AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY                          

a non-profit corporation

 
2006 Officers

President: Fred & Molly Fant                      (585) 225-3029

Secretary: John & Mimi Bacilek                   (585) 227-2080

Treasurers: Richard & Pamela Hemmenway    (585) 392-0046

           

March 2006     ROCHESTER CHAPTER NEWSLETTER    Volume 32, No. 3 www.awsrochester.org

 

Wines of the Sierra Foothills

March 11, 2006

 

 

#

Year

Wine

Price

Votes

Foods

Comments

 

 

 

 

 

F

M

 

·       

 

E

2004

Montevina Pinot Gris California

$10

1

0

 

·      Double gold California state fair

Flight 1

1

2004

Sobon Estate Voignier Amador County

$15.50

2

0

·      Fig halves

·      Sourdough Bread

·      Full-bodied.  Warm days and cool nights cool the grapes at night – cooler than Napa.  Barrel fermented – old French and American Barrels.  Alchohol = 14%

Flight 2

2

 

 

2001

Terra d’Oro Syrah Amador County

$20

1

1

·      Smoked Bratwurst (Swan’s Meat Market, Parsell’s Ave; Jarlsberg; Corn Bread

·      ‘Stellarness’ – great wine with great fruit with earth friendliness

3

2002

Sobon Estate Syrah Shenandoah Valley

$14

1

4

·      Generally viewed as a brighter, livelier wine.

Flight 3

4

2003

Shenandoah Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel Amador County

$10

1

1

·      Yancy’s Cheddar (Tops)

·       

5

2004

Sobon Estate ‘Hillside’ Zinfandel Amador County

$10

3

4

·      Sobon founding father of wine movement in the Sierra Foothills.  Winery is a National Historic monument

Flight 4

6

2004

Sobon Estate ‘Old Vine’ Zinfandel Amador County

$13

11

10

·      Hungarian ham pancakes

·      San Joaquin is filled with old vines

7

 

 

2003

Sobon Estate Zinfandel Fiddletown

$20

11

11

·      Soils of decomposed granite which holds water.  Humidity is low, great sunlight: 1200 – 2000 feet.  Snow pack does not melt completely in summer.  Low nitrogen yields small canopy.

Flight 5

8

2000

Terra d’Oro SHR Field Blend Zinfandel

 

Their premier vineyard

$24

11

16

·      Fiscalini, San Joaquin Gold Cheese (Wegmans); Smoked Yugoslavian garlic sausage (Swan’s Meat Market)

·      Field Blend: blend created in the vineyard so that none was required in the cellar  - some grapes have turned raisins while other varieties are unripened 15% Alch. (SHR = School House Road)  Closed Bouquet – opened beautifully

9

 

 

2002

Renwood Grandmere  (means Grandmother) Zinfandel

$30

10

12

·      Sourced from oldest vines in area. Blends in the cellar, not the vineyard

 

All the wines at our tasting were from Amador county in the Sierra Foothills.

 The major wine producing areas in the Sierra Foothills are in El Dorado, Calaveras and Amador Counties.

 El Dorado, Calaveras and Amador counties are all in northern California, almost directly east of San Francisco.

 El Dorado is the furthest north and east, so it is at a higher elevation. Calaveras is south of Amador.

 On the AVAs - The AVA Sierra Foothills includes Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras counties. El Dorado County is an AVA and there is a smaller part of El Dorado, Fairplay, which is its own AVA. Amador County has two AVAs, Shenandoah Valley and Fiddletown.

 Amador summers are compared to St. Helena, a town in Napa. Calistoga is a town in Napa that is north of St. Helena. It is warmer in Calistoga than it is in St. Helena or Amador.

 Leon Sobon is considered by many to be the father of the "modern" wine movement in Amador County. Wine has been produced in Amador since the Gold Rush. There were one or two others who also came to Amador in the 70s to make wine. Most people consider Sobon to be the most influential.

 Lee's first estate winery was Shenandoah Valley. Later, when the D'Agostini winery was for sale, Lee bought the property and began producing the Sobon label. He now owns two separate properties and produces two labels, Shenandoah and Sobon.

 D'Agostini came to Amador from Italy in 1914 and by 1920 he was the sole owner of a winery that had been around since the Gold Rush. It is this winery, which is now owned by Sobon, that is the National Historic Monument.

 

Information of the Sourdough Bread, and how to get a starter(from Jan Klapetzky and Elmeda Payne)

A sourdough starter is a wild yeast living in a batter of flour and liquid. Active dry yeast, the kind we can buy in packets at Wegman's, is a domesticated descendant of these wild relatives, one which has been grown for flavor, speed of growth and predictability. However, domestic yeasts are much more fragile and can't be grown at home.

 Without any packets of active dry yeast, sourdough starter was very important. To the early prospectors, it was such a valued possession (almost more than the gold they were seeking), that they slept with it on frigid winter nights to keep it from freezing, earning the name sourdoughs.

 Sourdough starters are available from a number of sources including the link below from King Arthur Flour. They describe it as: "Our Classic New England Sourdough Starter, descended from ancestors that have been bubbling away right here in New England for over 250 years!" It requires periodic "feeding" with flour and water to keep the fermentation going. A quantity is then mixed with more flour, water, and other bread ingredients, allowed to rise, then baked conventionally in an oven or bread machine. The sourdough mix imparts the characteristic taste. We used a bread recipe that came with the starter. It did call for some added dry yeast to ensure adequate rising.  http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/items/Sourdough_Starter___Classic.html

Hungarian Pancakes with Minced Ham (from Pat Hemmenway)

(Sonkas Palacsinta)

 

1 C cold milk                 1 C cold water

4 eggs                          1 tsp salt

2 C sifted flour   3/8 C melted margarine

            Beat milk, water, eggs, and salt. Gradually add flour, beating constantly until smooth. Add melted margarine. The consistency should be that of heavy cream. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Ham filling

1 pound smoked ham, minced    4 eggs separated

1 C sour cream                          salt, pepper

            Mix ham, egg yolks, and sour cream. Beat egg whites until stiff, fold into ham mixture. Season to taste

                        3/8 C buttered bread crumbs for topping

 

 Lightly grease skillet, heat to smoking, pour batter just to coat, browning lightly on each side.  Put pancake in baking dish, spread ham filling and top with another pancake. Keep warm in a slow oven (300 degrees) while continuing making and stacking pancakes. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes, until filling is set. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes eight servings.

            Can be made into tiny pancakes for an appetizer.

            Pancakes can be made ahead and filled when ready to

heat and serve.

 

Corn Bread Strips(from Pat Hemmenway)

 

2 C biscuit mix  1 can (8 ˝ oz.) cream-style corn

4 T melted margarine

 

            Combine biscuit mix and corn in a bowl until mixture forms a ball. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times, dough will still be slightly sticky. butter hands and pat into a 10 inch by 6 inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise and then into 10 slices to total 20 strips. Roll in margarine and place on a greased baking pan. Bake at 450 degree preheated oven for about 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.