Life at Willis Creek Ranch: September Wine Night

Saturday, October 23, 2021

September Wine Night

Sept. 16, 2021 - Sauvignon Blanc night

What joy to be together and restarting our very first book study on wine! To think this group got started 3 years ago - Sept. 2018... we have sure had a lot of wonderful times together since then! I'll post the book and kit that got this whole thing going in case you would like to start your own wine club. I highly recommend it!!

The book we followed (at least for the first year) is out of print but there are many good used copies available.

The Wine Club: A Month by Month Guide to Learning About Wine With Friends

https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Club-Month-Month-Learning/dp/0696225433/ref

This book made all the difference when we first started our wine club. It focuses on a different kind of wine each month, devoting a whole chapter to the history of that wine, regions, and even recipes to pair with the wine for tasting. It does all the work for you as you begin to learn! We pull the wine recommendations (various regions usually) and the recipe ideas from the book then assign them out to every person attending. It has been a fantastic experience and is quite duplicatable.

The other thing I purchased that we use every single month is this set of wine bags, wine information cards, and tasting sheets. We don't play the actual game, but we use these items to go along with the book. I also found a pdf version of the wine tasting sheets online so I can continue to print off copies each month. This can go out of stock often, so if this is something you think you would like to do I would recommend purchasing this item as soon as it is available.

All You Need is Wine tasting kit

https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Game-Kit-Blind-Tasting/dp/B003NAAQ4E/ref

If you have any questions about our wine club and how we make it work, feel free to get ahold of me. You should definitely consider starting your own wine club with dear friends! :)

Dana and Andrea wearing their t-shirts from the Hermann wine club field trip.

We had yummy food, as always!

Janet brought this delicious corn soup which was a mix of the two recipes in the book - one cold and one hot. She served it warm and I really liked it a lot!

Dana came a bit early to roast the shrimp in the oven (my new favorite idea!!). The shrimp was served with a simple sauce using parsley from her garden (instead of the tarragon called for in the recipe in the book). So yummy! And this shrimp went with every single Sauvignon Blanc we tried!

Fresh blueberries with lemon curd. Kind of a neat, quick dessert option.

This BLTE salad (with bacon, lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg, blue cheese, and french dressing) pairs very well with Sauvignon Blanc.

Debbie brought this delicious Rosemary Herb bread! Another new favorite!

Andrea brought tomatoes with olive oil and blue cheese. Blue cheese really does pair so nicely with Sauvignon Blanc.

This was our group - I sure do love these ladies!

Jennifer, Lisa, Andrea, Judy, Debbie, Laura, Dana, Janet

#4 on wine tasting sheet Domaine Vincent Careme 2019 Vouvray Spring

#10 on wine tasting sheet - 2020 Wisdom Point Sauvignon Blanc
from South Africa

#5 on wine tasting sheet - 2019 Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc from Chile

#3 on wine tasting sheet - 2018 Les Fuilieres Sancerre

#1 on wine tasting sheet - Beringer Bros.
Tequila Barrel Aged Sauvignon Blanc

#8 on wine tasting sheet - 2019 Secateurs Chenin Blanc
from South Africa

#2 on wine tasting sheet - 2020 Juniper & Oak California Sauvignon Blanc

#7 on wine tasting sheet - 2019 Domaine Masson-Blondelet Pouilly-Fume

#6 on wine tasting sheet - 2020 Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc
from Marlborough New Zealand

#9 on wine tasting sheet - 2018 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Fume Blanc
(with Semillon)

This is what happens when the sun goes down and you aren't quite finished with the evening. :) We were trying to get a good photo of the comparison shots of the different Sauvignon Blancs. The different colors are so fascinating a part of what we like to compare. But you can't really tell anything here - just a general difference in hue. :D

Our silly screen door keeps popping off. Dear Lisa was the first one to have it happen to her this night. We have finally discovered the problem - one of the wheel bases is cracked and so I guess we will have to see if it is repairable or if we have to spring for a whole new screen door. We have put that off until the spring. :D

Here is my wine tasting sheet for Sauvignon Blanc. I liked the ringer (the French Vouvray) the best - just like 3 years ago! ha!

We always watch videos after the tasting that pertain to the varietal of the month. Here are the videos that went with Sauvignon Blanc and Vouvray (the ringer).

Sancerre versus Sauvignon Blanc - Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan