Food – Page 3 – Wine"ing" at the Bend

California Wine Trip – June 17-24, 2017

To begin my recap of my vacation and wine study, I will inform you, the reader, that I took extensive notes on the wine part of the vacation and lost them all to a mishap with melting ice and non-waterproof ink. My apologies that the notes on my wine tastings are written based on memory – 7 wineries in two days.

So that I don’t tire my readers I have broken my travels into four parts:

Los Angeles and San Francisco
Wine and Dine
Sonoma
Napa Valley, Central Coast, Los Angeles and Home

I hope that my notes and photos capture the essence of the trip.

Unfortunately, I also lost my cell phone at the theme park on the last day of the trip. Thankfully I was able to recover the photos.

I hope these blogs are an entertaining and educating read and if you have any questions about the regions and sub regions I visited, the wineries, or wines or any other part of my trip, feel free to ask me at the clubhouse as I would love to re-live the experience!

Oh, and how could I forget? These were all the wines I purchased, only three made it home, and all of those have been drunk with friends over wonderful pairing meals.

Hidden Bench – a Niagara Jewel

Fall Wine Tasting

We were at Hidden Bench September 16 to be introduced to the Fall offering for the wine clubs. Nine wines were poured.

Harald Thiel (owner), Jay Johnston (winemaker), Marlise Beyers (previous winemaker) and Meg McGrath (retail manager) walked us through the tasting.

2012 Natur – Zero Dosage $45 paired with Niagara Gold Gougerés

2016 Estate Riesling $24.75 paired with Rodney’s East Coast Oyster with a Riesling and Shallot Mignionette

2016 Locust Lane Viognier $32 paired with Guernsey Girl and Sourdough Tartine with a Niagara peach and pepper compote

2014 Felseck Vineyard Chardonnay $39 paired with UCCC Ricotta Gnudi Ammendine

2013 Tête de Cuvée paired with Creamy Mushroom and Hidden Bench Chicken Pie

2015 Nuit Blanche $40 paired with smoked mackerel on a home-made salt and pepper cracker and remoulade

2015 Estate Pinot Noir $30.75 paired with Ontario duck tartare with pinot noir and blackberry reduction

2014 Locust Lane Pinot Noir $48 paired with grilled rib-eye steak cap with outrageously complex jus

2016 Select Late Harvest Gewurztraminer $30 paired with thyme infused Hidden Bench raw honey

The pairings for the wines were perfect – beautifully prepared and presented.

Charcuterie on the Patio

The week before the tasting we stopped in on our way back from Buffalo and ordered the Charcuterie Board – perfect for two. A glass of Estate Chardonnay and a glass of Locust Lane Rosé overlooking the Locust Lane vineyard.