We had a great turn-out for our 2010 Barrel Tasting. It was a beautiful day, sunny and breezy. The 2008 vintage was introduced to our friends, family and friends of friends. We felt so blessed that our friends, cousins and some neighbors were able to join us in our celebration of another great vintage which we were very proud to introduce to the world. As you know, up to this point, we do all this for the love of the wines. We were gratified that our labor of love was enjoyed and appreciated by a few of those who matter to us. Thanks again to all of you who came and spent a beautiful afternoon with us and showed us your love and support for our wines. We love y’all!
Everyone was first greeted with a Greek white sangria. I decorated and infused it with raspberries and white peaches that were soaked in brandy for several days. The beautiful sangria tasted just as good as it looked.
As I was in charge of the wine food pairings, I was relieved when I was told how much people enjoyed each dish that I had selected for each wine. The BBQ pork marinated in our port wine was tender, delectable and full of flavors. It was great with our 2008 Zinfandel and Merlot. It brought out the spiciness of the Zinfandel and the berry fruit flavor of the Merlot. The tri-tip beef marinated in our merlot wine and roasted until tender was juicy and a perfect companion for our 2008 Mourvedre and Cabernet Sauvignon.
I wanted to make sure no one drank on an empty stomach. So I had a spread of delectable appetizers and salads that were specifically selected and prepared to compliment our 2008 wines. I especially enjoyed the smoked salmon slices and feta cheese spread which were so good together, especially with a sip of our 2008 Zinfandel. The saltiness of the smoked salmon brought out the peppery spiciness and berry flavor from the wine. I also savored a little spread of the smoked salmon cheese ball on toast while sipping our 2008 Merlot. The antipasto platter was a perfect pairing for our red wines. It had all of the ingredients for a wine and cheese love fest. The wheat berries salad was a meal by itself for those who wanted to stay with a vegetarian diet. Yes, I know I overdid again in the food department. Oh well, it’d always be better to have too much food than not enough.
I told everyone to save some room for the desserts which were specifically selected to pair with our Port-style wine and White zinfandel. The homemade lemon custard dessert with fresh strawberries was a big hit. Our famous homemade brownies with port wine were yummy. For those who had to watch their weight (who doesn’t?), the big bowl of fresh fruits gave us an illusion that we were “good” (after stuffing ourselves all afternoon with other delectable dishes).
We all had a great time. Salute!
