Anne Amie Vineyards, Carlton Oregon

Oh Harvest Chef, how do we love thee…

Meet Charron O’Brien. 

Charron is our amazing harvest chef who is completing her final internship for NECI with us and for this we are thankful.

Just a few of the dishes we’ve enjoyed so far…

chevre + arugula salad with peaches, fresh picked blackberries + local hazelnuts

 

steamed mussels in pinot blanc

salmon + baby bok choy

charcuterie plates

happy employees

View more photos and updates on harvest via the Anne Amie facebook page.

Thank you Charron!

 

Anne Amie Pizza Friday!

Every Friday we bring in our leftovers and challenge each other to a pizza-off.  Today we were joined by our friends John Merritt from Frontier Packaging and Cinematographer Ben Garvey who is the producer of the Oregon Pinot Camp movie. 

John, Ksandek, Ben, Jason, Thomas & Annie in preparation mode

Katie’s garlic spears + cream sauce vs. Kim’s jalapeno sesame seed surprise

guest appearance by house band “ethyl acetate”

ben + thomas face off with tim + katie

shadow + henk wait for scraps!

  

    

thomas, jason, henk + kim

  

dedication + concentration

 

= perfection

PS - tonight we have the first of our flicks ‘n flights series.  we’ll be showing the movie amelie.  join us at dusk.  who knows, there might be left over pizza.  it’s free + you’re all welcome.  we will have wine for sale along with charcuterie plates. 

for more info call us at 503-864-2991

happy friday!

Labor Day Wine Deal and Lunching on Leftovers

Thomas glided into the kitchen lead by his nose, and eyes growing wider with each advancing step asked, “What are you making?”

“My favorite,” I replied, “leftover surprise.”

“I don’t really have a recipe, I was just going to see what I could come up with,” was my response to his eagerly growing interest in lunch. 

“Shall I see what I can forage from the garden?” Thomas asked, and was already out through the door before I could respond. 

30 minutes, a sunburst squash, one handful of fresh savory and thyme, two zucchini, and some leftover veggie stock later, and we had ourselves a nice end-of-summer stew close to completed. As we rummaged around the kitchen looking for that one missing ingredient that would transform our stew into something special, we found ourselves involved in a conversation that I frequently try to incite when Thomas is around. “What can I learn today about winemaking that I don’t know yet?”

The conversation turned towards the dark and oenologically-sinister when Thomas began describing how wines develop symptoms of reduction; those unpleasant rubbery, often overwhelming, odors that mask everything else in the wine.

“Reduction, great idea!”

My exclamation was met with a glare from Thomas implying that no good can possibly come from even a little bit of reduction.

In the cellar it will ruin the final product. In the kitchen, however, reduction is a whole different story. I quickly began ladling the sumptuous but thin stock into a shallow pan, and turned the heat up to high. 

“This is going to make a great sauce!”   

It took about 10 minutes to get the stock to reduce down to a nice thick sauce. All the flavors condensed into a rich, sweet, tangy, deep flavored red-brown sauce. We spooned the stewed veggies into bowls, crumbled some Willamette Valley Cheese Co. Fontina all over, and then spooned the hot reduction sauce over it all to melt the cheese. A little fresh basil from the garden to finish it all off and there was only one thing left to decide. Which one of our wines were we going to taste with this perfect summer dish? 

Thomas reached for the ’07 Rosé and I grabbed some ‘07 Amrita and we washed our lunches down sip by sip. For a casual lunch made of leftovers and garden-fresh veggies, this was an incredibly satisfying lunch. It also became very clear that we could have served any of our white wines with this summery stew. Our ‘07 Müller Thurgau and ‘07 Pinot Gris were equally great matches, each enhancing the dish in their own way. 

The crisp, clean, summer wines made such a simple meal into something special. It was easy and fun to throw everything together, and was a good reminder of why I like working here.

We can’t share our lunch with everyone but we can make it easier to see how great these wines are with your own summer fare. From now through Labor Day we will be selling 4 packs of Pinot Gris, Amrita, Müller Thurgau, and our Pinot Noir Rosé for just $50.

 

The forecast calls for warm weather this Labor Day Weekend, and we have chilled wines ready for you, just bring your picnic and we’ll see you in the tasting room or out on the terrace.

