Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Last week I had the opportunity to meet up with Lori of Dracaena Wines and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm in Paso Robles. Nothing like six gears and a sundress to play hookey from work and meet up with some blogging friends in real life.  I have been lucky enough to meet up with Wendy in her previous visits to California. But it was a first to meet Lori. I've long been acquainted with her wines, especially as she's helmed #CabFrancDay for one of our wine groups in previous years. Back in 2016, I posted Apple-Braised Duck Legs + Dracaena's Cab Franc  for that event; and I shared  Steak au Poivre et Thé with their 2013 vintage. But it was a special treat to have Lori do a tasting for us at her vineyard and at the crush pad. At the vineyard we walked along the edge of her vines in the Plummer Vineyard. She showed us the two Cabernet Franc clones that comprised their regular Cabernet Franc. Then, pointing in the distance, we saw where the ...

Last month I took part in a virtual dinner party and read The Lost Family  by Jenna Blum . And, as always, when I really enjoy an author's work, I jump in grab as many of their books as I can. In this case, I picked up the two that I could find and dug into The Stormchasers*  immediately. On the Page The Stormchasers was a very quick read; I think I read it in just two sittings. The story centers on fraternal twins Karena and Charles who haven't seen each other in twenty years when a tragedy drives a wedge between them just after their eighteenth birthday. Fast forward two decades and Karena receives a phone call from a hospital that her brother is there. Charles is a storm chaser (think Twister !) who follows tornadoes and relates them to the storms in his head; he has bipolar disorder. So, she drops everything and rushes to the hospital, not knowing what she'll find. By the time she arrives, he has checked himself out. So, Karena, a seasoned reporter, j...

On the weekend between Jake's birthday and my birthday, we grabbed the boys, headed up to the East Bay, and crammed in a quick (just 24-hour) family celebration. I scheduled a few things, but two were musts: one was finally getting to the Donkey & Goat tasting room and another was brunch at Wat Mongkolratanaram, the Thai Buddhist temple in Berkeley. More on that adventure soon. In any case, I emailed back and forth with Jared, thinking that I would finally get to meet the winemaker whose esoteric wines make it on my table at least a couple of times per year. Remember my Tasty Murder Dinner ? Or when I paired their 2013 Meandering with my parsnip dessert for The Feast Nearby ?? I'm a huge fan of their winemaking style...as you can tell. But, our meeting was not to be. However, he did arrange for me to take home a special bottle and assured me that kids were absolutely allowed at the tasting room. Sweet. In the Tasting Room... Erin took good care of...

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...

I love discovering new-to-me wines. And I especially love when there's a story behind the wines. My family and I went to a fantastic event this weekend: Feathers in Flight, a benefit for the Ventana Wildlife Society . Besides their director being a friend, my boys attended a condor camp, through VWS, this summer and really love condors now. The boys were able to handle a falcon...   We watched a falconer in action... And I got to try some 10 Span Vineyards' wines. Click to go to: 10 Span's website . But, here's the gist.... A portion of 10 SPAN wine sales benefits the  Ventana Wildlife Society . VWS is an organization dedicated to reintroducing this endangered, majestic bird, back into its native habitat in central California. Gotta love that. Wine with a cause! In the Glass... I tasted both the Pinot Gris and the Pinot Noir, but went for a glass of the red! Fruity with a little bit of a spicy kick, this Pinot Noir was delightful. There was...

After our  ATV tour of the vineyard , Colleen whisked us into a private room for a wine tasting. Before yesterday, I think I'd only been to Hahn twice before. Once was for a wreath-making event when I was pregnant with Riley, so I didn't try the wine. And about 5 years after that - and 5 years ago - we stopped there during the River Road Valentine's Passport event. So, I would say that I'm fairly unfamiliar with the Hahn wines. We told Colleen that we were typically red wine drinkers. But she wanted us to try a pair of their whites: the 2012 Pinot Gris and the 2011 Viognier. I'm glad she didn't listen to us; we really enjoyed both of those wines. The Pinot Gris was surprising. It was colored like hay and crystal clear. It reminded me of Fall fruits - Asian pears and green apples. And unlike other Pinot Gris, this one was rich and velvety. I envisioned sipping this with a Roasted Lobster or Olive Oil-Poached Salmon . The Viognier is one of the mo...

What do you do when you're kid-free for a few hours? Well, when the Nonni said that they would take the boys for the afternoon - to a local theatre production - I figured lunch and wine-tasting would be fun. So glad that we did. Great date...great wines. There is a tasting room near Cannery Row that I've been eyeing for awhile: Pierce Ranch Vineyards . A small, family-owned operation centered in southern Monterey County's San Antonio Valley appellation, they produce limited-run, estate-grown wines with an emphasis on Spanish and Portuguese varieties. And their tasting room, surrounded by fragrant hedges of jasmine, salvia, and Cecil Bruner roses, is adorable! And, did I mention the wines?!? We started with their 2011 Arinto. Light and citrusy. When we got home, I did some reading about Arinto since I was wholly unfamiliar with that grape. Beloved in Portugal, winemakers use Arinto mostly as a blending grape; but in the northern region of the Minho, Arinto shines as a...