Annual Wine Media Guild Dinner

June 9, 2014 I was invited (and you didn't have to ask me twice) to the Annual Wine Media Guild Dinner at Cafe Evergreen Chinese restaurant.  Being the annual dinner, for those who write about wine, you just can not imagine the wines I tasted. We were greeted with a glass of Mionetto Prosecco to start the evening off with.  Since it was a BYOB, the members brought out the best from their cellars and let me tell you it was just awesome (2009 Ferrante Grand River Valley Cabernet Franc Ice Wine, 1993 Rivendell, Tear of the Clouds Late Harvest Vignoles, 2000 Quinta do Vale Meao; just to name a few).  I was able to take a couple of bottles home that were not guzzled down.  One Port I went to buy and I said upon learning of the price "That's very nice".  Saving the bottle has given me terrific memories.  Thank you Shirley Alpert for inviting me. 

Riesling Wine Dinner

August 12, 2014 invited a friend to join me at the Sea Grill Riesling Wine Dinner hosted by David Rosengarten & Toni Jost.  Riesling is one of my all time favorite wines; so I was in heaven.  We started with appetizers and of course champagne to match.  But the rest of the pairings for dinner where Riesling's.  It was one of those times you just couldn't get enough of each dish.  We had four courses plus dessert and my guest wanted to lick the plates.  It was sooo delish!

Cocktail

July 11 2013, Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Restaurant party to celebrate and try different cocktails and wines at the new NoMad. Some of them were just a tad too sweet for my taste buds and others I couldn’t get enough. However, it was exciting to meet some of the winners for the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Restaurant Issue Celebration. It truly was a wonderful evening - from the beautiful setting to the great wines, cocktails, food and music - what a great showcase and toast to today’s food and wine culture with the finest leaders in the restaurant industry. This year’s list of 100 includes thirty new winners, along with exclusive chef’s recipes, ingenious wine-pairing ideas for the home chef, editorial on important food trends in 2013 and an enticing selection of restaurant dishes diners will not want to miss. Check out the list here: http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/2013-100-Best-Restaurants-in-America/
 
 Here is a recipe to share…..they had more than wine.
 DEWAR’S Honeysuckle Sour
 1.5 oz. DEWAR’S Highlander Honey
 .5 oz. Cointreau
 .5 oz. fresh lemon
 .5 oz. fresh orange juice
 1 bar spoon simple syrup
 
 Method: Shake DEWAR’S Highlander Honey with fresh lemon, fresh orange juice and one bar spoons of simple syrup.