Joe the Winemaker – The Official Blog of Oregon Winemaker Joe Dobbes

Dobbes Family Estate Vintner Dinner

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

 7:30PM

Winchester Inn

35 S. 2nd St.

Ashland, Oregon 97520

RSVP

First Course

2007 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Gris 

Wild Mushroom Strudel with Gaufrettes and Pear Compote

Second Course

2007 Dobbes Family Estate Grand Assemlage Pinot Noir

 Trio of Sockeye Salmon Tartare, Salmon Wellington and Wine Poached Salmon Roulade

Third Course 

2006 Dobbes Family Estate Cuvee Noir Pinot Noir

Smoked Duck Carpaccio with Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Fourth Course 

2006 Dobbes Family Estate Sundown Vineyard Syrah

Coco Nib Encrusted Rack of Lamb with Caramelized Shallots

Dessert

2007 Dobbes Family Estate Late Harvest Viognier

Spiced Poached Pear dipped in White Chocolate with Hazelnut Crust

Chef de Cuisine, Timothy R. Nelson

$45 per person

Spring is here, and the wildflowers are abloom in the upper pastures of the vineyard. The geese, who overwinter in the grass fields nearby, are starting to leave, flying North for the summer. The grapevines, dormant for the winter, have woken up and are starting to grow.

We finished pruning and tying the vines a few weeks ago, and since then, its mostly rained. We’ve been busy finishing the final and yearly repair work on our trellis system, and we’ve been perfecting our gopher hunting skills. While most people anxiously await the warmer temperatures, I for one, will miss the winter. It is cold, and we are often wet, but it is the calm time of the year, when things are quiet and there isn’t much to worry about except the calm work of forming vines with pruning shears.

Now, tractors are once again making their way through the vineyard, mowing, disking, and spraying to prevent mildew. There are new insect pests on the horizon to learn about and monitor. The vines now growing, and a late season freeze could cripple our vines. You see, from bud break to harvest there’s all sorts of things to worry about, and it’s true that it’s warmer and sunnier, but I’ll miss the cold and the rain of the winter.

This weekend, we’re going to start preparing the soil in front of the winery to seed with wildflowers. Poppies, daisies, and sunflowers will be among the many pretty flowers beckoning wine country visitors to stop and maybe sip a bit of our wine. It is springtime and we are busy, but when the labors of your work are dedicated towards wine and flowers, it is easily worth the sweat and strain of it all.