Taste our Terroir – 2017
Taste our Terroir is tomorrow night. This is the annual fundraiser for the Livermore Valley Winegrowers’ Association. It is a friendly competition between our local wineries and restaurants to see who can come up with the best food and wine pairing. This year, there are twenty wineries competing; several other wineries will be pouring tastes in the courtyard or the dessert room.
Taste our Terroir is my favorite Winegrowers’ event. It brings out the best of Livermore Valley as a community of passionate winemakers and foodies, and reflects the creativity and inventiveness that runs through the Valley.
This year we are teaming with Chefs Jason Landas and Celinda Rahn from Forno Vecchio in Pleasanton. Our entry, pictured, is a seared scallop on a bed of candied bacon with a touch of cauliflower puree. The chefs worked long and hard with our winemaker, Dave Hendrickson, to create a small plate that would pair with our 2015 Chardonnay. My job, really, was as a taster – which is perhaps the best position to be in.
As for the Chardonnay: we have the last two cases of this wine reserved for pouring at the event. The 2015 Chardonnay was Dave’s first from harvest to bottle, and it was an immediate hit, selling out within a month of its release last November. For many, Taste our Terroir will be their only chance to experience this wine, and for those lucky enough to have received an allocation, it will be an opportunity to enjoy it one last time.
At last check, a few tickets might remain for the event. Please consider coming – Taste supports an important cause, and gives you a chance to taste some of the Valley’s best foods and wines.
