Working full-time, going to school, and planning my wedding don't always allow me the time I would like to keep up Vine: Uncorked. I have been meaning to showcase the wines that I tried, and really enjoyed, from FallFest 2006 in San Francisco, CA this past weekend. As I have a little bit of time now, I will do my best to do justice. Frankly, I tried so many wines that I don't remember, specifically, all the different varieties. However, I did make note of the vineyards/wineries the wines came from that did impress me. Please try the wines from these listed wineries for yourself and come to your own conclusion, as it's always a matter of taste in the end anyway. The wineries are:
Clos LaChance Winery, San Martin, CA
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Paso Robles, CA
La Crema (Russian River Valley) Windsor, CA
Opolo Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA
Quady Winery, Madera, CA - Essensia, Orange Muscat dessert wine (great with carmel pumpkin spice tart)
Rotta Winery, Paso Robles, CA
I am not really in this for the food critiquing, but as food pairing often goes hand-in-hand with wine, I'd like to mention a FABULOUS cheese and specialty food store, Cheese Plus, that had a booth at FallFest. Let me stress, ever since I was a little girl (I should really learn to say "young" girl, as I'll always be little at 5'2" - but anyway) I've always disliked cheese. I can eat pizza with mozzarella cheese, and some other subtle flavored cheeses, but not what I call "stinky" cheese. I hated the flavor and the consistency - it would make me very nauseous. As I'm getting older, (24-old, I know) I'm developing more of a taste for many types of cheese, which is very exciting for me because it means I can enjoy wine all the more. I'm trying to be more bold by forcing myself to try more cheese, even if I think I'm not going to like it. I did this at FallFest, and man, oh man, did I like the cheeses from Cheese Plus. You're going to hate me because of this trend I'm starting, but I can't remember exactly which cheeses I tried (still not good with names and types as I'm not a huge cheese connoisseur), but I look at it as though the cheese must have been of very good quality for me to like it. You might be saying, "whatever lady!" My fiance is a huge cheese lover and he seconds my feelings for Cheese Plus. I encourage you to check out Cheese Plus' website and see for yourself. If you live in the San Francisco area, you can check them out in person. The address is on the website.
Again, forgive my ignorance for not remembering specific varieties of wine and cheese. I think it's best if you do a little exploring and discovering on your own-don't solely take my word for it!
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