Ferrari, likely the finest and most expensive car in the world, met TASTE OF WINE recently at the Bridges Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe and one of my great wishes in life was granted. I experienced the new “California T,” zipping around the Tuscan-style hills like it was a Formula One racetrack. It was indeed a “peak experience. “ Next time I’ll remember my checkbook.
Wine royalty came to Coronado a few weeks ago when Il Fornaio’s General Manager lit up the island by bringing in Cakebread Cellars of Napa Valley for a wine dinner that packed the restaurant. Luca Allieri has ramped up Il Fornaio’s
dinner events and called in some name wineries , many from Napa Valley ’s finest, to present the wine side of the occasion. The Cakebread distributor, Alex Daniels, put together five great wines to mate up with Executive Chef Giorgio Loverde and that night’s family-style recipes. Daniels chose Cakebread’s new vintage 2011 Cabernet to enhance the chef’s roasted veal loin with linger-berry sauce, a house favorite. The hosts for the Il Fornaio/Cakebread wine dinner were: Reza Mahallaty Asst. GM, Alex Daniels of Cakebread and Luca Allieri GM.
Another popular Cakebread favorite was the Chardonnay from Napa Valley ’s Carneros District ($36.50), from the class of 2012 that received the highest marks in a decade. “Carneros is the coolest part of the valley with lots of fog,” Daniels pointed out.
Carneros is one of 9 vineyards now owned by Cakebread including the respected Howell Mountain “Dancing Bear Ranch.” Here they make the sought-after Reserve Cabernet. This is classic Bordeaux with backbone and an earthy spice and pepper.($61.50) Rich and smooth on the palate, with integrated tannins and balanced acidity. Maybe you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but with Cakebread, you can have it all. Visit at cakebread.com.
Temecula’s CRUSH Brings Out the Syrahs and Sangioveses
In my rounds of events and meet-and-greets, the wine conversation almost always touches on Temecula, its wineries and wines. Last weekend the Wine Growers Association got all of its members together at Wiens Family Cellars for what they call CRUSH, a guest walk-around tasting that also featured supreme cuisine sampling and live music. Good timing because September is California Wine Month. This year, I tasted far more Syrahs and Sangioveses than I ever have before
in an event like this. This answers the most asked question about Temecula and its 30 + wineries, what wines do best in this growing Southern California wine country that sits in the middle of a population of millions in five counties?
Syrah is the varietal from the Rhone Valley in Southeast France and is a bold, spicy red that loves warm inland areas.
Sangiovese hails from Tuscany and is a smooth red wine with balanced acidity and earthy minerality. It thrives in the warm hill country of mid-Italy that looks remarkably similar to Temecula’s hill country. South Coast Winery has long advocated Sangiovese. Through the skills of Master Winemaker Jon McPherson and Winemaker Javier Flores, who have been together since South Coast began in 2003, Sangiovese has flourished. It is a marquee wine at Robert Renzoni, Mt. Palomar , Danza Del Sol and Cougar. Syrah was a feature pour at Callaway, Chapin, Europa Village , Falkner, Footpath, Frangipani, Hart, Lorenzi, Lorimar, Miramonte, Ponte and Thornton.
The next major event in Temecula Wine Country is the Harvest Celebration November 1 and 2. For tickets, visit temeculawines.org or call 800-801-WINE.
Wine Bytes
Europa Village in Temecula Wine Country has its Oktoberfest on Fri. Oct. 3 from 6 to 10pm. Beer, wine, games, food, music and more. Admission $15. including a logo glass. ( food and beverages sold separately) Call 951-216-3380, or go to europavillage.com.
Lobsterfest is coming to Meritage Wine Market Sat. Oct. 4 from 5:30 to 9:30pm. $100. pp. Call 760-479-2500. for a feast of steamed lobster with all the fixins. Wines are by Amitie.
The annual Del Mar Taste & Art Stroll comes to Del Mar Village Sun. Oct. 5. Guests view original artwork and sample food delights. Craft beer and wine tastes takes place 10am to 5pm. with tasting
from 12 to 3pm. Live music included. Tickets are $25. in advance, $30. the day of the event with $10. for sip stops. Details at taste.delmarmainstreet.com.
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