Best.night.ever.
A night of wine and food? Are you kidding me? The only thing that could ruin it for me is if the sponsors were Boone's Farm and MickeyD's. But they weren't. Wine Enthusiast Magazine was. And they know how to throw a party lemme tell ya.
First, I'm proud to say that I was NOT one of the falling down drunk girls. I saw some of them though, it wasn't pretty. They apparently forgot that you don't have to drink all of what they give you.
Now that's not to say I didn't catch a buzz...because when you're drinking that many different varietals that quickly...whew...it catches up to you eventually.
The good...
KWV Chenin Blanc - at only $7 a bottle, this wine would be a great sipping wine or great with BBQ.
Banfi Vintners had a Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Aqui. Kind of a dessert wine with a little fizz...but close to a Sangria. Pop some lemons and limes in that bad boy and put it in a pitcher on ice. YUM.
From the Boisset America table - the Lulu B. 2004 Pinot Noir - a GREAT bottle and a steal for $10. Highly recommend this.
The bad...
ConchayToro - bleck; Gala Rouge Pinot Noir - double bleck; there were A LOT of them I thought were blecky - these took the cake.
The so-so...
Talus Collection 2004 California Pinot Noir
The surprising...Barboursville Vineyards out of Virginia - Their 2004 Reserve Viognier was out of the park. (The pinot grigio, notsomuch)
For Julie...
The Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Dulcet - it's a Cab/Syrah blend you would totally dig. I thought their Sauvignon Blanc at $12-$15 was a knock-out.
and... Nu Nar Cabernet Sauvignon...Kevin thought you would love this.
The GREAT...
Canaletto 2005 Pinot Grigio. $8-$9/bottle - BRILLIANT.
Moletto NV Prosecco
Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - $17-$22/bottle - absolutely stunning. Seriously. Went back to this table. Would make an excellent gift.
Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling - I will absolutely be looking for this around here. Kevin and I both really liked this. Not too sweet, a little dry for a Riesling. Probably why I enjoyed it so much.
Five Rivers Pinot Grigio - a sweeter pinot grigio than what I'm used to. Would appeal to more people, I think than some of the others I buy.
Green Point Victoria Shiraz - This was one of the first I tried. I tried everything on this table, and there were a lot. This is the only one that stood out.
The FOOD...
Vivere Italian Village Restaurants...Executive Chef Drue Kennedy - I love you. Call me. I haven't been so excited about beets...well...ever. Which I guess is a healthy thing. Baby beet salad with goat cheese mousse, watercress & lemon-thyme vinaigrette. I went back to this table twice..
Trattoria No. 10 - Executive Chef Doug D'Avico - my husband loves you. Call him. Squash Tacconelli with Blue Crab & Pineapple "Prosciutto". Or as my husband called it "The squash stuff with the crab and the cornflakes on top." Cornflakes? You think you at CORNFLAKES at the Wine Enthusiast magazine party. Oh my word.
The Stained Glass Wine Bar & Bistro - Butternut Sqash Pierogi - YUMMMMMM.
Timo - spit-roasted rabbit ragout with lavendar, bacon and vanilla - brilliant. (Jen, I think you ate here before you went to see Wicked, didn't you? The chef was a jerk but the food was good)
Le Colonial - Bo Bia - soft salad rolls of julienne carrots, jicama bean sprouts with sweet plum dipping sauce...it's a vietnamese restaurant. Would love to go and eat a full meal here.
And for those of you who are like "Seriously, Rebecca...get help. You wrote all of this down???" No sillies...I was drinking and eating too much to write too much of anything. They gave me a handy dandy...notebook! All I had to write down were prices and whether or not I liked it. BRILLIANT. AND we got to keep our glasses as a souvenir. AND we got a free copy of the magazine. AND I want Kevin to subscribe me to this for mother's day. Oh who am I kidding. I'm going to subscribe myself and say it's my mother's day present. hee.
This was a great evening. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Only bring a bunch of people - so we can all share our experiences. Kevin really enjoyed it, too. For those of you who can't believe I "made" Kevin go to something like this...there was a lot of "eye candy" for him, so don't you worry about it. Hot women drink wine. Seriously. Look at me. HA! Now that was funny.
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2 comments:
When I read through the first paragraph I thought it said WHITE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINE and I thought, "What are those crazy hoosiers up to now????" So glad that it was about WINE instead.
Phew.
Thought I tripped upon a wacko blog for a second.
Eileen - you're killing me. And you also make me very jealous. Because while I didn't see them well represented last night, Oregon has a special place in my heart when it comes to wine. King Estate is there...and a couple other wines I've tried and can't remember have been from Oregon. I don't know what they're doing to the grapes out there...but they're doing it right.
I raise a glass in your general direction.
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