Northwest Cork & Fork

Spanish was the theme for this year's wine dinner.  We love to eat tapas and have developed a love for Spanish food.  So, this year we decided to tackle this cuisine.  I think we succeeded.

As always we start our guests off with bubbles.  We went with a Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava. Light and  dry, it was a perfect start to our evening.

Cold Tapas

• Tuna belly on toast with capers and preserved lemon
• Anchovy and piquillo pepper suffed green olives
• Iberico jamon (ham)

Wine pairings: 2010 Fillaboa Albarino, 2010 Dusted Valley Ramblin Rose.

Goat cheese croquettes

Had my first taste of "Cristal"

I mean, are you really ready?  Are you ready for a weekend filled with extraordinary culinary delights, celebrities of the food world, and live cooking challenges?  All of this along with award winning wines from not only Washington, but California and Italy?  If you are then make sure you are in attendance at the Taste of Tulalip November 11th & 12th.

The weekend kicks off with a tasting reception, celebration dinner and VIP afterparty at the Oasis pool on Friday night. Saturday includes a seminar and demo with celebrity chef Carla Hall, a Private Magnum Tasting hosted by star chef Cathy Kasey and Tulalip Resort sommelier Tommy Thompson and then capped off with the Grand Taste from 2:30-6:30.

Chef Nikol Nakamura making Nitrogen Ice Cream!

The preview tweet up I attended last week offered a sampling of what to expect at the event.  Believe me, the Tulalip Resort has spared no expense.  At the preview, sommelier Tommy Thompson poured some exclusive wines including 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne, 2008 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet Burgundy, 2006 Leonetti Reserve Red Blend and ZD Abacus Cabernet Sauvignon XII.  I was also able to taste a some tidbits of the amazing food that will be at this event.  I am constantly blown away by the culinary talent of the chefs at the Tulalip Resort.  Get your tickets now so that you can share in this food and wine extravaganza!

Wineglass Cellars was founded in 1994 by David & Linda Lowe, with their first release in May of 1995.  Their philosophy of wine making is hands on, keeping production low and quality high.  Their production is 2200 cases a year.  Because of this, they are able to take advantage of smaller parcels of grapes available from some of Washington's premier vineyards, including Red Willow.  I am a huge fan of Wineglass and have been since I first got into wine. Since the late 90s, I have visited them at least a half dozen times and every single time I am blown away by the quality of their wines.

Back in March, we stopped by Wineglass on our way to Walla Walla.  At that time, they were bottling a yet to be named Syrah/Grenache blend.  On our way east this past weekend, I was eager to stop by and see what came about of this wine.  Enter Two Friends, 50% Syrah 50% Grenache blend.  With the perfect balance of fruitiness from the Syrah and the earthy acidity of the Grenache, this wine is drinking so well right now. It isn't being released until October, so definitely keep this one on your radar.

The next time you are on your way to Red Mountain or Walla Walla, I urge you to bail off of I-82 in Zillah, make your way through the dusty farm roads, and stop by Wineglass Cellars.  Sample some amazing wines, talk to some great down to earth people and take it all in.

The 24th annual Auction of Washington Wines Picnic and Barrel Auction (#AWW11) has come and gone.  I stand by my opinion that this is one of the best events of the year for Washington wine.  More importantly, this year the entire 3 day event raised 1.5 million dollars for Seattle Children's uncompensated care program.

Rebecca Gunselman of  Robert Karl Cellars

With the temperature in the mid 70s, I seemed to gravitate towards the white and roses.  Rebecca Gunselman from Robert Karl Cellars offered me a wonderful, crisp Sauv Blanc that was a welcome respite from the heat of the day.
I also loved the big selection of Roses to choose from. Some of my favorites from that table were the Dusted Valley Ramblin Rose and the Kaella Winery Rose of Sangiovese.

This is not to say that I did not sample any reds.  I especially enjoyed chatting with Erica Blue from Adams Bench and tasting their fabulous Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon.

White Chocolate Cremeux & Passion Fruit Gelee Golden Eggs

Once again the Tulalip Resort and Casino wowed us with their culinary creations.  They really outdid themselves with dessert this year setting up the "Adult Sugar Ride", which was in a separate dessert tent.  This Willy Wonka-esque escape included homemade supersized Oreos, edible wallpaper, and three huge chocolate fountains.

I thoroughly enjoyed this year's picnic.  I highly encourage both wine and food lovers alike to put this event on your radar next year.  Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Auction of Washington Wines, so you know it will be special and not to be missed!

Arugula Anyone?

So, I have a bit of a problem. Summer his finally come in the Pacific Northwest and unbeknownst to a lot of people we deal with quite a bit of humidity on the west side of Washington State. So the mild temps combined with higher humidity mean that we can grown a pretty mean garden here.  The balance is trying to stagger your plantings so that you are not inundated with a lot of one crop at once.  That's something that apparently I still need to work on, because I have an abundance of lettuce and greens.

In my pondering what to make for dinner, which will include of course mixed greens, my mind always wanders to the the question "What do I want to drink with my dinner?"  Due to the warm weather, I rule out a heavy red wine.  Now I am racking my mental inventory of white wines.  And then there is the fact that I don't just want salad for dinner.  I open the fridge and what is staring back at me?  I nice chilled bottle of Domaine Ste Michelle Brut sparkling wine.  Hmmmm, but it's a Monday, and it's not a special occasion!  Gasp! Do I dare? Absolutely!  There are no rules, pop that cork.  So I did. Then I grabbed the eggs, half n half, some onion, and bacon and whipped up quick frittata (it sounds a lot fancier than it is). Eggs are a sure bet when I comes to sparkling wine, think of mimosas with brunch.
So the next time you are you are holding the bottle of sparkling wine for a special occasion....Don't! Pop that cork!