Tag: Wine

The Sonoma County Wine Auction is an annual chance for vintners to help those in need and celebrate the region’s bounty. But this year, the need for help was close to home—the event focused on rebuilding efforts following last October’s devastating wine-country wildfires. Attendees responded by bidding generously for a collection of world-class wine experiences at the live auction on Saturday, Sept. 22, raising $5.7 million for charity, surpassing last year’s high of $5.2 million.

The auction, held this year at La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard, in Windsor, is one of wine country’s top charity events. Organized by the Sonoma County Vintners, it has raised nearly $35 million since its inception, with proceeds going to more than 70 local nonprofits supporting education, literacy, health and environmental services and the arts.

The theme for this year’s event was revival, with a focus on recovery efforts and building affordable housing for the thousands of local residents who lost their homes during the fires.

“We believed it was really important for this auction to help rebuild and revitalize Sonoma County,” George Hamel Jr., the auction’s honorary chair and founder of Sonoma’s Hamel Family Wines, told Wine Spectator. The fires only damaged a few wineries and vineyards in Sonoma County but they destroyed more than 5,300 homes, including Hamel’s.

Emotions ran high for the annual Fund-a-Need lot, with guests raising their paddles to donate at various price levels to help rebuilding efforts in Sonoma. The Hamel Family Foundation set the tone, donating $300,000. Christopher Jackson of Jackson Family Wines quickly matched that amount on behalf of his company. E. & J. Gallo donated $150,000, while other prominent Sonoma vintners and wineries each bid $100,000.

Chef Nancy Oakes of Boulevard in San Francisco, who was an honoree at the event, got in on the action as well, offering to hold a truffle dinner for guests who agreed to donate $50,000 to the Fund-a-Need lot. Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Shimmon offered to increase the final bid for the lot to an even $2.5 million.

The live auction was the capstone to three days of wine- and food-fueled events. The festivities started Thursday night with a party at Paradise Ridge in the Russian River Valley, a Sonoma winery that was heavily damaged by the fires but has begun rebuilding.

On Saturday, the mood was festive inside the auction tent as 350 wine lovers gathered to celebrate. Auctioneer John Curley entertained the crowd, keeping the energy high and the paddles flying. “There was a feeling in the tent like there has never been before,” said Hamel. “The generosity of the people just blew everyone away.”

Bidding was generous for the top lot, a five-course dinner at the Charles M. Schultz museum and a private concert by Grammy Award winner George Winston, sponsored by Hamel Family Wines. When the gavel fell, 46 couples had paid $10,000 each for the opportunity, for a grand total of $460,000, making it the highest amount raised for a single lot in the auction’s history.

There was a tie for the other two top-grossing lots of the day. Shimmon paid $190,000 for a trip for four to the 2019 men’s Wimbledon final, including accommodations and a dinner with Wimbledon legend Tim Henman. That was matched by a dinner for eight with Nancy Oakes, prepared by fellow chefs, including Gary Danko, Michael Tusk and Tyler Florence, that pulled in $95,000. Oakes then doubled the lot, for a total of $190,000.

The highest wine-only lot came from Michael Browne, owner of Cirq winery and a founder of Kosta Browne, which included a 21-bottle library selection of Pinot Noirs ranging from standard-size bottles up to 5 liters. The winning bid was $80,000. “To have this in our hometown is huge,” said Browne, who noted that the fires brought the community closer together. “It hits close to home for everyone in the community, since everybody knows someone that was affected.”

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Eight ingredients, plus pantry staples. That’s all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you’ve got a feast for family or friends.

Here we have a rare gem of a dish: Not only is it fast and easy, but you can load up your plate because it’s also quite healthy. I love pad thai, but some take-out versions can be packed with calories, fat and sodium. Swapping veggie noodles in for rice noodles lightens the dish in one easy move while giving it a nutritional boost.

I typically make my own veggie noodles at home with a spiralizer; however, certain vegetables can be harder to work with. For speed, I opted for store-bought noodles made from butternut squash, perfect for the transition into fall, as their earthy sweetness is a nice complement to the sweet-savory pad thai sauce. To suit your tastes and the season, you can try this with other squash or root vegetables.

As for the sauce—based on tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar or brown sugar—I also purchased it pre-made for weeknight convenience. (Check the ingredients label to keep an eye on the dish’s total calorie count and sodium content.) But if you have a favorite homemade pad thai sauce recipe, that’s even better.

Pad thai can be customized with add-ins and toppings to your heart’s content. I picked a few items—chiles, bean sprouts, green onions, peanuts, cilantro and lime—but other nuts, bell pepper strips or scrambled egg would all be great options.

On the wine front, I would typically reach straight for an off-dry version of an aromatic white like Riesling or Gewürztraminer to pair with a dish that has a combination of sweet, sour and savory flavors and a touch of heat. However, I thought I’d use this occasion to explore some dry whites: a Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc and a white blend from Côtes du Roussillon in the south of France.

The Sauvignon Blanc’s notes of green apple, bell pepper and lime fit right in with the flavors of the dish and made for a refreshing pairing. The fleshier Roussillon white—a supple blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Macabeu and Marsanne—had notes of melon, golden apple, flowers and spice. While its profile worked with the warm nuttiness of the squash pad thai, the food brought out mineral notes and a crisper texture in the wine. Ultimately, the match brought an extra layer of complexity that made it our favorite of the day.

Butternut Squash Noodle Shrimp “Pad Thai”

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Pair with a white Rhône-style blend such as M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon White Les Vignes de Bila-Haut 2016 (90 points, $15).

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Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Approximate food costs: $29

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 24 ounces (about 4 1/2 cups) butternut squash noodles
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 serrano chiles, seeds and ribs removed
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 6 ounces pad thai sauce, store-bought or homemade
• 3 to 4 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed (optional, for garnish)
• 1 or 2 limes, quartered (optional)
• 1/4 cup lightly chopped cilantro (optional, for garnish)
• canola oil or peanut oil

1. Heat a small amount of cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.

2. If needed, wipe the pan and/or add a little more oil. Add the garlic and chiles to the pan, cook for about 30 seconds, then add the squash noodles. Cook for about 7 minutes over medium to medium-high heat until the noodles are nearly tender, tossing frequently. Add the bean sprouts and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan, then add the pad thai sauce gradually, stirring gently until all the noodles are sufficiently coated to your taste and everything is warmed through.

3. Serve the noodle mixture in bowls and garnish with the green onions, cilantro, crushed peanuts and lime quarters, if using. Serves 4.

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These will be the BEST NACHOS of your life! Topped with everyone’s favorite Korean beef, caramelized kimchi + a Sriracha mayo drizzle!

This is why September is one of my favorite months.

Nope, it’s not because it’s the start of the Fall season, the cooler weather, or the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks.

No, it’s because, hello, it’s GAME DAY season! Which means we have every excuse to have nachos all day everyday. I mean, there’s college football Saturdays, NFL football Sundays, and some other games on Monday and Thursday nights. It’s basically on all the time.

Hence. We need nachos all the time.

And what better way to have nachos than when it’s smothered in melted cheese, everyone’s favorite Korean beef, caramelized kimchi, and a Sriracha mayo drizzle.

Nope, there’s no better way.

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