Wine-tasting dinner
We went to the monthly wine-tasting dinner at the local Indian casino tonight. The food was delicious as usual. The chef is Italian and really loves food. He told the story of how Catherine de Medici took her own Italian cooks with her to France and they introduced good cooking to the French.
The menu:
When we arrived the only table that had enough seats left for us had a sweater throw over one of the chairs. We sat down and an old man (I figured he was in his 80s) dressed in old jeans sat down beside us and introduced himself as the owner of the winery. Soon his wife joined us. She was also in her 80s but still stunningly beautiful.
The husband didn't talk very much but the wife did. Of course I'm really nosy and had to know all about them. She told us that her mother had been in vaudeville so I piped up and said: "You must have gotten your good looks from her."
"No," she said; "I actually look more like my father."
Her first husband had been a diplomat and they had been stationed in Brazil in the 60s. She told us quite a few tales about Brazil. She's also a cook so we talked a lot about food - and wine - and growing stuff.
Her current husband had been an electrical engineer and she had been a school-teacher when they first met. Twenty years ago they retired, bought some land in Oregon and planted pinot noir and pinot gris long before those varietals had become such fashionable grapes to make into wine in the USA.
She had been raised on a 1,000 acre ranch in northern Idaho and had always wanted to return to the land. We were stunned at how much physical labor they both still do growing their grapes. I guess it what keeps them so young. We learned a lot from them about growing grapes (and other fruits and vegetables) in our climate and clay soil.
After dinner I asked them if they had any wine left to buy. They had a half case each of the pinot gris and white blend and a case of the pinot noir. So we bought $500 worth of their wonderful wines. We parted with an invitation to the winery and will definitely keep in touch. I felt like I'd known them all my life.
Oh, when the venison course arrived, she told us about the first time she shot a deer on their land. She hadn't used a 30-06 rifle since her childhood in Idaho but she was determined to kill this particular doe that ate their grape-vines. She knew that she always pulled to the left so she aimed for the belly and got it in the head. "It was delicious," she concluded with her beautiful smile.
After dinner we stayed and chatted some more and she started telling us about their trips all over the world. "I hate planning," she said; "I prefer to do everything spontaneously."
That's when I said to her: "Well, I'm glad I didn't marry you. That would drive me nuts. I have to plan down to the second."
"Yes, I can tell that," she said.
"And I can tell that you've come a long way from that ranch in Idaho," I said.
I love hearing peoples' stories - especially the adventurers who have come West.
The menu:
Escargot en Toscan (snails baked in tiny baguettes with a creamy pesto) served with a chardonnay.And the wine was superb but I'm not going to mention the name of the winery because I want to talk about the winery owners and I'm not sure if they'd like that.
Oregon coast seafood cocktail (local shrimp and dungeness crab topped with Australian lobster tail in a chantilly) served with a pinot gris.
Venison scalloppini with chanterelle, porcini and portabella mushroom ragout served with a pinot noir.
White chocolate and orange crème brulée served with a white blend of pinot gris, gewurztraminer and muscat grapes.
When we arrived the only table that had enough seats left for us had a sweater throw over one of the chairs. We sat down and an old man (I figured he was in his 80s) dressed in old jeans sat down beside us and introduced himself as the owner of the winery. Soon his wife joined us. She was also in her 80s but still stunningly beautiful.
The husband didn't talk very much but the wife did. Of course I'm really nosy and had to know all about them. She told us that her mother had been in vaudeville so I piped up and said: "You must have gotten your good looks from her."
"No," she said; "I actually look more like my father."
Her first husband had been a diplomat and they had been stationed in Brazil in the 60s. She told us quite a few tales about Brazil. She's also a cook so we talked a lot about food - and wine - and growing stuff.
Her current husband had been an electrical engineer and she had been a school-teacher when they first met. Twenty years ago they retired, bought some land in Oregon and planted pinot noir and pinot gris long before those varietals had become such fashionable grapes to make into wine in the USA.
She had been raised on a 1,000 acre ranch in northern Idaho and had always wanted to return to the land. We were stunned at how much physical labor they both still do growing their grapes. I guess it what keeps them so young. We learned a lot from them about growing grapes (and other fruits and vegetables) in our climate and clay soil.
After dinner I asked them if they had any wine left to buy. They had a half case each of the pinot gris and white blend and a case of the pinot noir. So we bought $500 worth of their wonderful wines. We parted with an invitation to the winery and will definitely keep in touch. I felt like I'd known them all my life.
Oh, when the venison course arrived, she told us about the first time she shot a deer on their land. She hadn't used a 30-06 rifle since her childhood in Idaho but she was determined to kill this particular doe that ate their grape-vines. She knew that she always pulled to the left so she aimed for the belly and got it in the head. "It was delicious," she concluded with her beautiful smile.
After dinner we stayed and chatted some more and she started telling us about their trips all over the world. "I hate planning," she said; "I prefer to do everything spontaneously."
That's when I said to her: "Well, I'm glad I didn't marry you. That would drive me nuts. I have to plan down to the second."
"Yes, I can tell that," she said.
"And I can tell that you've come a long way from that ranch in Idaho," I said.
I love hearing peoples' stories - especially the adventurers who have come West.
posted by Joubert at 9:35 PM
The Alliance
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home