Lorraine Smith
More than 150 members participated in the Wine Club’s best event of the year! This festival was held in the Sol Ballroom on Oct. 24.
Our members explored seven wine regions and food pairings that exquisitely complimented each of the wines. They traveled around the world with a “passport” where they received a stamp for visiting the region. The regions included: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States.
Their palates were delighted in each region with the following wines and courses:
* Spain: Blanchard Perez Cava Brut; truffled herb Marcona almonds
* Australia: Mollydooker Shiraz the Boxer; saucy barbecue spareribs or saucy barbecue jackfruit (veg.)
* New Zealand: McBride Sisters Sauvignon Blanc; parmesan crusted lamb lollipop or cauliflower risotto with sage-lemon pesto (veg.)
* Austria: Gruner Veltliner Domane Wachau; schnitzel with lemon or Viennese style potato goulash (veg.)
* Argentina: Antigal Uno Malbec; grilled chimichurri cheese finger sandwich (gluten-free option available)
* Italy: Villa Toscana Rosso, Antinori Villa; butternut squash ravioli with red pepper pesto (gluten-free option available)
* Oregon: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Four Graces; grilled salmon salad or grilled tofu salad (veg.)
Our event had some great items as giveaways. Doug Sedam won a wine locker for a year for guessing the correct number of corks in the glass jar—275. There were also numerous winners of dinner gift certificates and bottles of wine.
Dessert, music, dancing, and socializing on the event patio was enjoyed by our members after dinner.
A thank you to Cyndy Pylkka, culinary chair, and Dave Muck, events chair, who coordinated the food menu with the expertise of the Ranch House’s very own Executive Chef Jeremy Imes. Wine advisors Steve Chapman, Kurt Warning, and Chuck Harder did an excellent job of selecting the complimentary wines. An event of this importance takes a lot of helping hands, and the club is fortunate to have volunteers who give of their time and talents. A big thank you to all of them.
The club’s next event is a holiday mixer “Jingle and Mingle” on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Interested in joining? Our web page, www.wineclubofsbr.org, is the portal for all information about the club, including upcoming events and ticket purchases, news, membership directory, event photos, and coming soon—our own store! Click on “ New Member Signup” at the top of the page. You can also contact [email protected] if you have questions before joining.