Wine Maker’s Dinner in the Garden

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Still Waters Vineyards

Last Saturday evening we had the pleasure of hosting our first Wine Maker’s Dinner in the Gardens. We have dreamt of this event for a while now, wanting to find a way to sharing the magical gardens in the evening with our customers. Our vision included delicious food, vintage wine pairings, and a warm summer evening with music and laughter. The night did not disappoint.
The food was prepared by Chef John McDevitt of Farm Stead Catering and his unique take on classic, fresh American fare was a perfect choice for the evening. Our guests were greeted with our Rhone blend Expressions and Brut as well as a cheese platter outfitted with local cheeses, fruits, and nuts.

Hors d’oeuvres were served as well with chilled pea + fava bean shooters, smoked salmon cucumber cups, and mushroom + herb ricotta agnolotti.

The salad course was made of mixed greens from local Windrose Farms, grilled local apricots, spiced pecans, alcea rosea chevre, and orange honey vinaigrette.

Throughout the evening each course was paired by two wines of the same varietal, but different vintage. The salad course paired beautifully with both the 2011 and 2015 Sauvignon Blanc.

Next the Entrée consisted of a unique cut of meat known as Teras Major (similar to a beef shoulder) that was lightly smoked and grilled with thyme and rosemary. This was served with a summer vegetable risotto, sautéed baby California arugula, and beurre rouge.

The Vegetarian option also presented fresh, hearty fare with a grilled vegetable pave and Portobello mushrooms, squash, tomatoes, and fennel. For the Entrée course we had two different pairings for our guests to sample. Cabernet Sauvignon years 2008 and 2012; Clone 3 Cuvee years 2009 and 2012. We wanted to present wines that would really accompany and compliment the dishes with their strong flavors. Our Clone 3 Cuvee is our “inverted Bordeaux”, being a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec that holds up well to smokey meat.

We finished the night with cheesecake with a raspberry glaze and fresh berries. We paired this final course with two different Petite Sirah vintages- a 2011 and a 2013 Late Harvest Petite. We were proud to introduce our first late harvest in many years.

We had wanted to create an event that brought the Still Waters family and our customers together for a great night tasting special wines in our beautiful garden. We are thrilled with how the event turned our and look forward to planning many more like events to enjoy.