Flight School

A couple years ago LD and her friend Angela were getting together and going to Flight School.   LD kept telling me how awesome this was and that I really needed to join them.  Finally, I asked “what the heck is Flight School?”  Wine tasting….didn’t understand what that had to do with flying so I said, “okay count me in I will give it a try”.

A wine “Flight” is a sampling of 3 or more wines as a tasting; usually a small sample of wine….there is no airport or flying involved.   We met up at MorMor Bistro in Poulsbo; they do their Flight School on Friday nights.  What a treat, they give you four pours of wines plus an appetizer sampling for $20.00, what a great value for the food, wine and education.  Yes, education…. Dorian, the Sommelier tells you about the wine, where it is from, the region and more.

I have ordered wine Flights at other restaurants, they pour you your wine, give you a sheet of paper that lists the wines (some don’t even give you that) and walk away…….I want the  story.  Tell me about the wine, the region the tasting notes …….I think we have been spoiled.

My second Flight School at MorMor sticks out, it was the time the wine bottles were covered; we had to taste and then guess the region it came from.  That really opened up my senses to the smell, taste and the wine characters from different growing regions. 

Our Family gets together on Sunday for “Family Dinner”; the girls will have wine the boy’s beer and I prepare appetizers to go with the wine I am serving.  One Sunday my husband’s nephew said “I wouldn’t mind trying wine” we looked at each other and grinned…... we will do a Flight School of our own for you next Sunday, this will be fun!”

I selected 4 wines; we started with a Chardonnay from J. Lohr, then a Cabernet Franc from Willow Crest, Cabernet Sauvignon from Dreaming Tree (have to tell you that story next on how we found this one) and Merlot from Fairwinds.  The appetizers I prepared to pair with the wine were; puff pastry filled with brie and peach preserves,   fruit and cheese plate of red grapes, goat cheese, Beechers Flagship cheese and a dish of almonds.   We had a convert, he loved it and he didn’t understand why people drank the horrible stuff.

So back to how we found Dreaming Tree…..shopping one Sunday for family dinner, my daughter Diamond, spotted a label she liked….yes she picked it by the look of the label.  She bought it and we loved it.  Since, I have also purchased “Crush” a Merlot/Zinfandel blend by Dreaming Tree, I liked this even more than the Cab.  Dreaming Tree we found out is collaboration with Dave Matthews, the musician, they have done a great job creating a very affordable, sustainable wine.

So go out and enjoy a “Flight” with your friends and family…………D

Simple White Wine Sangria

I have put together a simple Sangria recipe for Cinco de Mayo.  Many recipes out there have a lot of ingredients, I made this one simple and refreshing, enjoy…D

1 bottle dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)

2 shots of brandy

1 orange sliced

1 lime sliced

1 peach sliced

1 lemon sliced

2 shots of triple sec

1 shot of simple syrup (optional)

Club soda

Pour the wine in a pitcher add sliced fruits (be sure to wash your fruit before slicing) brandy, triple sec, stir and chill 2 -4 hours.  Before serving, add 1 liter of club soda, taste test to see if you need the simple syrup (you might need if your fruit isn’t that sweet).   That’s it, you are ready to celebrate!

Opening  SAGGI

November of 2011 was my first time to Walla Walla Washington and I was going for Fall Release.  I fell in love with Walla Walla; the architecture of the buildings in town, the vineyards in their fall colors and the wine.   Oh how I fell in love with the wines from Walla Walla. 

I just opened a bottle of SAGGI 2008 from Long Shadows Winery  that I purchased on this trip.  SAGGI is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah.   What a beautiful blend, so silky smooth and delicate in flavor.  I was saving it for a dinner I thought would do it justice, a meal my kids requested, “Moms Lasagna”.  I served with a crusty French bread with seasoned olive oil for dipping….. I wish I had a red check table cloth and drippy candles on the table to complete the mood.

If you go to Walla Walla put Long Shadows on your list of places to visit. I recommend trying some of their other wines, Sequel and Feather are couple more of my favorites. I will be making a return trip to Walla Walla for Spring Release the first weekend of May with two of my daughters, Diamond and Elise.  I am looking forward to discovering more of Walla Walla with them.

