Tasting Room Series

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I am in love. Since I first stepped foot in the Bee’s Knees Supply Company in the Fort Point area of Boston, I have pretty much been smitten. When I was invited to do a menu tasting with a few other bloggers, I was pretty much ecstatic for the opportunity to hang out for an evening at this beautiful establishment.

Bee's Knees The Bee’s Knees is an incredible gourmet experience, from its sandwich shop to its cheese case to its meats and wine/beer selection, all the way to the coffee an ice cream at the check out. They serve hand-dipped Batch ice cream in cones, or you can be like me and keep going back for the heavenly salted caramel milkshake.

Batch Ice Cream The Bee’s Knees reminds me of a little Eataly; it definitely has that marketplace feel, and I could easily spend an hour or so wandering and putting a meal together.

Bee's Knees Boston The quaint seating area, where the event was held, is ideal for enjoying a cheese plate, fresh made sandwich, or other delicious treat.

Bee's Knees Cheese Our tasting included all of the above, and in large quantities! We were absolutely spoiled with the best that the Bee’s Knees has to offer, and we enjoyed every bite.

Our first course was charcuterie and pate with Juve y Camps Rose Cava. We were all obsessed with the olive oil caviar that accompanied this course. Little bursts of flavor! This course included the following Bee’s Knees items: Pork Liver Mousse, Charlies Cocina Cerveza Seca Beer Salami, Larchmont Beef Prosciutto, Blackberry Farms Finocchiona, and Edwards Farm Peanut-Fed Surryano.

olive oil caviar

Next up was the sandwich course, paired with the refreshing, tangy Green River Ambrosia Ginger Libation. Already a fan of Bee’s Knees sandwiches, I got to taste even more, including the Coppa (which I love so much, I brought one to Spectacle Island this weekend), the Chicken Patty, Porky Fig, and the Pressed Duck Club. Assorted calzones were also available, but I was getting too full. . .

Bee's Knees sandwiches Bee's Knees sandwiches sandwich

And with a cheese selection like the Bee’s Knees has, I HAD to save room for cheese! We enjoyed cheese and chocolates paired with Vignaioli di Stefano Moscato d’Asti, a light, effervescent wine that, unlike some Moscatos, was not too sweet for me. I went straight for the cheese; I like chocolate, but I can’t turn down house made burrata or a gooey farmhouse cheese.

cheese plate

cheese plate

The beverage pairings for each of the tasting courses were well thought out and worked really well with the types of foods served. At the moment, the Bee’s Knees sells wine/beer to go, but they can’t pour wine by the glass for consumption on site. I am hoping this will change, because that would turn the space into the cozy wine bar that Boston needs.

wine I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting at the Bee’s Knees, and I foresee many trips to the store in my future. It’s pretty much a food and wine lover’s heaven, and a spot that locals and tourists both can love.

Tags: Boston, tastings, wine, wine and food

Last wine country post, this time around! Over the course of a few days in Sonoma County, we also spent a day in Napa Valley, starting with some wine tasting at Chateau Montelena and Jessup Cellars, followed by a stop in St. Helena for a private tasting at Handwritten.

Handwritten’s tasting room is a sweet little cottage right on the main road in St. Helena, within walking distance to other tasting rooms and restaurants.

Handwritten Wines Handwritten Wines The afternoon was warm, with gorgeous blazing sunshine, but the tasting room in Handwritten was cool and comfortable, nicely set up for our tasting, which included six wines. We were greeted by Erin, who ended up being a delight, in addition to really knowing about and loving Handwritten’s wines.

Handwritten Wines Throughout our time at Handwritten, we tasted through six wines and did lots of chatting about the area, wine, and life in general.

Handwritten Wines Handwritten Wines Handwritten Wines

We tasted the following wines:

2010 Handwritten Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills

Dark, juicy berry notes, along with a nice earthiness and a little bit of spice made this Pinot Noir a hit with both of us. This Pinot is bigger and bolder than most of the Russian River Valley Pinots that I love, which just made it a little extra special.
2009 Handwritten Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Aged for 22 month in oak, this Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, chewy, and full of silky smooth black cherry flavor, but also nicely balanced and not overly tannic like some Cabs can be.

