6th annual Art Bark Fest – Animal Art & Wine Festival in the Village at Squaw Valley. Animal art, a lake jump competition, animal-themed activities and free live music by Saul Kaye will pay tribute to man and woman’s best friend. The wine tasting is a $25 donation per day and includes a commemorative glass. The funds benefit the Tahoe Truckee Humane Society and Squaw Valley Rescue Dogs. www.thevillageatsquaw.com or (530) 584.6266
Excellence in Education Foundation in partnership with the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors is providing the opportunity to preview eight of the Truckee area’s most magnificent homes. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, group discounts are available. Tickets are available at Dickson Realty, Sheridan Northstar R.E., Tahoe Mountain Resorts R.E. in the Village at Northstar and at www.ExinEd.org.
By Kathryn Reed
OLYMPIC VILLAGE — “The reality is God is the winemaker — and any winemaker who thinks he is hasn’t been in the industry long enough.”
That’s what Sam Sebastiani of the famous Sonoma County Sebastiani family told this reporter years ago for a San Francisco Examiner story.
Some would disagree and say Mother Nature is the true winemaker. After all, growing grapes is farming. With crops of any kind being so weather dependent, and the skin of grapes so fragile, — especially Pinot Noir — it’s no wonder each vintage is special.
A sampling of one of Sonoma County’s northern-most wineries was offered to guests of PlumpJack Cafe at Squaw Valley in August. Flowers Vineyard & Winery in Cazadero was the featured vintner during the sixth of 10 winemaker dinners.
The event is a steal at $60 per person. It comes with four courses (vegetarian options available by calling ahead) and four glasses of wine.
The Sonoma Coast 2007 Chardonnay ($65 by the bottle at PlumpJack) was paired with tartare of Angus tenderloin. The vegetarian offering was a minced portabella mushroom lime concoction that was super tangy and yummy. Both were served on a spoon. So good were the starters, a few more spoonfuls would have been welcome.
Unfortunately the wine was so-so. It came to the table a bit over-chilled so the true flavors did not come through until it had been at room temperature a bit. Even then it fell a bit flat.
The other Chardonnay of the night, the Andreen-Gale Sonoma Coast 2006, was more delightful from the get-go. It is not sold by the bottle at PlumpJack, but goes for $16 for a 6 ounce glass. It is not overly oak-y, despite being aged in French oak.
The second course — also designed to be enjoyed with the Chardonnays — was a sweet corn soup. Because it has cured lardo (pork) I didn’t have it. But the presentation of having server Justin Bak pour the soup over the warm mushroom salad, summer truffle and house cured lardo was stunning in itself. It added a certain je ne sais quoi to the event.
I was served some odd egg concoction. It was good, but one of those things I don’t need to have again. It was also the first time at a restaurant of this caliber where they know I’m a vegetarian and didn’t ask if I’d eat eggs and cheese. Good thing I do.
Next up were the two Pinot Noirs and the entree seared ahi tuna for my dining partner; smoked tofu for me. Sue was in heaven; I was left scratching my head wondering how a chef would think this would be a great choice. It’s no wonder non-vegetarians have a bad impression of tofu. Sue wrinkled her nose when she took a bite of the tofu.
But the wine — oh my — it was jammy in such a wonderful way that I wish I were now sipping a glass of the Sonoma Coast 2007 Pinot ($70 bottle at PlumpJack). The fruit of the wine was full and vibrant, like a burst of berry in my mouth.
The final wine — the 2007 Flowers Perennial Pinot Noir Syrah Sonoma Coast ($10 per 6 ounce glass) — is definitely special. Not only does it stand alone as a Pinot dominated meritage that would be good with an entree, it is a dessert wine that complements the food instead of overpowering it.
The espresso panna cotta (fresh cherries, chocolate soil, French macaroon) was my favorite course of the night. At home I like to lick my ice cream bowl; I had to use self-restraint not to lick the plate at PlumpJack.
A nice feature of the evening was the unobtrusive meanderings of Flowers’ General Manager Tom Hinde, who made sure each table was enjoying themselves. He spoke of the difficulties of making wine, Pinot in particular. Hinde also touched on how the weather — all that fog rolling off the Pacific Ocean — bodes well for the vines.
Ask to sit in waiter Justin Bak’s section. He has been at PlumpJack since 1993. The lifestyle allows him to work at night, ski-hike by day — a true local who knows his job well.
By the time the two-hour meal was over I was more than satisfied — not overly full, not feeling like I had too much to drink. Dinner was an event – one I recommend.
PlumpJack’s winemaker series continues through Sept. 13. For information, call (530) 583.1578 or go to www.PlumpJackCafe.com.
Flowers’ tasting room is open by appointment only — www.FlowersWinery.com or (707) 847.3661.
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International Coastal Cleanup Day, meet at El Dorado Beach in South Lake Tahoe for the largest garbage collection in the Guinness Book of World Records. (530) 544.4210
Big Blue Adventure Race Series includes kayaking on Lake Tahoe, mountain biking, and orienteering. The Sprint Race is two to four hours and the Adventure Race is between six and 12 hours. The race begins and ends at the Village at Northstar. To register, visit www.bigblueadventure.com.
16th annual Sierra Nevada Alliance conference in Kings Beach. www.sierranevadaalliance.org
16th annual Sierra Nevada Alliance conference in Kings Beach. www.sierranevadaalliance.org
Handful of Luvin’ at Valhalla Boathouse in South Lake Tahoe. (530) 541.4975
Farmers Market, Commons Beach, Tahoe City.
Lake Tahoe Democratic Club will screen “Sick Around the World†at
LTCC Duke Theatre. Donations accepted. www.laketahoedems.org