Anne Amie Vineyards, Carlton Oregon

Wine Events this weekend: San Francisco, Anderson Valley and Minnesota!

 We are excited to be a part of THREE great wine events this weekend. 

Saturday, February 20th - 5th Annual International Alsace Varietals Festival, Anderson Valley California

If you’re in and around Anderson Valley, CA this weekend, Thomas and I will be pouring our pinot gris, riesling, muller-thurgau and pinot noir at the Grand Tasting at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville.  Stop by and say hello and enjoy ours and other Alsace-style wines from around the world, plus food and music.

Tickets are $65 and are still available online at Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association.

 

Saturday, February 20th - The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting, San Francisco, California

This incredible tasting showcases gold medal wines from over 4,800 entries of over 1,200 wineries throughout the United States.   Our 2006 Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir was given the gold so it will be featured!  The tasting is held at the Fort Mason Center and is much more than just a wine tasting – it’s a wine and food experience. Featured at this event will be a sampling of hand crafted creations from premier artisan food purveyors, which will include award winning artisan breads, savory meats, exotic oils, hand crafted cheeses, delicious desserts, sumptuous sauces, and other exquisite delicacies. Enjoy!

Tickets are $60 in advance or $80 at the door.  To purchase, click here. 

February 18-21 – Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Last but definitely not least we are very excited to be part of the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience.  We are new to Minnesota so go out and taste the new kid on the block!  Anne Amie’s Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir will be featured at the reserve tasting on Saturday at the Convention Center.  Enjoy a weekend of lip smacking, glass clinking, celebrity watching, swishing, swirling, mouthwatering events! You won’t want to miss the fine wines, specialty beers and delicious gourmet food sampling! Increase your food and wine IQ from some of the country’s best chefs, authors and wine professionals. Plus, shop for the latest culinary products, gadgets and more! All tickets are limited, so put your snow shovel aside and warm up your taste buds at the most delicious weekend of the year.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Thanks to our distributor partners and loyal customers for all of the support!

Cheers,

Kim

 

Willamette Valley Wineries Block Party in Seattle

 

Join Viticulturist Jason Tosch and I along with 50 other Oregon wineries in Seattle on March 11th for an evening of Willamette Valley wines. 

Enjoy this unique opportunity to taste the wines of 50+ Oregon wineries, both large and small, at Willamette Valley Wineries first tasting in Seattle. Meet the faces behind the wine in a casual and personal setting. Winery owners and winemakers will showcase their current releases including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and other cool-climate varietals. Wines will be complemented by delicious Pinot-friendly appetizers featuring regionally sourced ingredients from sustainably focused producers.

Join the Block Party! Get to know the Willamette Valley’s special wines and enjoy a taste of our unique place.

Date: Thursday, March 11, 2010
5:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Sodo Park by Herban Feast
3200 1st Avenue South, Seattle WA (one mile south of Safeco Field)
Tickets: $45* (before March 1st)
              $55* after March 1st and at Door
*plus handling fee

To purchase tickets visit the Willamette Valley Wineries Association website or click here.

Note: Tickets will be mailed starting February 1. Tickets are non-refundable after February 14, 2010. Tickets are limited and the event can sell out. Advance purchase is highly recommended. This event involves the tasting of alcoholic beverages. Ticketholders must be 21 years of age or older.
If you have any issues purchasing tickets online or have questions, please call 503-297-2962 or email us at [email protected].

Trade Tasting: Trade tasting will take place from 2-5pm on March 11. Click here for more information and to reserve a space (advance reservations required).

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!

Anne Amie Harvest - Live Web Cam

Click on the photo to see 'Live' footage from our crush pad camera. 

Video is only displayed in Inter net Explorer at this time.
Please allow pop-ups. Safari, Firefox, Opera browsers are not supported.

Whidbey Island Washington

I have a very bad habit of taking photos while I'm driving.  It's terribly easy to get carried away with the pacific northwest sunsets.  The photo above is one I took on my way to Whidbey Island, Washington a few weeks back when I was headed up for an in- store tasting with Cole from our WA distributor, Cascade Trade. 

Whidbey Island is simply gorgeous.  The south island and more specifically Langley is a sweet little town full of artists, amazing shops and restaurants and you can feel the sense of community the moment you get off the ferry.  Cole and I started our Saturday morning at Useless Bay Coffee Company where we sat out in the sunshine and enjoyed coffee and live music before heading to the tasting. The in store tasting was at Vino Amore a great little wine shop owned by husband and wife team Brian and Gail pictured behind the bar below (who are not only entrepreneurs but great local actors as well!). 

After our day of tasting we headed to the wonderful Prima Bistro where we were joined by Chef Sieb Jurriaans and Star Store owner Gene Felton.  I didn't get to spend nearly enough time there but thankfully it's very close so I'll be back.  For all of you looking for a peaceful little getaway, Whidbey's the place - and drink some Anne Amie wine while you're there!

Thanks to Cole, Brian & Gail and Chef Sieb for a fantastic day on Whidbey!

P.S. Congratulations to Cole (pictured below on our ferry ride back to the mainland) and his wife on the arrival of their first child - Camile Rose Ratliff a couple weeks ago!

The Splendid Table

 

The Splendid Table is a one-hour program on American Public Media that celebrates culinary, culture, and lifestyle giving public radio listeners a fresh take on their love of food and drink.  A few weeks ago host Lynne Rossetto Kasper (pictured left), producer Sally Swift and a group of excited foodies came to tour the Willamette Valley and enjoy the bounty of our region. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tour kicked off with a wine tasting on the roof of the Ecotrust building in Portland on one of the hottest days of the summer (yesterday and today being the hottest). 

With the Oregon Wine Board (OWB) as their guide, the guests sampled wines from A to Z/Rex Hill, Anne Amie, Brick House, Broadley Vineyards, Raptor Ridge and Soter Vineyards.

Above Thomas and I try to to keep stay cool while pouring our 2007 Cuvée A Amrita, 2007 Cuvée A Rosé and 2005 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  Pictured below is Thomas alongside the lovely and talented Stephany Boettner of OWB.

Team West LA

A few weeks back our amazing West Los Angeles Henry Wine Group sales team lead by Regional Manager Jenna Chevigny visited us for an afternoon at the winery.  Pictured above is winemaker Thomas Houseman with the dream team after tasting through the 2007 pinot noir barrels. 

eRobertParker.com's Dr. Jay Miller

It's summertime in Oregon and that means visitors a plenty.  A few weeks ago we were paid a visit by Dr. Jay Miller from eRobertParker.com.  Jay is from Maryland so we waxed poetic about east coast restaurants and blue crabs (yes people I like them better than Dungeness).  We tasted through our 2007 white wines which were perfect for this warm day before taking him through our barrels from beginning to end of harvest.  Good timing because now our blends are finished and there's no more messing around in the cellar.  Dr. Jay paused for a quick photo with Thomas and I before heading off in his appropriately rented convertible.  Jay currently covers the wines of Oregon, Washington, Spain, Australia, South America and Greece.  It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it.  Cheers to you Jay!

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