Bottles and Bins Recipes p. 108

I recently acquired a book titled Bottles and Bins Recipes, published by C. Mondavi & Sons: 1965

As I was perusing the titles and the recipes and casually thumbing through it, I came across this poem by Miriam Allen deFord on page 108.

Young Dionysus ranged the earth
To teach the sons of man
A magic of surprising worth --
And vineyards thus began

Now, drainers of the grape-born cup,
Remember him, your guide,
And toast him as you gaily sup
At this glad Christmastide.

And as the old year sinks to rest,
Praise him in draughts of wine
Who gave to all mankind his best --
The secret of the vine!

To a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Cheers, SR

FOW Annual Holiday Party

Ring in the holiday season with FOW at:

The Blue Pheasant Restaurant
2210 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014

Thursday night, December 9th

Appetizers at 6:30
Dinner at 7:30
Games and Dancing 'til 11:00 p.m.

Live Music by The Lyratones!

$55 per person, all inclusive (food, wine, music, prizes)

Send your checks, payable to FOW, no later than 12/1 to:
Paul Skov
PO Box 895
Los Altos, CA 94023-0895

Indicate your choice of entree:
Chicken (with mushrooms and artichoke hearts)
Salmon (topped with dill sauce)
Prime Rib (au jus and fresh horseradish)
Pasta Primavera (fresh veggies over linguine)

Dressy Holiday Attire

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

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

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

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.

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