Vines That Bind

Recently, my good friend Jenn told me that she and her friend Becca were putting together a monthly wine club (think book club without the homework) for her girlfriends. So of course I told her to count me in!

We had our first meeting yesterday and it was a really great night. The group is called Vines That Bind, and it meets the first Monday of every month. Everyone brings a bottle of wine and something to nibble on that is consistent with that month's theme (he hostess selects the theme). If you are interesting in attending- just let me know. It’s a casual group of girls who want to learn about wine, eat some yummy appetizers and generally have a good time.



First of all, thank you to Jenn and Becca for organizing this group. Our first meeting turned out to be an evening filled with funny stories, a variety of interesting wines and good food.

The theme of the night was “wine that evokes a memory.” This was a great way to get to know the other members of the group and learn a little more about each of them.



I brought a 2008 Domaine de la Mordorée Côtes du Rhône La Dame Rousse (Rhône, France).


I brought this because I began to really enjoy and care about wine during our 2007 trip to France. While I had previously visited vineyards and had a rudimentary knowledge of wine and wine making, it was this trip that really sealed the deal for me. Many people speak about their “ah-ha moment”- a special bottle or place that opened their eyes to appreciating wine, I guess this was mine.



David and I spent two amazing weeks enjoying the Rivera and Rhône. One of the biggest surprises (for me anyway) was rose wine. NOT to be confused with that other pink wine, Rose wines can be versatile, inexpensive and delicious.

In addition to my bottle, I really enjoyed one of the wines brought by another member of the grup, a 2005 ZD Wines Chardonnay (Napa Valley, California).


It was smooth, buttery and floral without too much oak. Totally my style, totally something I will drink again.



Although the theme of the night did not lend itself to comparing the characteristics of the wines, it did serve as a fantastic was to get to know the other girls in the group. As each member told their story about the memory associated with the bottle they brought, I got a chance to learn more about them.

The two hours flew by, and at the end of the evening, Jenn announced that our next gathering will be at her place in Woodley Park. The theme is going to be 'local wines' and I can’t wait!

חג שמח - Chag Sameyach

Happy Passover everyone!



Since the seders were right in the middle of the work week this year, we stayed local for Passover. We went to Fara and Hunter's home for the first night and hosted the second night at our place. David spent several days chopping, slicing, peeling, roasting, braising and sauteing his many sauces, soups and sides. His hard work paid off- everything was delicious (which is good because we will be eating the leftovers for the next several days)!


The chef hard at work.


My contribution to the evening- the Seder plate.

We were joined by my college friends Jenn, Brooke and Brian as well as my colleagues Michelle, Rosemary, Ross and his daughter Layla. While my seders will probably never be as complete or as traditional as the ones I grew up participating in, we did our best to replicate the traditions near and dear to our hearts. We lit candles, said blessings over cups of wine, told the story of the exodus, asked the four questions, discussed the four sons, remembered the plagues, sang Dayenu, Adir Hu and Chad Gadya, opened the door for Elijah and of course, concluded with L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim! (next year in Jerusalem)


candles



At their setting, everyone got a Haggadah, a plague mask and prop as well as a reminder of what we can (and cannot) eat on this holiday.




Our seder guests.

One thing I must mention about our thoughtful guests is that they brought some fantastic Kosher for Passover wines. Boy has this aspect of the holiday come a long way. Gone are the days of Manischewitz or nada. We didnt get to all of them, but last night we drank....


Noah Tevel Shiraz Cabernet: Grown in the Bet Shemesh Valley in the Judean Hills, this Shiraz-Cabernet is 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.

2003 Chateau Jaumard Bordeaux: This is from Salignac, just north of Libourne.

Golan Sion Creek Red '07: Grown in the Galilee, this is the most northern (and generally considered the best)appellation in Israel.


No Jewish holiday is complete without matzoh ball soup. David worked on this for days.

I'd also like to thank Brooke and Ross for bringing delicious desserts. I'm sorry I did not take more pictures of them. I did however, take a lot of pictures on the first night of Seder at the Golds. Here is one of Marin and David. Marin did a fantastic job of asking the four questions and Hunter and Fara made a fantastic meal.

Our First Anniversary- Part II

On the evening of our first wedding anniversary, we celebrated with a quiet dinner at home. As tradition dictates, we ate the top of our wedding cake (no, not the whole thing) which was actually still quite yummy.

A year ago, it looked like this....



But now it looks more like this.



Thanks very much to Karen and Mark for keeping it safe and frozen solid for several months.



my masterful cake cutting skills



Finally- we get to have some wedding cake! And for anyone who remembers a certain cake-on-the-face incident... yeah, I got my revenge. (No pics, sorry)

Thanks to everyone who sent us sweet anniversary cards - it was very thoughtful and they are on display in our home.



The celebration continued on Saturday night. We went to Marcel's for an incredible Anniversary/ David's Birthday dinner. This restaurant remains one of our absolute favorite places, and our night was filled with delicious food, incredible wines and of course, amazing service.


