Kick Off Spring with Oregon’s Best Cheese & Wine!
By Regina Vaccari
Calling all fine cheese and wine lovers! Kick off spring with Ledger David this weekend at Le Petit Tasting Room in Central Point as we celebrate the 11th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival. It’s always a busy, fun time during this annual event, held this year at the Rogue Creamery, Saturday, March 14 from 10am-5pm. To complete their culinary experience, event attendees make it a tradition to stop at the Artisan Corridor’s neighboring wine and chocolate shops. That’s where we come in!
We’ll be open from noon-5pm to greet you with a selection of your favorite wines paired with warm tomato soup and clam chowder, and fresh baked bread. Don’t miss live music from local artists from 1-4pm. If you’re heading over to the big tent at the Creamery, stop by and see David & Deanna!
Ledger David is honored to have been selected as one of four wineries featured at the pre-event Cheese Maker Dinner the night prior to the festival, on Friday, March 13. Our 2011 Orion’s Nebula is being paired with Braised Kurobuta Pork Cheeks with a Bing Cherry Infused Pan Jus, Fresh Mozzarella (Face Rock Creamery Curds), Grilled Ciabatta, Arugula & Hazelnut Oil.
We stopped to talk to event organizers about the event. We found out that Southern Oregon (actually Central Point) is the birthplace of the Oregon Cheese Guild, which was founded in 2006. Rogue Creamery was the site of the first Oregon Cheese Guild Benefit Dinner and the first Oregon Cheese Festival.
The event features a unique menu, an opportunity to learn about some of the finest cheese in Oregon directly from the cheesemakers (OSU Creamery, Face Rock Creamery, Ancient Heritage & Fern’s Edge Goat Dairy) as well as an opportunity to learn about Oregon wines from the winemakers. All event proceeds benefit the Oregon Cheese Guild.
For more info, visit www.oregoncheeseguild.org.
Cheers!
Pomme Rösti Served with Ledger David 2013 Viognier
By Robert Trottmann
Serves 4
Pomme Rösti or röschti is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes. It was originally a common breakfast eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but today is eaten all over Switzerland and also in many restaurants in the western world. Many Swiss people consider rösti a national dish. Today, rather than considering it only for breakfast, it is more commonly served to accompany other dishes such as “Spinat und Spiegelei” (spinach and fried eggs, sunny side up), cervelas or Fleischkäse. It is also a dish one can order in many Swiss restaurants to replace the standard side dish of any given meal.
This is a real comfort food dish. I served it with poached eggs, a dollop of sour cream and a side of asparagus. This is an in between time for seasonal cooking at my house as things start to get going in my gardens. Potatoes are readily available and in honor of my new chicks in the coop, the poached eggs seem a fitting tribute to springs arrival. All of these are delightful served with Ledger David 2013 Viognier. A perfect pairing, simple and delicious!
Ingredients:
4 medium sized potatoes
2 tsp. salt
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup melted butter
Directions:
Coarsely grate the potatoes and place in ice water until thoroughly chilled. Lay the potatoes out onto a cloth and roll them up to thoroughly squeeze out the moisture. Put the potatoes into a mixing bowl and pour the melted butter over them. Add salt and pepper. Toss until the butter and salt and pepper are evenly distributed on the potatoes. Place the potatoes evenly into a 10” diameter cast iron skillet on medium high heat and cook on one side until crispy and golden brown, flip and repeat until both sides are equally browned. It is divine!
To poach an egg (it is so easy):
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place one tablespoon of water in a muffin tin cup (you can make as many poached eggs as you have spaces in your tin). I like to add a dash of melted butter to my egg but it is not necessary. Put one egg per muffin tin cup and cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minute depending on how well done you like your egg.
Serve immediately. I like asparagus, collards, chard, kale, spinach or other cooked leafy greens as a side. You can top the potatoes with sour cream, Greek yogurt, and chives. Other toppings that are wonderful are pickled vegetables. Get creative and enjoy!
