Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Remember my post:  Words for wine? Yep . Back in August,   I entered a haiku contest at a local (and favorite) vintner and I won. So, while the boys were out of town this week for Fall Break with my parents, Jake and I headed to  Will's Fargo Restaurant   - with my gift certificate* in hand -   for some appetizers and a bottle of Jarman Pinot Noir. Jarman Wines  is a tribute to Jarman Lowder who died nearly 5 years ago after a battle with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She was only 60 years old. To honor her memory - and love of good wine - the Lowder family has created two varietals from their estate grapes. And they have partnered with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and committed a portion of inventory and a percentage of sales towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Having watched my own grandmother's life deteriorate from Alzheimer's, that makes this wine even more special! The 2013 Jarman Pinot Noir has a ...

I entered a haiku contest at a local (and favorite) vintner earlier in the month. And I just found out that I won. Sweet! In honor of National Pinot Noir Day which is today - August 18th - Jarman Tasting Lounge and Patio in Carmel Valley hosted a contest. They wrote: Share a special haiku about your love of Pinot Noir and you can receive special appetizers provided by Will's Fargo Restaurant   and a bottle of Jarman Pinot Noir.   I won, I won. I'm so excited. Inspired by a tour of the vineyards and the unusual 828 clone whose grap clusters point up, I wrote this... Upright 828 Green orbs turn to inky black Cannot wait to try

Last month, the family behind  Holman Ranch   opened up their doors and invited bloggers from all over to visit and learn about the family empire. From the ranch (event venue extraordinaire) to the Holman Ranch Vineyards Tasting Room to their newest acquisitions - the Jarman Tasting Room and Will's Fargo Restaurant - owners Hunter Lowder and Nick Elliott were the consummate hosts. I joined up with the crew that included some blogging pals - Susan of The Wimpy Vegetarian and Marlene of Nosh My Way - for wine tasting and dinner. Though I have participated in online events with these gals throughout the years, we've never met in person. So it was a treat to put a face with the name. Earlier in the day, they had toured the ranch and tasted wines at the Holman Tasting Room. This was my first time at the Jarman Tasting Room (ever!) and Will's Fargo Restaurant (in probably two decades!). Jarman Wines  is a tribute to Jarman Lowder who died nearly 5 years ag...