Celebrating at Marcels

We drank a 1986 Château Climens with our first and last courses, and a 1995 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée with our middle courses. Domaine du Pégau was one of the wineries we visited on our honeymoon, and sharing this bottle really brought us back to that time.



Our waiter was so nice- the overall experience at Marcels is truly first rate and made our evening very special. They made this plate for us at the end of the night!

Labor Day Weekend 2008- We’ve been meaning to do that!

This Labor Day Weekend we were home for a change. Of course just because we were local, it doesn’t mean we sat around on our butts! We used it as a chance to do a bunch of the things we’ve been meaning to get to, but have not had the time or opportunity to do yet.

On Friday night we got together with our friends Steve and Marilyn at Seven Seas in Rockville. One of their all-time favorites, we have been meaning to try it for a while- and it did not disappoint. When Seven Seas opened in 1987, owners Edward and Corinna Shen were eager to change the general perception was that Chinese food consisted mainly of dishes like General Tso’s chicken and spring rolls. The restaurant specializes in authentic seafood dishes and incorporates different regional influences including Cantonese, Taiwanese, Szechuan and Hunan style cuisines in its food.



Edward and Corinna believe in excellent service and hospitality with a personal touch. They take the effort to remember the names (or at least faces) of their regular customers and spend time getting to know them on a personal basis, as demonstrated with their friendship with Steve and Marilyn. Both of them stopped by our table and were very nice. The food and hospitality at Seven Seas really sets them apart from many other Chinese restaurants in the area. If you find yourself in Rockville and craving something delicious, check it out for yourself. (And don’t forget to print out one of the coupons they post on their website)

On Saturday afternoon we joined several of David’s colleagues at Wolf Trap for an afternoon performance of Les Misérables. The only national park devoted to the performing arts, Wolf Trap consists of 117 acres of wooded countryside just outside Washington, DC in Vienna, Virginia. This was my first (and long-overdue) time at Wolf Trap which includes the outdoor main stage, the Filene Center, and The Barns at Wolf Trap where there are performances all year round.

The 6700 seat auditorium includes 2600 covered orchestra seats, 1100 covered balcony seats and 3000 lawn seats. This is not from the performance we went to- but gives you an idea for the beautiful setting. We were waaaay down in the orchestra section.

There are a number of excellent performances, events, and classes offered at Wolf Trap, and patrons are permitted to bring their own food and (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) beverages. So pack up a picnic this fall and get to Wolf Trap!

After watching a wonderful performance and meeting many of David’s new coworkers, spent Saturday evening at a wine dinner at Dino Restaurant in DC. This is another place we have been hearing great things about but had not been able to get to until this weekend.

We sure were thirsty (and hungry), Bring on the goodness!


David and Mike discussing wines (or more likely, food)

As a buyer and coordinator for wine, cheese and specialty foods at Whole Foods in Southern California, our host and restaurant owner Dean Gold built upon his passion for Italy with annual trips where he learned much about their great food. On visits like these, Dean made connections with incredible artisan producers with whom he still has relationships, and their products form the foundation for the menu at Dino. We were lucky for it!



Dean

Everything was delicious! We enjoyed stuffed tomatoes, squash blossoms, paté on crostini, grilled scallops wrapped in pancetta, pasta, sucking pork, a cheese course and a dessert of Peaches with pastry cream & lady fingers. I think David’s favorite was the duck pasta- a sort of a bolognese, the sauce included ground duck, pork & veal with cream & tomato. The whole night was wonderful.




Mike, David and Jace

Of course the real focus of the night were the wines. I might get a few of these wrong, but to accompany all this tasty goodness, we drank:

Non Vintage Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Mülheimer Sonnenlay Riesling Brut (Germany)
1996 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett (Germany)
2002 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese (Germany)
2001 Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese (Germany)
1985 Casetta Barolo Vigna Mandorle (Piedmont, Italy)
1997 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano Di Montevergine (Italy)
1998 Château Maucoil Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône, France)
1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée (Rhône, France)
2000 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône, France)
2000 Domaine du Galet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (Rhône, France)
1990 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese - (Germany)
1996 Château Doisy-Daëne (Bordeaux, France)
2003 Falesco Pomele Umbria IGT (Italy)


the damage

On Sunday morning we felt the need to work off some of that dinner, so we put on our hiking shoes and headed to Great Falls. The Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side of the park is a 4.7 miles hiking trail that follows a path between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River.




The trail has three sections, Section A is 1.7 miles Section B is 1.4 miles and Section C is 1.6 miles. Section A is by far the most popular of the three and the only part we did on Sunday. It follows the Potomac river along the scenic Mather Gorge. We had a nice afternoon outdoors and felt much better about overeating the night before.

With a pit-stop at Sears to get a new car battery for David, we watched No Country for Old Men and relaxed at home the rest of the day. That evening we got a call from Monty and Melissa asking if we were interested in joining them (and baby Asher) for a hike at Sugarloaf Mountain. Another place we’ve been meaning to visit, Sugarloaf is a relatively low mountain (approximately 800 feet high) in Maryland, and is an admission-free privately-owned scenic park. So we got a good night’s rest and put back on our hiking shoes for a day at Sugarloaf.



