Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Oktoberfest Quiz and Answers

1. How many liters of beer are consumed during Oktoberfest season?
A. 1 million
B. 10 million
C. 7 million
D. 5 million

2. The original Oktoberfest celebrated?
A. The marriage of Prince Ludwig & Princess Therese
B. The coronation of Prince Ludwig
C. The marriage of King Helmut & Princess Elizabeth
D. The success of the fall harvest

3. What event caused an interruption in the annual Oktoberfest celebration?
A. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
B. The Napoleonic wars
C. The Great European Plague
D. The country wide famine

4. Why is Oktoberfest celebrated in September?

5. Most beer served at Oktoberfest is called_______________?

6. In what month was beer usually brewed and why?

7. What is the average attendance of Oktoberfest each year?

8. The following breweries are represented at Oktoberfest except for: (one)
Augustiner
Hacker-Pscharr
Hobrau
Lowenbrau
Heineken
Paulander
Spaten-Franzislaner

9. Where is Oktoberfest held?
A. Berlin
B. Bavaria
C. Hamburg
D. Munich

10. How long does it take to brew an Oktoberfest beer?









ANSWERS:

1. C
2. A
3. B
4. Better weather
5. Marzen
6. It was brewed in March, cellared in the summer and ready to drink in September.
7. 6 million people; 85% from Germany
8. Heineken
9. D
10. 6 months, March-September

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

UpComing Event At Arcadia!

Do NOT miss the November event if at all possible, it's going to be one of 2010's highlights (based solely on my personal experience at Arcadia, and I've met Matt, a great winemaker).

Fernwood Cellars and Arcadia Restaurant at the Marriott San Jose

Join us for a luncheon featuring Fernwood Cellars owner and winemaker, Matt Oetinger.

When: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., Sunday, November 14, 2010
Where: Arcadia, at the Marriott
100 W San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 278-4555

Menu:

First Course:
Arcadia Salad with Fuji Apples, Candied Walnuts, Blue Cheese
Paired with 2008 Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
-or-
Ahi Tuna Poppers with Wasabi Caviar, Ponzu Vinaigrette
Paired with 2008 Santa Clara Valley Riesling

Entrée Course:
Phyllo Dusted Sole with Herb Brandade and Sauce Dijon
Paired with 2008 Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
-or-
Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes
Paired with 2007 Mirepoix

Dessert Course:
Banana Tart with House Made Caramel and Rum Raisin Ice Cream
Chocolate Molten Cake with Salty Caramel Ice Cream and Hazelnut Praline
Coffee or Tea

Cost: Members: $50.00 per person – all inclusive
Non-members: $55.00 per person – all inclusive

RSVP: Please call for payment deadline and mailing address

Cheryl Markman
(408) 578-8315

Note: This date is firm. If the number of confirmed reservations is too low, the event will be
cancelled on November 5 in order to avoid being charged the minimum guaranteed amount.

Cheers! Stefania

Thursday, August 26, 2010

New Concept in Stemware

Not everybody is hip to new ideas or concepts, but check this out:




This not yet patented stem design is available from Chevalier Collection in Beverly Hills, CA, for a fancy price tag.

The idea is that the wine is aerated within your glass rather than using other hand held devices.

http://chevaliercollection.com/collection.php

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Harvest 2010 Santa Clara Valley

I poked around some of the winery websites in the area and the consensus about Harvest 2010 so far is that it's behind "normal". At Clos La Chance, they are running about a week behind in veraison and anticipate the first grapes coming to crush in another week or so.

For Stefania Wine, the vineyards we manage in Morgan Hill and Los Altos Hills are on track, but running about two weeks past "normal". The grapes at the "estate" (our suburban home in South San Jose) vineyard are also about two weeks behind normal. The fruit we have growing in Woodside still has not yet started veraison. The cabernet sauvignon is likely a loss this year, or we harvest in December...it's too soon to tell for sure.

Some of the other high altitude vineyards are reporting similar conditions and much of it has to do with the weather. The very wet winter was fabulous for the roots and quenched the vines from the past few drought years, but then the cool Spring got everything off to a very slow start. It would be great for everyone, tomato growers too, if we had some very warm days all through September and October.

Historically we have a cooling trend and sprinkles around the 1st and 2nd weekends in October so we'll see what impact that has on ripening this year.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

July 17th Event Summary

Join us for a day of touring and tasting in South County. We will visit five wineries, two of which
are FOW member wineries, and we will end our day with a pot luck dinner at one of our member
couple’s home

On the Agenda:
10:00 a.m. Sycamore Creek
11:30 a.m. Martin Ranch Winery

SANDWICH BREAK*

1:00 p.m. Solis Winery
2:30 p.m. Creekview Vineyards
4:00 p.m. Satori Cellars
5:30 p.m. BYOB Potluck in Gilroy

*SANDWICH SELECTIONS
Grilled chicken with havarti cheese, bacon and avocado on whole wheat bread
Roast beef with blue cheese and caramelized onion on split crust bread
Tuna salad with cheddar cheese and dill pickle on rustic Italian bread

Cost: Members $15.00, Non-members $20.00
Please indicate your sandwich choice with your RSVP (or I will decide for you!).

RSVP with your check made payable to FOW
No later than Saturday, July 10
to:
Cheryl Markman
4982 Collomia Court
San Jose, CA 95111
(408) 578-8315

To see full event details:
http://www.fowca.org/docs/jul2010.pdf

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Castillos Winery Event, June 26th

From Roni Jo at Castillos:

Hello everyone,
This is a busy time of year and the weather is so unpredictable!! Please don't let it keep you from attending our first Comedy show on June 26. Flyer with all of the info is attached, although, we have added a third comic to the lineup, a gal named Shannon Gittens. You can send a check to the address on the flyer. We will be in Italy until mid June. Vivienne and I have the privelege to sing with the choir at the Vatican. We will be performing 6 concerts total, in Venice, Florence and, of course, Rome. So it would be greatly appreciated if you could have your reservation and payment made prior to June 6th, so that I can finalize all of the details before we leave. We don't return until June 22. We do have limited seating so don't wait. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards, Roni Jo 408 595-3145

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sips From the Board

Information from the board meeting held May 25, 2010.

  • FOW is in the process of becoming an associate member of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley.

  • Welcome new member Jim Nash.

  • In order to proceed with the museum project, FOW needs volunteers to participate in various committees such as Fund Raising and Volunteers. Interested members can contact Marv Bamburg.

  • FOW members are urged to attend the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers’Association's 2010 Vintners' Festival "A Taste of the Mountains" which takes place over the first two weekends in June in lieu of an FOW monthly event.

Upcoming events include the following:

  • July 17 - a visit to Sycamore Creek Vineyards, Martin Ranch Winery, Solis Winery, Satorie Cellars, Creekview Vineyard

  • August 21 - a visit to Clos la Chance, Castillo Hillside Shire Winery, and Guglielmo’s Harvest Festival

  • September 18 - Annual meeting