Since moving to New York I like to say that seven years in San Francisco made me a wine snob. Wine Country is certainly one of the things I miss the most about the Bay Area. While Napa is the most well known wine destination in California, there are actually SEVERAL wine regions! One I recently discovered is the Livermore Valley. In fact, I was invited to participate in Livermore Valley Wine Country’s annual Taste Our Terroir festival, and as luck would have it, it coincided with my plans to be out in the Bay Area.
Art of the Flambé
The first event my friend Sarah-Doe and I went to to was this cooking demonstration at Page Mill Winery. To be honest, I was paying more attention to everything else besides the actual cooking tips. I’m getting better in the kitchen, but I’m far from even attempting a flambé. One piece of knowledge I did glean is that when you’re cooking with garlic, rub the raw garlic around the edges of the mixing bowl to help everything soak up the garlicky flavor. In so many ways it was just an ideal evening. I spent the evening in a beautiful setting with one of my besties, we met interesting people at our table (including a woman who had given birth the week prior!), and we were entertained by a husband & wife couple who put on as much a show as they did a good dinner.
Rosé Tasting
This event, at Danté Robere Vinyard, was perfect for me because I’m quite a recent convert to rosé. This is the first summer in New York that I’ve been able to relax with job security and no school pressures. Naturally, this is when I discovered that my favorite oaky buttery Chardonnays, no matter how chilled, feel too heavy in oppressive heat. Red wine is obviously out of the question. That’s where rosé comes in! A good rosé is crisp, refreshing and flavorful. I used to think that rosés where just reds or whites that needed to pick a lane, but they’re as complex and varied as any other varietal or blend. Plus, I learned that blending grapes and grape skins in order to get the desired shade of pink is a whole other level of winemaking. Sarah-Doe noted that winemaking is a special blend of agriculture and art.
She and I are pictured above with the “Dan” of Danté and Robere. It was great to meet one half of the dynamic duo behind the winery. It turns out their names are Dan and Robert, but as Dan put it, those sound like names you would put on a brewery, so they went with Danté and Robere instead!
Wente Tasting Room
When I mentioned to my friend Julie that I’d be visiting the Livermore Valley Wine Country, she spoke very highly of the Wente Vineyard Chardonnay. They had one that was supremely oaky and buttery. I was not disappointed! Second only to the top-notch wine, another highlight of the Wente excursion was their summer concert schedule. On August 31st they’re hosting Collective Soul – a band at the center of hilarious college adventure that Sarah-Doe and I shared.
Taste Our Terroir was the best possible way to kick off my 10-day #goldenstategallivant adventure. Many, many, many thanks to Tami Kelly with the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, and Visit Tri-Valley for making such an amazing weekend possible. I can’t wait to come back!
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