GTF Wine Dinner - Amuse Bouche with Emerson Pinot Gris

Continuing the series from the May 24, 2009 Gathering Together Farm wine dinner, following a rousing farm tour we quickly served the Amuse Bouche. While being served a mushroom soup with green garlic foam and brioche, a glass of 2007 Emerson Pinot Gris was poured for each diner. While some of my mushroom-averse compatriots less enjoyed this warm soup, I found it to be crisp and delicious.

Emerson Vineyards, a family-owned winery located in Monmouth, OR, produces Pinot Noir and Gris, Syrah, and Chardonnay while focusing on stewardship and sustainability as a core tenet. Elliot Johns, the winemaker, is a gradu

ate of Oregon State University's fermentation science program. Winery tasting notes on the 05 Gris note, "Emerson Vineyards Pinot Gris is silvery and brilliant. This vintage expresses gooseberry and honey aromas with flinty, minerally back notes."

We immediately detected the strong floral basket on the nose of this wine, with a crisp and tart lingering finish when consumed by itself. When paired with the soup, though, the finish was cut making a very refreshing and pleasant match. General consensus was very favorable for this wine, although Rick noted he would have enjoyed the riesling more with this course and Alyssa wasn't a fan of the whole course. Probably more of that is related to the aforementioned distaste for mushrooms.

The next course of the dinner didn't have a separate wine poured with it, and thankfully we made friends with the staff and ended up with an extra pour of the Gris to enjoy with the Salade Compose. The deconstructed salad of baby carrots, new potatoes, snap peas, Walla Walla onions, meyer lemon vinaigrette, and garden aiola also worked very well with the wine.

Keep your eyes on the blog for the next piece in the series, a look at the Roulade of Halibut matched with 720 Cellars Pinot Noir!

Gathering Together Farm Wine Dinner - Territorial Riesling

On May 24, 2009 I had the pleasure of once again participating in a wine dinner at Gathering Together Farm, an organic farm in Philomath, OR. During the on-season the farm hosts a wine dinner once per month, pairing a 5-course gourmet dinner cooked onsite with local wine. Joining me on this journey were Nick, Kristen, and Chris from Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery; Rick, a budding wine blogger; and friends Gordon, Megan, and Alyssa. I bring to you the collaborative review of this event in a multi-part series:

2005 Territorial Riesling

A typical wine dinner pairs all courses with offerings from a single winery. This particular evening, though, we were treated to the wine buyer's selection of Willamette Valley wines. Waiting as we walked in the door was a glass of Territorial Riesling. Founded by two Lane County wine growing families, Territorial produces a variety of whites and Pinot Noir out of their facility in Eugene, OR.

Matched with some crackers and meat, we found that this wine was the perfect start for the evening. With 2% residual sugar, the off-dry style gave a little sweetness that was just right -- it treated the palate without being overwhelming. Even Rick, an avowed fan of reds who typically avoids riesling, enjoyed this one. Another notch on the sugar would have definitely taken it out of his range. With an alcohol content of 11%, this vintage retails at $15 per bottle and is available throughout the valley.

Keep your eyes on the blog over the next two weeks as we work through the courses and wines of this dinner. Next up, the amuse bouche and Emerson Pinot Gris. In the meantime, if you can make it out to the farm for a dinner or weekend breakfast - do it. Unfortunately for you all, the wine dinners are all booked for the remainder of this year, but they have good food all the time.

Brief Hiatus

So it's been a very very busy time here in Corvallis, and I sit here on the eve of another business trip which will take me out of the country for the next week. Point is, there hasn't been a lot of time to post lately. I have some good stuff brewing though including a review of Gathering Together Farms recent wine dinner as well as an amazing bottle of 2005 Col Solaire Red Wine. Look for these to come out in about a week and a half, and until then, drink well!

An adventure in Newport

Last weekend it was a sunny 75 degrees in the Willamette Valley, so a group of us decided it would be a fabulous time to spend an afternoon on the coast. Newport was the destination and we arrived to find the temperature in the 65 range with a slight breeze -- all in all a great day to be at the ocean. After bumming around the Agate Beach area for an hour or so, we started to get the munchies; as it wasn't yet dinnertime, what were we to do? After much debate, we decided to just drive and see what we ran across. That was, in fact, the best decision we could have made as we found a food and wine experience that is second to none in the area.

After checking out some condos for sale (way too expensive), we drove along the waterfront and found what appeared to be a historic arts and shopping district. What we had found was Nye Beach and immediately Megan honed in on a sign that said "wine" on a small shop. We went in to the Nye Beach Gallery, billed as a regional and international wine and specialty cheese shop with other tasty treats. The proprietor was lovely and had great suggestions, and in addition to the international selection I found an impressive selection of Washington and Oregon Wine. I walked a way with a bottle of Ryan Patrick Red Blend. Wine...check.

Next on the agenda was a snack. We found a little bakery that sold us a whole baguette, and across the street we went to the Village Bistro & Deli domestic/imported meats, cheeses, and wines -- where the proprietor was working the deli case and helped us select some outstanding cheeses and meats for our baguette. We ended up with a hot soppresseta, pastrami, Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, and an aged smoked gouda - which was the hit of the day. We sat in the shop and ate our cheese, meat, and bread while looking out the window at the waves rolling in and the sun going down. My favorite combination was the baguette with soppresseta and gouda on top. Snack...check.

After satiating our immediate hunger, the final stop of the evening was to the Newport Historic Bayfront where we wandered around until dinner. As I have posted before, I love LocalOcean in Newport for a great atmosphere, delicious food, and well paired wine. My dungeness crab matched perfectly with the Cardwell Hills Pinot Gris that I was drinking. The outstanding selection from this dinner was by Megan, who got the Fisherman's Stew. She is hooked and will drive all the way to Newport just for the stew.

So, if you find yourself wondering what to do on a Sunday afternoon, make your way to Newport and check out Nye Beach. It's cute, delicious, and you'll find some wine treasures tucked about here and there among the junk you usually find in beachfront stores.