“She would put on ‘Dallas,’ or whatever soap opera she was watching at the time, and me and my sister would snap peas with her, and she would tell us weird stories about Arkansas.” His parents carried on the tradition of cooking and hosting, throwing tea parties for his sister: “They would have all the weird English tea dishes,” he remembers, “like pickles wrapped with ham and mayonnaise.”Ĭarter didn’t like the mayonnaise (still doesn’t, in fact), but his love of food has endured through many adventures in his adult life. “We’d shell peas with my grandma in the living room,” Carter recalls. You might say that Carter was raised with cooking in his blood: His mother’s parents were sharecroppers in Arkansas before moving to the East Bay.When Stephen and his sister were growing up, the entire family gathered at the grandparents’ house for big, celebratory Sunday dinners. As Kelly Mariani, Scribe’s chef and Carter’s former Chez Panisse colleague puts it, “I feel like Stephen’s lived many lives.” But in fact, tending the vegetables and fruit trees and chickens at the scenic Sonoma Valley vineyard is just his latest endeavor. During the Prohibition era, it became a bootlegger’s hideaway, actually becoming a popular speakeasy and brothel drawing in men from all over the area.Now, looking around the grounds of Scribe Winery, at Carter’s neatly planted rows of radicchio and chard and dandelion greens, ferny-leafed cardoons and sculptural puntarelle, finger-like fava beans and vivid purple cauliflowers, it’s hard to believe that Stephen Carter hasn’t always been growing radicchio and chard and, well, everything else. Originally the site of the property owner’s home in the 1800s, the existing hacienda was established in its place after the original burned down. Tasting Fee: $25 for 4 wines and fruit/cheese plateįun Fact: There’s a 100-year old Hacienda on the property that’s being restored and renovated, which will eventually be a cool place for club members and events. Now that’s some real farm-to-picnic table pairing! Thanks for the great day, Trey! The Armenian cucumbers with sea salt and chile flakes were literally picked fresh that morning. I loved how the tasting was done outside in a down-to-earth setting, paired with good music and fruits/veggies that were grown onsite in the garden. It had well-integrated spice, earth and fruit on the palate. Big on pineapple and tropical fruits, the wine had a nice lingering finish. We really enjoyed the 2013 Scribe Pinot Noir Carneros ($42), which was made from grapes that came from 28-year old vines. The second was the 2013 Scribe Skin Fermented Chardonnay ($38), which had skin contact for 3 months then was aged in neutral oak. An unoaked, non-buttery Chard – yay – that was pretty well balanced. The first, 100% stainless steel 2012 Scribe Chardonnay ($45), which had notes of apple blossom and quince. Great for summer food pairings! Next, we tasted two different Chardonnays. Very dry, the wine had beautiful fruit on the palate and nice acidity. We first started with the 2012 Scribe Riesling ($38), which had nice honeysuckle and white peach nectar aromas. To start our tasting, Trey (whom I met at Pebble Beach Food & Wine) sat down with us to walk us through the wines. It’s informal, relaxed and draws a younger, more hip clientele to hang out and take in the view. Thinking of themselves as farmers more than winemakers (they actually grew up on a farm and come from a family of farmers), they’ve set out to recreate the tasting experience in California and I totally get the appeal. The tastings take place on picnic tables amongst beautiful oak trees on a hill overlooking the valley below. An old turkey farm left abandoned, it was a broken-down piece of land completely overrun with weeds and dilapidated sheds. After a lot of work renovating and replanting, the winery opened its doors in 2009 (officially in 2011) and has grown in popularity ever since. The vibe is intimate and chill yet hip (you won’t find a giant sterile tasting room here). Brothers Adam and Andrew Mariani, the owners and winemakers, bought the property just outside of downtown Sonoma several years ago. If you’ve never heard of this place, listen up. This time around, though, instead of packing in too many wineries and restaurants, we tried a more relaxed approach and took our time. Even though I’ve been to the area over a dozen times, I still feel like there’s never enough time to get to all the places I want to. I mean, why not? Now, we all know there are A TON of wineries in Napa and Sonoma. To keep the momentum of our newly engaged bliss going strong, Nick and I headed to Sonoma / Napa for 3 days this past weekend to taste some vino and enjoy the beauty of wine country.
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