Trends in Vineyard Management Include Using Birds of Prey for Pest Control
By Winemaker Kiley Evans
Every year the entire Oregon wine industry gathers to discuss all things marketing, sales, business, vineyard, and yes, wine. The peak is the Awards Dinner during which members of the state’s wine industry are recognized for their contributions to the advancement of Oregon wine. Ledger David’s award-winning 2011 Orion’s Nebula red blend was fortunate enough to be selected by a team of talented Oregon sommeliers as one of ten wines served at the dinner.
The Oregon Wine Board scheduled lectures on subjects ranging from using drones to gain perspective on vineyard management impacts to business succession planning. The most interesting lecture I attended featured insights into different fermentation vessels comparing stainless steel tanks, wood tanks, concrete vats, and clay amphorae. The textural differences were remarkable owing mainly to the different air permeation rates for each material. Concrete, oak, and clay all “breathe” to different degrees whereas stainless steel is completely airtight. That subtlety has a big impact on how wines develop mouthfeel during fermentation. Another interesting session focused on how viticultural practices can impact the pace of fruit ripening. An experimental vineyard site harvested fruit at similar ripeness levels on three different days called “early”, “middle”, and “late.” After identical fermentation and aging protocols the wines exhibited similar color and aromatic profiles, but the level of extract and tannin was significantly different between the three treatments. The early harvest was light and elegant, the middle harvest was richer and more intensely flavored while the late harvest was deep and broodingly structured with obvious ageability.
In addition to lectures, the symposium included an extensive Exhibit Hall featuring everything wine-related from tractors to wine bottle labels to winery floor coating options, but the most interesting booth contained bird roosts. That’s right.
There is a company that specializes in an unique form of bird control. Some migratory birds such as Robins, Starlings, and Cedar Waxwings are ravenous feeders that absolutely love ripe grapes. A flock of any of these can consume several tons of fruit in just a few hours. Many control methods use distress calls or propane gas cannons to scare birds away or nets to cover the fruit. A novel biological method to control these pests that is completely sustainable and has nearly zero impact is to use birds of prey to literally chase the pest birds out of the vineyard. Using imported Asian falcons (domestic birds of prey are protected species and as such cannot be legally domesticated for use) this company will come to your vineyard and use their trained falcons to chase out other birds. Having seen this in operation I can say it is really interesting to see how a single small falcon can have such enormous impact.
I always enjoy the time with friends that I don’t see often, as well as meeting new people. Here’s to another great Oregon Wine Industry Symposium and a big thank you to the organizers for putting together a fantastic educational program!
Spring Wine Club Pick Up
Join Ledger David Cellars for our spring Primoris Wine Club pick up party March 20-22 at Le Petit Tasting Room. Celebrate the release of our newest wines including 2012 Estate Tempranillo and 2012 Epitome of Three. This adventurous red blend recently took home a silver award at the reputable 2015 San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition. Other wine club selections include our latest vintage 2013 Viognier – perfect for spring wine parings.
Enjoy these wines with small bites from Pomodori Bistro & Wine Bar all weekend. We’re staying open a little late on Friday and Saturday just for wine club members. If you come Sunday, don’t miss local blue grass band Not Too Shabby from 2-4pm!
Event Hours: Fri. & Sat., noon-6pm | Sun., noon-5pm
BILLING INFO:
Please let us know if your billing information has changed. Call Heather Hamlin at (541) 664-2218 or email [email protected] and she would be delighted to update your payment information before processing your wine club order. For your convenience, you can also now update your credit information online with our secure wine club form.
WINE CLUB DISCOUNTS:
We will be processing orders on Monday, March 16. As a reminder, 3-bottle members receive a 15% discount, 6-bottle members 20% and 12-bottle members 25% discount on all wine club selections.
OTHER PICK UP OPTIONS:
If you are unable to join us during this event weekend, your wine club selections will be available after Monday, March 23 at the tasting room in Central Point (next to the Rogue Creamery) any time during regular hours.
