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Friday Fun

March 23, 2012 in wine by traveleatlove | 4 comments

TGIF! It was a glorious week here in Boston, complete with a birthday celebration and lots of outdoor running, but I am excited to see the weekend right around the corner.

First up for fun Friday things, I am featured today over on the Dottie Hotties blog! They interviewed me and did a little photo shoot all about my Boston Marathon charity, training, running playlist, the works. These ladies are a lot of fun and love Dorchester as much as I do. Check it out!

And speaking of the Boston Marathon, my Zipcar charity raffle is still going on! If you know anyone who was thinking of joining Zipcar (or already have a membership and want to win $100 driving credit) please have them check out this post. I have 30 vouchers for $50 in driving credit to give away.

And if that’s not enough incentive, Crowdrise, the platform hosting our fundraising sites, is offering a $500 Zappo’s gift card to one lucky donor who pledges $33 before March 26. I am just thinking of all of the sandals I could buy with that!

As always, more info on my ALLY Foundation run can be found here.

Enough about me. . .

There are also a couple of contests I thought you might be interested in. Jacob’s Creek is hosting the Jacob’s Creek True Character Contest. The contest runs through 3/31/12, and entrants have the chance to win $5,000 for a favorite charity

To enter, visit www.facebook.com/jacobscreek, upload a photo of yourself and a brief description of how you show your true character.

To kick off the contest, the kind people at Jacob’s Creek also sent wine samples from their appellation-specific Reserve collection.

Jacob's Creek

{ Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2010 }

With the warm weather, we decided to hang on to the reds that they sent but did sample this 2010 Reserve Chardonnay. I loved on the first day; it was well-structured and offered some nice acidity. The second day I tried it, I caught a little too much oaky-ness for my palate. I’m not sure if it was a change in the wine or what I was in the mood to drink that day, so I would give this one another try. I generally really like Jacob’s Creek wines because they are enjoyable and offer great value.

Since many of you love to cook and also love wine, I thought I would also share The Colors of Campo Viejo Cooking Contest, also happening on Facebook.  This is a short, easy recipe contest, and the prize is a personal chef for the winner and his or her friends. I wouldn’t mind winning that!

Tags: Boston Marathon, contests, events, wine

Ma(i)sonry

March 21, 2012 in Tasting Room Series, wine by traveleatlove | 10 comments

We’re famous! Well, kind of. While I was actually working on this post, I was alerted on Facebook that the San Francisco Chronicle had been at Ma(i)sonry in Yountville the same day that we were there, and we were the people enjoying wine in the sculpture garden! If you look closely at this picture, you can see me looking at my phone. Probably tweeting.

We arrived at Ma(i)sonry with the intention of making a tasting appointment for later in the afternoon. But when we were met at the door with glasses of  Marsanne, we knew we were there to stay.

Blogging has afforded me many wonderful opportunities, but, as I say time and again, the people I have met are the absolute best part. On this tasting day, we happened to be traveling with a Napa Valley local who shared with us her insights on wine and places to visit, which is what brought us to Ma(i)sonry in the first place. Her knowledge of their wine collective made our tasting so special. It was a fun group, and I was fortunate to be brought along with them!

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Ma(i)sonry is a stone building across from Yountville’s most famous property, The French Laundry. It is a winery collective, meaning that it pours wine from a variety of wineries and serves as their tasting room. That makes for a great chance to taste wines from many winemakers without leaving your comfortable seat in the sun.

image  Ma(i)sonry isn’t just a tasting room though, it is truly an experience. The building and outdoor areas also serve as art galleries. Guests are welcome to come in to admire the beautiful and interesting art, to taste wine, to relax with a glass of wine, at the pace they choose. Just make an appointment first!

 

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The collection of art is eclectic, from paintings to books to furniture and sculptures, and while the inside of Ma(i)sonry is impressive, on a March day that was in the mid-70’s, we were most interested in the outside. The fact that there were some exquisite wines being poured helped that a little. Winking smile

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We received some fantastic hospitality at Ma(i)sonry from start to finish, and our tasting was really memorable because it was so comfortable. We were seated around an outdoor fire with options for sitting under trees or umbrellas or in the sun. I started in the sun but didn’t last very long! A little bit of shade goes a very long way for this New Englander.

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Ma(i)sonry has many tasting options, and we decided to share a couple of their Blackbird Vineyards flights to start. Two tastings shared amongst five people was more than enough, and by the end of the tasting, most of us were club members. Several bottles of the Blackbird Arriviste Rosé also made it into our shipping box, and a nicely chilled bottle came along to lunch at Farmstead. More on that later!