                                             

Cheers,

Ksandek Podbielski
Director of Hospitality.

It's Muller Time

A couple weeks ago we were excited to host Arkansas' beautiful Capital Hotel Sous Chef Travis McConnell and his lovely wife Carla at the winery for lunch. If you've been following the blog, you'll remember that Thomas spent time there earlier this year for a charity dinner featuring the cuisine of Emeril Lagasse paired with wines from several wineries.

This was a chance for us to show off our culinary skills with a Thomas Houseman original. 

What prompted this dish was a recent visit from journalist Liza Zimmerman and her good friend (and now ours!) Victor from the Ritz-Carlton in Miami pictured above with Thomas, Liza and Business Operations Director, Tim Lamers.

Serves 2

Victor’s Snapper

 

Victor of the Miami Ritz Carlton inspired this recipe.  Victor visited recently and got me thinking of growing up in Florida.  I remember the fishing boats coming in loaded with fresh snapper from the Gulf of Mexico.  His visit also brought up memories of plucking kumquats off our bush and popping them into my mouth, also of eating fresh avocado like apples.  This is my interpretation.  It fuses the tastes of my childhood fused with my love for grilling.  When I was in New Zealand I found excuses to grill almost every night.  I believe everything tastes better if cooked outdoors- from potatoes to pizza.  This also utilizes the philosophy of drinking the wine with the dish that is also the same wine the food is marinated in.  Not the actual marinate, mind you, but the same wine.  Since the wine marinade is low pH it undergoes a partial enzymatic “cooking”  of the fish before being seared in a hot cast-iron skillet to lock in the flavors! YUM!

 

2 medium-sized red snapper fillets

1 cup 2007 Anne Amie Muller Thurgau

2 tbs sweet chili sauce

2 garlic cloves

4 kumquats, seeded and cut into strips

1tlbs + tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pinch sel de mer

1tsp fresh Mexican tarragon (French tarragon will do)

 

Put fillets in a medium sized stainless steel mixing bowl. Put all ingredients in the bowl over the fillets with exception of the 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil.   Heat bbq to 425-450.  Put an 8-inch cast iron skillet in with 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil to pre –heat until oil glistens (bout 5 min.). When skillet is hot put fillets and marinade in skillet.  Cover.  Cook 3-5 minutes until flesh is cooked throughout, but moist.  Drink with remaining Muller Thurgau.

 

Pictured below from left is viticulturist Jason Tosch, Travis and Carla, winemaker Thomas Houseman and associate winemakers Andy Gribskov and Tammie Crawford.

 

With summer finally here, now is the perfect time for you to create your own recipe using our 2007 Muller Thurgau!

Enjoy!

Kim

A Visit with Appellation America's Alan Goldfarb

Last week, journalist Alan Goldfarb from Appellation America and friends descended upon the Willamette Valley and stopped in to have a nice lunch with us.  Pictured above is winemaker Thomas Houseman and me with Alan, Carl & Scott (l to r).  This was their 11th annual wine country tour together and we were honored to be a part of it!

Chanterelle Bread Pudding

Here in wine country we usually think of grapes when it comes to harvest season, but in Oregon it also means something else – mushrooms. Oregon is rich is earthy flavored things from pinot noir, truffles to mushrooms. Among the incredibly wide range of mushrooms available here, the chanterelle is among the finest and most sought after. This bread pudding works wonderfully as a main course or side dish in a more dramatic meal. This dish is perfect with our Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups cleaned and sliced chanterelle mushrooms

1 medium diced onion

6 stalks sliced celery (thin but not too thin)

5 cloves garlic – minced

5 cups cubed, crusty rustic bread a day or two old

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups cream

1 cup milk

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in large sauté pan and sauté gently for two minutes; add celery and sauté for two more minutes. Add garlic and toss for one minute and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, bread cubes, chopped herbs, salt and pepper then mix in the mushroom mixture and set aside.

Butter a baking dish.

Wisk the cream, milk, eggs and egg yolks in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the bread mixture and mix gently, but completely.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and push down gently.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes, but do not overcook so as not to dry out the egg custard.

Serves 6 as a main course or 12 as a side dish.