Winter is the time of rest for Northern California winemakers, but many of them continue to work on [peacefully] widening the borders of their realm. Every winter, a new land appears on the map of Northern Sonoma County and stretches along the so called Wine Road from Sebastopol to Cloverdale through Santa Rosa, Windsor, Guerneville, Healdsburg, Geyserville, and the surrounding areas.
Winter WINEland 2013 arrived on the map for the 21st time, but as always, there were some intriguing discoveries waiting for even the most experienced travelers along the way.
While some Sonoma wineries stay in business for generations, others start by charting an unknown territory and working toward their success in the course of a few years. That was the case for a husband-and-wife owned Sheldon Wines in Santa Rosa. Their “elegant” petit syrah – be it 2007 Deviant Velocity or 2009 Weatherly Cuvee – possesses complexity and merits rarely found in this grape.
There are other interesting wineries right in the city of Santa Rosa. A small artisan Sunce Winery & Vineyard specializes in classic blends like Bordeaux-style cabs. Paired with New England clam chowder served in a sour dough bread bowl the wine added a new dimension to the San Francisco classic.
Hudson Street Wineries in Healdsburg presented award-winning syrah as well as sauv blanc, char, rose, pinot, zin, and petite sirah from a family of five limited production wineries – Bluenose, Kelley and Young, MacLaren, Shippey Vineyards, and Willowbook. For a delectable food/wine pairing, Tasting Room Manager Rebecca Allington produced a vat of fragrant mushroom soup (see her generously shared recipe at the end of this story).
Murphy-Goode, also in Healdsburg, is known for Alexander Valley cab, but its 2009 Liar’s Dice zin was a wonderful choice on the winter tasting menu, and a great value to boot.
Mill Creek Vineyard and Winery, with its beautiful backyard seating under live oaks and by the namesake mill with a tiny turquoise pond, provides an ideal place to linger with a glass of full-bodied zinfandel on your way farther north along the Wine Road.
Portalupi Wine’sbarbera is everything you expect from this Northern Italian wine, as if created with a sole purpose to make delicious Italian food taste even better. The winery also produces excellent pinot, zin, and port, as well as a unique blend Vaso di Marina (55% pinot noir, 30% zinfandel, 15% cabernet sauvignon) named after a winemaking family matriarch from a tiny village in the hills of Piemonte.
Always popular Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves came up with an enchanting list of Winter WINEland wines from a rare appearance of 2010 Jenkins Vineyard pinot noir to the tasting room debut of 2010 Block 10 zinfandel. Bright pinot and spicy zin were paired with the Chef Gerard’s famous paella, redolent of garlic and lemon and prepared on a giant frying pan right in front of the enormous crowd of winter revelers.
And now, for that promised recipe:
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
Served at Hudson Street Wineries for Winter Wineland 2013
Ingredients:
15 ounces fresh mushrooms (recommended: a mix of Crimini, Portobello and Shitake)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound butter plus 1 tablespoon Butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (1 large or 2 small)
¼ cup flour
1 cup white wine (Bluenose 2010 Chardonnay )
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup minced fresh parsley
Wipe the mushrooms clean. Separate the stems and coarsely chop the stems. Cut mushrooms in half and slice ¼ inch. (You can also chop them if you prefer smaller mushroom pieces in your soup.)
For the stock:
Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, carrot, sprig of thyme, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have 4-1/2 cups of stock. Add water if you need to make 4-1/2 cups.
For the Soup:
In clean large pot, heat the remaining ¼ pound of butter. Add the leeks and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat through but do not boil.
More information at: www.wineroad.com
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