tuscany. We were finally able to take advantage of the guesthouse for which we bid and won at a V Foundation silent auction. The week at the guesthouse was donated by cancer researcher Dr.Olja Finn (at the University of Pittsburgh) and her husband Professor Emeritus Dr. Seth Finn at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. They restored the all-stone guesthouse, originally a farmhouse attached to a (deconsecrated) Catholic church with a bell tower. Such a charming home away from home!

We spent the week cooking pasta with Seth in his kitchen or ours (unfortunately Olja was back in Pittsburgh), eating at some great restaurants like Antinori-owned Osteria del Passignano and Ristoro del Lamole, reached from a very winding road with a great view of Chianti.

Of course we visited wineries to experience Chianti Classico wines, like Ca di Pesa, near our guesthouse in San Martino and owned by Jonathan Auerbach, Chief Strategy Officer at Pay Pal in NYC. Our favorite winery experience, however, was at the amazing new Antinori in Bargino, which has English-language tours and a restaurant. Upon arrival, we walked up a dramatic winding staircase to see the very contemporary buildings and vineyards. Little did we know that both the vineyards and buildings were situated over the winery, which is built into the mountain 16 floors below. The cellar structure was conceived to allow the grapes to move with the flow of gravity from the top floor down to the fermentation tanks, eliminating the need for mechanical pumping (protecting the grapes) and the need for refridgeration, as the grapes and wine are cooled naturally by the soil surrounding the cave. The beautiful winery was designed by Archea Assocati Studio, enginering by Hydea, and took seven years.

We began our tour with a film about the Antinori family and winery. Marquese Piero Antinori, the current proprietor of the winery, can trace his family history back six centuries to 1385, when his ancestor Giavanni di Piero Antinori enrolled in the Wine Guild of Florence.  (We actually met Piero at a Napa Vintners Association Auction, when we sat at the same table with him.) This time, we were lucky to have his wife, Marquesa Franchesca Antinori sit with us at the film and then accompany us on our tour of the winery.

We tasted some delicious Villa Antinori Chianti Classico, Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva and Vinsanto del Chianti Classico, and learned as we did at other wineries in Chianti that the Sangiovese grapes are rarely blended with other varietals in order to capture the uniqueness and freshness of the region.

Ciao!

Nov 10, 2015 at 2:33 PM Permalink

Vineyard {511} Harvest 2015

This year our harvest took place incredibly early--September 14--in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Ed and I slept through it as our harvesters arrived before 4 am. We did, however, go to Jessep Cellars later in the day (where our wine is made), to watch our grapes be de-stemmed. The process was so interesting as the fork lift grabbed each bin of grapes, lifted them and dumped them in another vat to be manually sorted and then carried along on a mechanized belt to be separated into stems and berries.

The harvest was a bit smaller than we'd hoped, and we heard all the harvests were smaller this year. However, the good news is that the berries are delicious!
 

Sep 23, 2015 at 4:19 PM Permalink

Diana Krall Plays the Hollywood Bowl

Ed and I were lucky enough to see my most favorite jazz singer--Diana Krall--at the Hollywood Bowl, where she gave a sensational concert. We had seen her in concert at least three times before, but each time she has been more amazing than before. She played the piano while singing hits from the Great American Songbook and captivated the audience. It is amazing that she started out just as a jazz pianist, not as a vocalist, but was overheard singing by her manager, who encouraged her to sing as part of her repertoire. I went home a happy camper after having seen her that night.

Sep 23, 2015 at 2:36 PM Permalink

Willamette Valley Wine Tasting

After Ed and I  attended a wedding in the Mt. Hood area outside of Portland, we made a wine tasting tour of the Willamette Valley, mostly around the town of Newberg. Some of our favorite wines we discovered were Ken Wright Cellars 2012 Yamhill-Carlton District Pinot Noir; Dobbes Pinot Noir; Chehalem Pinot Noir and Chehalem Ian Chardonnay. This Chardonnay was all the more special since it has the name of our almost- three-year-old grandson Ian. We stayed at the lovely Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg.

We also managed to do some hiking and exploring in Oregon and got to see the beautiful Multnomah Falls when we weren't wine tasting--other healthy alternatives to red wine!

Sep 22, 2015 at 3:41 PM Permalink

17th Annual V Foundation Wine Celebration

Ed and I just attended the 17th Annual V Foundation Wine Celebration at Nickel and Nickel in Oakville. The gala dinner concluded the three-day fundraising event with a bang--an event which raised a record $10.6 million for cancer research.

The V Foundation was started by legendary North Carolina State Coach Jimmy Valvano and ESPN in 1993. Valvano was in his last days of life, dying from cancer, when he challenged the world to find a cure for cancer by starting the Foundation; his challenge was "Don't Give Up...Dont Ever Give Up." One of the co-founders of the Foundation is our winemaker's father Robert Lloyd, Valvano's roommate and teammate at Rutgers University and current V Foundation Board Chair Emeritus.

The evening began with delicious appetizers at a silent auction in the Nickel and Nickel barrel cave. We were lucky to score a Valentine's Day in Yountville, which included a tasting dinner for two at The French Laundry. Can't wait!

Welcoming us to dinner was host and head coach of men's basketball at Duke University Mike Kreyzewski. Then we had a delicious dinner featuring Maine lobster medallions, grilled filet of beef with morels, chocolate-hazelnut dacquoise raspberry smear and Nickel and Nickel wines. The dinner was followed by a live auction and a fabulous private concert by Huey Lewis and the News. The place rocked.

