Jetting off to Seattle Washington for IFBC 2013 in Seattle from Sep 19-22, 2013. Very excited to visit Seattle again and hopeful I’ll get re-energized with my blogging. Summer has taken a toll on my desire to cook.
The main point of heading to IFBC 2013 early to join an excursion to Chateau Ste Michelle. I have to go to pay my respects to the winery that gave me my first wine love, its Reisling. I was barely a drinker of anything alcoholic and when I did imbibe it was rum & pineapple. At some point after 1991, I tried a Chateau Ste Michelle wine, fell in love and it’s been a fun ride ever since. I seldom drink Chateau St Michelle now but I can’t forget my first love, who can?
Arrived SEATEC and took the light rail into downtown. Gosh, love these! I’m happy that LA finally has a metro to downtown but a train to LAX would be fantastic. Just enough time to grab a quick lunch before the bus headed out to Chateau St Michelle.
Without much detail, let’s say I had to TELL my server I wasn’t paying for my sushi because of the fruit flies all over it. Really? Why would I pay $20 for a roll I’m not eating and you, Miss Server, clearly saw the 4-5 fruit flies flying and landing on it. Ugh.
Could only get better.
Waiting to board
A lively group boarded the bus, heading to the winery. Chateau Ste Michelle is approximately 15 miles SE of Seattle and the day was perfect!
Mount Rainer from the bus
Folks living in Washington warned us visitors that the weather was atypical. Atypical or not, I see why people fall in love with Seattle, its greenery and its water.
Woodinville, Washington would make a great day trip for wine tasting! Even with rush hour traffic (3p?), we arrived at the vineyard in less than 35 minutes.
Chateau Ste Michelle
Turning into the winery grounds was being transported to a chateau in France. Such a welcoming feel as we drove down the drive. The welcome continued with our tour guides graciously offering glasses of Domaine Ste Michelle Brut Rose, a refreshing salmon colored bubbly. If you’ve ever gone on a wine making tour in France, then you’ll appreciate the similarities. Wine is wine everywhere in the world!
It was the end of the tour that impressed me. The group was treated to a wine/food pairing session with John Sarich, Culinary Director. What a charming highly knowledgeable man with a clear passion for Chateau Ste Michelle wines. I found his approach to pairing food and wine more open than most pairing rules. One quote “There’s hardly a food that doesn’t go with Riesling.” I’d agree with that!
Wine Pairing
The wines were delicious and perfectly paired with John’s appetizers. I fell in love with the lamb and hummus appetizer, can’t wait to try that recipe from John’s cookbook. Oh yeah, the parting gift was a signed copy of John’s latest cookbook, “Chef in the Vineyard.”
The lively group settled down for naps on the return trip to Seattle.
Sunset over the Lake, Seattle
What a start to IFBC 2013, spending an afternoon with my first love and finding it’s still something special. Thank you Chateau Ste Michelle.