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During our leisurely tasting, we snacked on some local cheese, nuts, and crackers. Everything was delicious and of the best quality.

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There was more wine, more chatting, and more wine-buying as the afternoon ticked on. I wanted to stay forever, soaking up the Napa Valley sun, blue skies, and mostly the way of life.

We finished our time at Ma(i)sonry with a cool, light dessert wine, I believe it was a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Again, I was a good vacationer and a bad food/wine blogger. I know that I liked it!

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Everyone at Ma(i)sonry is treated like a VIP; their sprawling garden area and private tasting rooms ensure the best hospitality and service, and the staff was wonderful with their knowledge of wine, the pacing of the tastings, and the warmth that started with our welcome and lingered throughout. One of the reasons we became club members was definitely the welcoming and special environment of the place; it’s not any old tasting room, that’s for sure! We look forward to visiting again and again , and I would definitely recommend Ma(i)sonry to anyone visiting Napa Valley. Maybe someday I will be able to drive over to Yountville to pick up my wine club wine.

It’s Wine Wednesday! Do you have any special plans for tonight?

Tags: Food, Napa, Napa Valley, Travel, wine, wine country, wine tasting, Yountville

Tasting Menu at Barndiva

March 15, 2012 in Food, Restaurants, wine by traveleatlove | 13 comments

If I had to pick a town to live in anywhere in the US, it would be Healdsburg, CA. From the first time we visited Healdsburg, it has been true love for me, from the surrounding Dry Creek Valley to the laid-back plaza, dotted with massive trees and surrounded by top-notch restaurants and wine tasting rooms.

We’ve eaten at a variety of Healdsburg restaurants, and there are so many for us still to try. This time around, we decided to do the tasting menu at Barndiva.

Located just off the Healdsburg plaza, Barndiva is rustic and elegant, and, in their own words, a celebration of all things local. It’s not difficult to celebrate local ingredients when you are in a place like Healdsburg; Barndiva sources from the variety of farmers, ranchers, and other purveyors that produce food in the region.

Barndiva

We arrived at Barndiva after a short but fabulous stop at a tasting room down the street, Garagiste. With the time change, it was bright for our 6:30 reservation, and we were tempted to sit outside. Later I was glad we didn’t!

I didn’t take notes on the tasting menu as I assumed I would be able to refer back to the pairings online. It was a special date night and one I wanted to remember without worrying too much about blogging, but the light was so good and the food so fantastic, I had to take photos.

One thing I will note is that, when we asked if we could substitute some European wines for California wines, our server was more than accommodating. We wanted to stay true to the local experience, and it made it that much more special to be drinking only California wine.

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{Goat Cheese Croquettes with Local Organic Honey and Lavender}

Goat cheese croquettes kicked off our meal, their warm, creamy centers adorned with a pleasant crunchy coating. Sweet honey and fragrant lavender provided a sweet and floral contrast. I love all things lavender, and this pairing was lovely.

dungeness crab

{Dungeness Crab}

It’s Dungeness crab season in Northern California, and we both enjoyed the meaty crab with avocado and crunchy, salty potato chips.

Barndiva, Healdsburg

We lingered over each course, kind of amazed by the amount of sunlight still left outside.

scallops

{Caramelized Diver Scallops}

Our next course offered perfectly caramelized scallops atop a puree that I believe was potato. I cleared this plate in just a couple of minutes, loving the creamy puree and crispy bacon that came with the scallops.

lobster risotto

{Lobster Risotto}

I started to fade at the Lobster Risotto course which was completely unfortunate because it was absolutely amazing. I just couldn’t believe I had two more courses and two more wines to go. The lobster was perfect though, and the risotto so flavorful with nice hints of shellfish brine.

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{Herbed Roasted Filet of Beef}

Our final savory course of the evening was beef, and I know this one was paired with a big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon. A couple of bites of the meat and a  few sips of wine was all I could muster. So full.

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{Chocolate Bavarois, Lemon Verbena Ice Cream, Cherry}

A rich chocolate dessert paired with Madeira wine (not from California) finished off our tasting menu. The Bavarois had a mousse-like texture beneath a soft chocolate shell. Need I say more?

We were incredibly full by the time dinner was done, and it was nice to go outside to walk around the plaza despite the fact that the temperature, as it often does in Sonoma County, had dropped over 20 degrees since the sun set.

I loved writing this post; it was fun to be able to relive such a memorable night, but I won’t lie, it made me want to be in Healdsburg right now. It’s hard to leave a place that feels so much like home!

Do you have a place that you would rather be living? Or is it just me dreaming about packing up and moving?

Barndiva on Urbanspoon

Tags: dining out. wine, Food, Healdsburg, Restaurants

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