 I love pairing food and wine, as I continue blogging my adventures you will find that I tend to think of food that goes with the glass of wine.  My favorite pairing, friends and family….D

Olympic Wine and Cheese Tasting 2012

Fairwinds Winery – Port Townsend, Washington

Out in the country, this beautiful old barn has been converted for wine production and a tasting room.

I started with their Gewurztraminer.  This is not your standard sweet Gewurztraminer.  It was slightly dryer with a hint of sweet.  Yes, I could sip and enjoy this wine and would definitely recommend it.

The Merlot/Cab blend was ok but for my pallet it was a bit sharp.  Or so I thought, until I tasted it with the Limburger double cream “Trailblazer” cheese from Back Country in Tacoma, Washington.  Wow, what a great combination.  Shame on me for not giving the wine a chance, especially with food.

Their Cabernet Sauvignon was yummy in flavor with a really nice finish.  I definitely would go back for more. 

Merlot 2002 – when you taste wine, you will taste the soil the grapes have been grown in.  The grapes for this production definitely came from soil that had once grown some sort of vegetable.  I tasted produce and I would love to pair this wine with some beef medallions from Mor Mor Bistro in Poulsbo, Washington. 

I finished with “Port of Call” port.  I definitely know nothing about port wine but WOW!!  I really enjoyed this one.  I’m going to pair this with a platter of fruit and cheese.

Eaglemount Winery – Port Townsend, Washington

The Syrah, Eaglemount Red and Cabernet Sauvignon were good.   But my favorites were the Osprey and Raptor.  The Osprey is dark in color and bold.  Now when most people say bold I have no idea what they are talking about but in this case I mean put some steak, lamb chops and strong cheese with this wine and you have something special to drink.  The Raptor is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc.   I would drink this wine on its own or with food.  I love good blends and this was a very good blend.

Olympic Cellars – Port Angeles, Washington

La Galopine, 2009 – a blend of Viognier and Roussanne.  I will be looking forward to the warms days of summer, sipping this delicious white wine.  I also enjoyed their 2009 Chardonnay.  If you are not a fan of Chardonnay, give this one a try.  It will change your mind.

The red wines at Olympic Cellars were good too.  I especially enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon but really fell for the “My Sweet Syrah, 2010.”  Try it with semi-sweet dark chocolate and it will transport you.

Harbinger Winery – Port Angeles, Washington

To be honest I didn’t write down my impressions of the wines from this winery as much as I noted the food being served. The Mac n Cheese with bacon and French onion soup were being gobbled up by everyone.  Oh darn…..I guess I will have to go back again. J

Camaraderie Cellars – Doty, Washington

For most of the day I had been drinking Cabernets, Merlots and whites.  But one of my favorite wines was yet to be enjoyed.  Camaraderie Cellar’s 2009 Malbec was fantastic.  I took my glass of wine and sat outside around their outdoor fire pit, to enjoyed the close of the day.  I just happened to look up……Cheers!  LD

Olympic Peninsula Wine and Cheese Tour April 15^th. 

We loaded up the SUV, 6 women and 1 guy as our driver…..here starts our adventure.  I love going out to see the wineries in the Olympic Peninsula.  The drive is beautiful and the wine makers are so personable, friendly and down to earth. 

We started our day at Fairwinds, they gave us a tasting of their Gewurztraminer 2009.  I usually don’t go for the sweet stuff, but this was so light more on the dry side.   I purchased their  2002 Merlot and the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Cab/Merlot, these had such beautiful smooth flavor that I can’t wait to open them and pair them up with some delicious food (will tell you later how that turns out).  

Camaraderie Winery is a great place to stop if you are on Hwy 101; they have a peaceful surrounding with some wonderful eclectic outdoor conversation areas.  I purchased their 2009 Malbec (I am a sucker for a great Malbec) this scored 90 in "The Wine Enthusiast"….yummy!

Continuing along Hwy 101 is Harbinger Winery. They served us some awesome mac and cheese and french onion soup to pair with the wine, talk about comfort.  I have many favorites at Harbinger but the one I keep going back for more is their Dynamo Red.  This is a great drinking wine for anyone just starting out on their wine adventure and don’t want to start with the stinky stuff, it is a beautiful blend.

Looking forward to opening the bottles and sharing with you later….Denise

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