2009 Handwritten ‘Three Words’, Napa Valley

This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (a favorite!), and Malbec was definitely one of the most memorable reds we tasted in our travels. Oak, vanilla, and fruit all married together with a little bit of earthiness made for a wine that had a lot going on as it made its way across our palates.
2009 Handwritten Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap

My scribbly tasting notes for this wine say “cherry pie, luscious, elegant”. This rich Cab would stand up to a hearty steak dinner in the winter time.

2011 Handwritten Chardonnay, Carneros

Being that I have been on a Chardonnay kick, the 2011 Carneros Chardonnay was a favorite. It was bright and lemony but also had notes of vanilla and toast from the oak-ageing. Handwritten Chardonnay is definitely a new favorite.

2011 Handwritten Late Harvest Chardonnay, Carneros

Surprisingly, though I don’t always love sweet wines, I also fell head-over-heels for the Late Harvest Chardonnay. It’s definitely dessert in a glass, with a light syrupy mouthfeel and the perfect amount of sweetness, balanced by some of the same acidity from the Chardonnay.

Our leisurely afternoon of wine tasting at Handwritten was perfect, and we enjoyed every second, before we headed out for lunch at Pizzeria Tra Vigne.

Many thanks to Erin and the Handwritten team for hosting us and introducing us to their beautiful wines!

Tags: Napa Valley, St. Helena, Travel, wine, wine tasting

When we travel to Sonoma and Napa, there are posts that come out of it, big and small, and then there are the random photos that I take that might not fit into a certain post, but that I still want to share. Every Sonoma and Napa moment is pretty special, if you ask me, and that’s what this blog post is all about on this fine Travel Tuesday. When we stay in Healdsburg, we often drive from there through the Alexander Valley, and it is a drive I always look forward to, especially in the springtime when flowers abound, long before we see even shoots in Boston.

Alexander Valley This time on our drive from Healdsburg to Yountville, I decided I needed to stop the car to run around in the flowers, and my handsome driver happily obliged.

Alexander Valley

Our Napa Valley day including a very special tasting at Jessup Cellars, but it also included a stop at favorite Mumm Napa, a delicious and casual pizza lunch at Pizzeria Tra Vigne after a tasting at Handwritten Wines (post coming soon!).

Pizzeria Tra Vigne We shared a salad and a couple of pizzas, including the Vespa, which featured chicken apple sausage, mozzarella, oven roasted onions, and spinach. Pizzeria Tra Vigne is the perfect, relaxed place to fill up on delicious food in between wine tastings in the St. Helena area. pizzeria tra vigne Another Napa Valley must-visit for us is Chateau Montelena. Not only is it steeped in history and the subject of one of my favorite movies (I know Bottle Shock is not all that accurate, but I LOVE the scenery and storyline nonetheless.), but it is a stunning property, and they make beautiful wines.

Chateau Montelena Wine club members can rent out these private little islands for events, and we are seriously thinking about it. I want my birthday party on an island at Chateau Montelena. P.S. Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay is incredible, but their Riesling and Zinfandel literally made me weak in the knees. Swoon-worthy wines.

Chateau Montelena Back in Healdsburg, we loved staying in town and being able to just wander around aimlessly, stopping at various tasting rooms, attending events, trying new restaurants, and settling in at new favorites. A quick stop at Hawley Winery’s tasting room in Healdsburg revealed a luscious, tropical, heady Viognier and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. A cozy, dimly lit tasting room was a nice respite from the bright and beautiful Northern California sunshine outside.

Hawley tasting room And finally, there was our night out at Cartograph Wines where we discovered the wine of the summer for 2013, their 2012 Rosé of Pinot Noir. It is beautiful, delicious, and made with love. Order some while you still can!

Cartograph rose

Random, but important moments are what make travel so memorable for me. I don’t need something fancy or long-winded to make a mark on me forever. These are the moments that are simple and easy, and that make me smile when I look back on them.

What are your favorite little travel moments?

Tags: Healdsburg, Napa Valley, Sonoma, travel. tasting rooms, wine

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