We hiked, we took pictures, caught up with each other, saw a little nature- it was a great day.


Jag, Monty and Asher consult the trail map



On our way home from the hike we stopped for lunch and came across the City of Gaithersburg’s 70th Annual Labor Day Parade. Participants in this year’s parade included the Maryland Nighthawks Basketball team, Bolivian and Salvadorian dancers, the Tai Yim lion dancers, African drummers, and an assortment of fire engines, veterans groups, high school marching bands, horses and clowns.



Peruvian Dancers


there were all kinds of folks in this parade!






After returning home and changing, we went to Becky and Aaron’s place for sushi, drinks and the boys’ Fantasy Football draft.

What a great weekend! We saw friends and family, ate wonderful food, drank phenomenal wines, hiked a bit, caught up on sleep and did it all within 30 miles of home!

Take me to the River.....

This weekend we were lucky to be invited over to Jace and Liz’s river house in Rileyville, Virginia. Just beyond Front Royal, it took us under 2 hours to get there, but it was practically on the Shenandoah River, and it felt like we were much further than just 90 miles from home.


Drinks (of course) upon arrival

Also joining us this weekend were Mike and Kim, another couple Jace & Liz had met at a wine event in the area. They brought their gorgeous dogs along for the weekend; Jake the Retriever and Nadia and Raja the Siberian Huskies.

Mike has an excellent blog, Food and Wine Blog. He updates much more frequently than I do and is more focused than my tales of life in E land. He writes about food and wine, tales from this travels, life in the Baltimore area and much more. Mike attends a good number of tastings in the area, and his posts range from restaurant reviews and wine notes to new and interesting food and wine pairings. He is also a fantastic cook as we were lucky enough to fund out first hand.

After we arrived on Friday night, Jace grilled up some burgers and brats. We sat in the screened-in porch and enjoyed a Scott Harvey Zinfandel (I think 2003, could have been 2004) and a 2003 Arcadian Westerly Syrah with our dinner. Dessert was pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream which we enjoyed with a great dessert wine supplied by Mike.



Saturday we went to the farmers market in Luray and kayaked down the Shenandoah River. I didn’t bring my camera (gasp!) because I was afraid of getting it wet. We saw lots of fish, as well as turtles and geese. We also managed an entire trip without tipping (or killing each other) in our 2-person kayak.

After our day on the river, Mike got down to the business of dinner. He prepared a delicious spice rub for his ribs and smoked them for about 2 hours.




men at work


Even a no-joke rainstorm couldn’t deter Mike from keeping those ribs over the fire.


Liz grilled up fresh zucchini from the market. Getting the wet grill started was a bit of a challenge, but we came up with a pretty good solution for that.


finished product...yum!

We had some incredible wines with dinner:
1975 Château Beychevelle
1975 Château Léoville Barton
2000 Château Gloria St. Julien
1998 Château Bahans Haut-Brion



As a treat, Jeff from Glen Manor Vineyards joined us for dinner. Jeff developed an interest in fine wines while working for a nearby Linden winery. He established Glen Manor Vineyards in 1995 which Jace and Liz have visited. Today, Jeff manages 10 acres of vineyards which we went to visit on Sunday. (More about that later). He brought over a bottle of his 1999 Linden Glen Manor which was very nice.




Enjoying the incredible 1975 Château Beychevelle

After dinner we went outside and enjoyed the fire, the rest of the wine and of course, the company. It was a really great evening.


Mike, Jeff, Jace and David


E's


Kim and Mike


Ali and Kim


Liz and Jace

On Sunday we went to a few wineries in the region. We started out with a tasting and tour of Jeff’s Glen Manor Vineyards.




We tried his 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and 2005 Petit Verdot.



After we were done sampling his wines, Jeff gave us a tour of how he makes them.


Vineyard at Glen Manor


Grape press at Glen Manor


De-stemming machine at Glen Manor


Oak barrels at Glen Manor

It was very nice of Jeff to show us around his place. We bought a bottle of each wine we had tasted and then headed for our next stop.

Next we arrived at Chester Gap Cellars, where we met winemaker Bernd Jung.




We sampled some of his wines including 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 Viognier, 2005 Merlot, and 2005 Cabernet Franc.



Chester Gap Vineyard


Next we headed to Rappahannock Cellars where we didn’t stay long, but Liz bought this fun “Group Therapy” T-shirt for a psychologist she knows.




Finally, we headed to Linden Vineyard for our last stop of the afternoon.



We were treated to their reserve Cellar Tasting (thanks Jace!) and had a lot of fun.







While the boys paid for our purchases, Kim and I hung out with the dogs for a while.


We finished up the afternoon with a fantastic picnic overlooking Linden's vineyard.

We had a really great time this weekend. Thank you again to Liz and Jace for hosting us and for being so much fun. Also, thanks to Mike and Kim for driving in from Baltimore, for bringing great wines, making yummy food and for lots of laughs the whole weekend.