(Editor’s note – feeling fine now, middle of the following week. Apparently sleeping when I needed and wine helped fight off the bug)
Saturday, November 11:
Phew, it’s been quite a day, but not in the exciting sense. When I woke this morning, I felt pretty awful. I hadn’t slept well and kept waking with my mouth being super dry, and that feeling of being off lingered into the morning with added achiness and stomach upset. Consequently, I didn’t make it to this morning’s sessions, but rather went back to bed for an hour.
While part of my issue might be the “wine flu,” I’ve been feeling worse as the day goes on and am pretty sure I’m fighting one of the upper respiratory bugs that’s been going around.
Enough complaining – it really has been a great conference, and I’ve enjoyed having the flexibility to nap when I need to, which I did both this morning and this afternoon. Now I’m skipping the red wine speed blogging, which I figured would be the worst thing for fighting a cold, and writing at a coffee shop with a piece of chocolate cake and a soy latte.
If I could put a theme on this conference, it would be the deep dive. Lunch Friday was sponsored by the wineries of the El Dorado valley, which is about an hour away from Lake Tahoe. We lucked out and got winemakers who are making interesting stuff like Italian varietals. No, we were not visited by the ghost of Pinot Noir past, present, or future, for which I am grateful. I’d like to give shout-outs to the following wineries:
Boeger Winery – I kept seeing “Boegner,” which is the last name of the family who owns and operates Wolf Mountain in Georgia. They poured a lovely barbera. The table particularly liked their Ameliore, a smooth blend of ripasso, charbonno, and aglianico that will pair well with anything from turkey sandwiches – I can say that from experience – to pasta to a nice beef braciole.
Boeger also gets extra thanks for the chocolate mustaches.
Via Romano – This is a really small winery, only 750 cases this year, with everything being done by hand. They started us off with a Primitivo, which may or may not be the same or similar or related to Zinfandel, but it’s in the grape witness protection program and so can’t say for sure (my explanation, not theirs). Great fruit, and not overpowering in body. I’d invite it to a party. Then there was a Super Tuscan (insert superhero fanfare), which earned a “wow” in my notes. Yes, I was drinking at lunch, but I’m pretty sure that was a legit wow.
Cedarville Vineyard – We left the Italians and went back to California varietals, but thankfully still no Pinot. They poured a crisp, clean Viognier that had a nose that was more tropical than floral. He also brought an example of the terroir.
C. G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery – Great Cabernet Franc, and the Fair Play, a blend of grenache, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon that was all chewy berry that lingered.
Bumgarner Winery – Finally, a dude with a ponytail! I knew we’d come across one in California eventually. He poured us a Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre blend, which, again, was like Old World and New World wines got together, and this wine was the result of their scandalous liaison. Then there was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a little bit (12%) of Malbec. It was all blackberry. Somehow I missed getting a picture of either the dude or the wine.
Friday afternoon included a session on an interesting Italian varietal (post coming soon) and speed-tasting of whites and rosés, which I’ve already posted about. Stay tuned for further wine bloggers conference and California adventures!