Aug 19, 2015 at 11:52 AM Permalink

Harry Connick, Jr. Plays the Hollywood Bowl

We kicked off the Hollywood Bowl summer season with the a Harry Connick, Jr. concert. This was the second time Ed and I had seen him in concert at the Bowl, and we weren't disappointed. Connick brought his New Orleans jazz band with him, and together they got down playing some fine jazz. Connick not only played the keyboard, but also played the guitar and horn. He also wasn't shy about shaking his booty either, with his back to the audience in New Orleans style. A fun concert!

Aug 18, 2015 at 10:03 AM Permalink

Montreal and Quebec Journey

For the 17th year in a row, Ed and I, along with 2 other couples, took a break for a long weekend in a new location. This year, the destination was Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. We stayed at wonderful hotels--the luxurious Ritz Carlton in Montreal, which recently underwent a four-year-long remodel, and the Relais and Chateau boutique property Auberge St. Antoine, in Quebec City. So close to home, we were instantly immersed in French culture, and I had fun using my high school French. And the French people in Quebec province are so much more friendly than the French in France. We felt welcomed!

We toured both the old and new parts of Montreal and ate at some great restaurants there, but fell in love with Quebec City. We took a comfortable train ride from Montreal to Quebec--only a little less than 3 hours away--and departed for a picturesque St. Lawrence River harbor cruise shortly after arrival.

One of the most memorable meals we had in Quebec City was at gorgeous Toast Restaurant, where we were surrounded by its stained glass, hanging plants and atmospheric rosy lighting, while eating its great food, like a mushroom crostini with quail egg and mozzarella appetizer. Afterward, we walked over to the waterfront to watch a magnificent fireworks display, called Les Grands Feus Loto-Quebec, which happens only once a year, shown over the river and set to incredible operatic arias. It was the most beautiful fireworks display we'd ever seen, and we were so lucky to be there at the right time.

On our last day, we drove to Ile D'Orleans right outside of town to a maple tasting at Domaine Steinbach, where my favorite sample was maple mustard. I just had to bring some home. So yummy! Afterward, we did a wine tasting but, since we are so spoiled because of our wonderful Napa wines, we weren't that impressed. However, at one of the Quebec restaurants, we drank some non-French wine, a Truchard Vineyards Roussane from Carneros. We were so happy to see it on the wine list!

The terrific, short weekend soon came to a close. Next year it's my turn to plan it. Now where will we go?????

Aug 17, 2015 at 10:20 PM Permalink

Calistoga 4th of July Parade

For the second year in a row, we took our two and a half year old grandson to the 4th of July parade in downtown Calistoga and, for the second year in a row, he was mesmerized by the jubuliant cast of characters marching, dancing, singing and riding in super colorful floats-- especially the new and vintage fire engines and the Civil War Days in drag. He also got to clap his hands to the hispanic equestian show of prancing horses. Some floats were fancier than others but, all together, it was truly a step into Americana.

Jul 12, 2015 at 7:42 PM Permalink

From Burgundy to the Cote d'Azur

Ed and I just returned from two weeks in France, a week of which was spent on a Viking River cruise on the Rhone and Saone Rivers. The cruise started in Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Many of the region's vineyards are still owned by the Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 as a hospital. Many of our favorite Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are made in the "Burgundian style." However, I must admit, I like the "Sonoma style" better.

Next we cruised to Lyon, a charming, small, 2000-year-old city, and a  UNESCO world heritage site. Lyon is known for its fabulous food, home to over 2000 restaurants. We ate at two great brasseries--Le Sud and L'Est--both owned by world-renowned chef Paul Bocuse and where we enjoyed Remi Niero 2011 Condrieu wine, made from the Viognier grape. 

Aside from just drinking wine and eating great French food in Lyon, we visited the Musee des Confluences, a huge museum whose ambitious scope stretches from the origins of the universe to life after death, housed in a striking new building at the point where the Rhone meets the Saone. The building  was designed by Austrian architects Coop Himmelblaus and consists of a 40m-high glass and steel "crystal" and a 6,000 ton "cloud" resting on a monumental concrete plinth. Taking in more cultural activities, we followed Van Gogh's footsteps in Arles and in St. Remy de Provence, and visited the hospital where Van Gogh painted many of his great works after the "ear incident."

While we were in Avignon, known as the "City of the Popes" and where the Popes of the Holy See resided for most of the 14th century in their magnificent Papal Palaces, we took a side trip to Chateauneuf du Pape to do some wine tasting again. Two popes from Avignon had decided on Chateauneuf as their seat. Only ruins remain of the two papal castles, but the Papal vineyards still deliver their famous red wine, of which grenache is the main grape.

Even more famous than the papal residency is the French nursery ditty "Sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse, l'on y danse," so we took tons of photos of this bridge all aglow at night.

We disembarked in Avignon and took a fast TGV train to Nice before heading home, but not before enjoying some fabulous art in our palatial digs there--Hotel Negresco--every inch covered with original art work, and not before having great meals in its restaurant La Rotund, built like a merry-go-round. Our last dinner was in  in Le Bistro du Port, with a view of some fabulous yachts and where we sipped Chateau de Berne 2011 Cote de Provence wine made from the Semillion grape. Don't think there were any wines left to try :-)

Jun 28, 2015 at 8:02 PM Permalink

Milken Institute Global Conference Wine Tasting

On April 28, the Milken Institute Global Conference sponsored a food and wine tasting at 27 boutique shops at Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Attendees of the conference that was held during the day were able to drink fine wine, network, and shop at the same time (multi-task) in these boutiques. International wineries poured highest-rated wines inside each boutique. Ed and I poured our 2010 and 2011 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon in David Orgell, which sells fine jewelry, timepieces, antiques and gifts from around the world. The 5000-square-foot store, which has been on Rodeo Drive since 1958, is decorated with beautiful antiques and century-old tapestries. Once more, at this pouring, attendees said that our wines were the best there!

May 31, 2015 at 11:07 PM Permalink