An Evening on the Mediterranean Coast

Last week the Stay at Home Winos had the pleasure of doing what we love--sharing our love of wine by teaching a wine class.  Ellen and Tim Moore, owners of Fezziwig's Tea & Gourmet Market in Lebanon, Illinois invited us to teach "An Evening on the Mediterranean Coast" Wine Education Event.  The wines served were from various countries along the Mediterranean Sea which included France, Spain, Italy and topped off with a surprise tasting from Greece.

Photo by Jackie Wind Clinton

 

The evening began by greeting our students with Sangria made with  Rosatella Rosé using the Gourmet duVillage Wine Country Sangria mix and complemented with guacamole dip from Fischer & Wieser guacamole starter.

The table is set!
 Photo by Jackie Wind Clinton

Once everyone was seated in the Culinary Experience Room, class began with a welcome and introduction. We began with a 2012 Sauvion Vouvray Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley.  Walking everyone through the steps of tasting, we began with looking at the color--was it clear?  Light? Yellow or gold or did it have a green tint?  Everyone had enjoyed coming up with fun descriptions of the wines.  Next, we moved on to the "nose" of the wine, teaching them how to swirl their glasses to release the aromas and to let them really sink their nose into the glass to savor all the wine's flavor.  Was it fruity, citric, floral, grassy?  All kinds of ideas popped in their heads and it was fun hearing the results! Swirl again and take another sniff.  Did you pick up something different?  Swirling takes practice but you get the hang of it fast.

Of course what we have all been waiting for, now to taste!  Was the taste similar to the nose?  Was is citric, acidic, floral, buttery?  Did it linger on the palette?  We walked them through many possibilities and let them come up with flavors they tasted.  There are no wrong answers because everyone has their own unique "bank" of flavors. And this wine was a hit!








Once we completed the first wine, we continued on with the same format of color, aroma, and taste venturing next to Italy. The 2012 Chloe Pinot Grigio named after the ancient word meaning "blooming" has it's grapes sourced from Italy but produced in Northern California.

Off to Spain!  Our final white wine of the evening was Campo Lindo Blanco from Bodegas Ramon Roqueta Winery located in the Catalunya DOC made with the Macabeo and Chardonnay grapes.







Back in France, we changed over to a Rosé

of mainly Grenache, with Cinsault and Syrah and is located on old fluvioglacial terraces on the right bank of the Rhône Valley.

Our first red of the evening was a 2012 Bon Marche Red Blend.  This wine, although made in the French style, is actually from Bueller Vineyards located east of St Helena, California in Napa Valley.  This blend consists of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec and was aged in French and American oak barrels.  Very much a favorite of the evening.







And finally back to Spain to enjoy one of Orin Swift's Location wines "E".  Again, a delicious blend of
Grenache/Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Carignan/Cariñena. It is super concentrated fruit from old vines with low yields that are accented with a judicious oak program for a balanced and distinctive wine.

Along with the wines, some nibbles paired with them were the Fischer & Wieser Peach Salsa and a simple humus with Fezziwig's own Lemon Infused EVOO served with tortilla and pita chips.

Rounding out the evening was a tasting of two Greek wines.  Fezziwig's doesn't usually carry Greek wines so one of their distributors brought these in especially for the evening.  The white wine was a 2012 Moschofilero Boutari from the Mantinia grape which was citric and similar to Sauvignon Blanc. The red wine was Kretikos Boutari  which was a blend of two grapes: 60% Kotsifali and 40% Mandilaria.  This one was earthy and had soft tannins.  They were both a treat to enjoy!

With all the laughter and fun conversation, we feel the night was a huge success!  Many students walked away with new knowledge of wine tasting and are ready to sign up for the next class.

Cheers!
Lisa

P.S. Thank you Jackie Clinton for providing photos from the evening. Check out this talented lady's blog at www.wind-inspired.com .

Pork, Pinot Noir & Port Night

The Wine Line Up

     Last Friday evening I joined my fellow wino, Lisa, along with my husband Mike and friends Jackie and Phil in attending a fabulous wine pairing dinner entitled "Pork, Pinot Noir & Port Night" at Fezziwig's Marketplace in Lebanon, IL.  I must say the food and wine delighted all of our senses.

Gorgeous table ready for the diners

     Our evening began with a lovely appetizer of Brie cheese and  pomegranate-jalapeno compote on top of a crostini. This delightful treat was enjoyed with the first two Pinot Noirs of the evening, Mossback Pinot Noir from the Central Coast  and Brassfield High Valley Appellation Pinot Noir. Both wines paired wonderfully with our appetizer, and also highlighted how different appellations and terroir affect the Pinot Noir. The Mossback, from the Central Coast of California, was an earthy Pinot Noir with the distinctive cherry flavors of the Pinot grape. This wine has a touch of Syrah and Tannat blended with it that added to the spiciness of the finish. The Brassfield Pinot was an elegant, estate grown Pinot from a mixture of Dijon and Pommard Clones. A nicely balanced wine, with black cherry and an earthiness of a forest floor.

     After having our fill of our first course, we were invited into the newly renovated Culinary Experience Room. This room is separated from the store by French doors and houses wine pairing events, cooking demonstrations, and other culinary events. The setting is beautiful! Once we were all settled in we were ready for our second course-Wild Rice and Sherried Mushroom soup. All I can say about the soup is it is fantastic! The earthy mushrooms in this soup paired perfectly with both the Brassfield and Mossback Pinot Noirs. 

Fezziwig's own Wild Rice & Sherried Mushroom Soup

Stopped just short of licking this bowl clean!

       Now we were ready for the main course and our next two wines, Fess Parker Sta. Rita Hills 2010 Pinot Noir and Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands 2011 Pinot Noir. The Fess Parker had lovely black cherry and raspberry on the nose with a hint of vanilla. Medium bodied with a lovely spiciness. The Hahn was a little lighter bodied, a bit tarter than the Fess with brighter fruit on the nose and palate and a nice finish. Both wines paired very nicely with the pork tenderloin, truffle potatoes, and hericot verts (sautéed in bacon infused olive oil-delish-sold at Fezziwig's). After sampling these two wines, I have to say my favorite Pinot of the evening was the Hahn, with Fess Parker a close second!

     
      At this point I was feeling fat and happy, but the evening wasn't over just yet! Dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Caramel Sauce served with RL Buller and Sons Fine Tawny. Let's just say it was a perfectly rich, decadent way to finish a wonderful meal.

RL Buller Fine Tawny

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

     Fun was had by all this evening. The meal, prepared by Ellen Leaf-Moore and Julia Jensen was such a treat. As always, Tim entertained us with his knowledge of wine and witty conversation. If you enjoy wine, good company, and wonderful food, I suggest you make it a point to attend an upcoming wine pairing dinner at Fezziwig's. Check out all their upcoming events at www.fezziwigsmarket.com. Also, I want to thank Jackie for sharing some of her wonderful photos for this blog. Check out this talented lady at www.wind-inspired.com. 

Cheers,

Beth