Heidrum Meadery

When we went to Marin County to buy oysters last month, it was a beautiful day and we felt like making another fun visit so decided to drop by a meadery on the way back home.

Heidrum Meadery has been making mead, a honey wine, first as a small enterprise since 1997 then moved to the current gorgeous location in Point Reyes in 2012.

They offer a tasting flight as well as mead by the glass, and you can stroll in the garden with a glass of mead in your hand.

California Sage Blossom
Aromas of melon and passion fruit.
Sweet molt-like flavor with soft bubble.
It tasted good with bitter chocolate.


Sonoma Mountain Apiary
Fresh aromas of white flowers like jasmine and thyme.
This mead tasted good with nuts.


Madras Carrot Blossom
Aromas and flavors of honey, Rice Krispie and fennel.
Fresh mouth feel.

California Orange Blossom
Honey and orange blossom with a bitterness of citrus skin. 

There is a slight sweetness in the after taste. Easy to drink.


Hawaiian Macadamia Blossom
Pineapple skin, hibiscus, pear and sweet passion fruit.
Aromas are sweet but there is a savoriness which makes this good with food.

Oregon radish Blossom
Complex aromas of daikon, yomogi, ginger and a slight funkiness.

Good pairing with semi sweet chocolate.



When you hear “honey wine” you expect something sweet but their meads were more savory than sweet and good drink with food.

They have picnic tables in the backyard so I strongly recommend to bring some snack and taste their meads with food.

Oyster and Riesling

It’s almost the end of March.
There is something we need to do before we turn over the calendar…go get oysters!

One sunny day we drove to Tomales Bay Oyster Company.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company is a seafood farm in Marin county which specializes in oysters.

I am not that big a fan of oysters - I like them but am worried that I may get sick - but oysters here are so fresh that I don’t need to worry about the quality and love the drive to this scenic area.
And JC loves oysters, especially the big ones which he can find here.

It was a beautiful day and it seemed like everybody had the same idea.
The store had a long line and some of oysters were sold out...

Luckily the big oysters which JC craved were not quite as popular as smaller ones so we safely took them and clams home.

We had these fresh, meaty oysters with Riesling.

Selbach-Oster Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling Spätlese 2005
Wine with golden color and pronounced aromas of honeysuckle, citrus flowers, tangerine, candied lemon and petrol.
Sweetness gives a rich mouthfeel which is balanced with fresh acidity.

Old Riesling pairs good with oysters.
This is a tip from Ridi Wiest, a legendary German wine importer (who now is a German art promoter).

Tablas Creek Vineyard

When you think about California wine the first wine you come up with would probably be Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

However, California is a big state and there are regions specializing in other varieties like Rhone varieties from Paso Robles.

Tablas Creek Vineyard is a winery in Paso Robles AVA.

The winery was founded in 1989 and became a pioneer of the Rhone varieties in California with vine cuttings from Beaucastel planted on the limestone soil.

Not just making good wines, they strongly believe in making wine in the right way.
They have been practicing biodynamic and organic farming, and now are experimenting with dry farming.

California has a Mediterranean climate and there is no precipitation during summers.
It is not an ideal condition for growing vines without irrigation but they plan to expand dry farming believing that to preserve water is their responsibility for a better future.

Even the barrels are biodynamic!

During the Covid pandemic they offer outdoor tastings.

Patelin Rose 2020
Aromas of banana, strawberry and milkshake.
Approachable wine with clean finish.

Vermentino 2020
Passion fruit, tarragon and lime zest. Wine with high acidity and salinity.

Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2020

Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne.

Lemon, peach and tangerine wrapped in the creamy texture.

Marsanne 2020
Aromas of herbs like thyme and fennel. Texture is oily.

Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2019

Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan.
Beautiful aromas of acacia and apple flowers.

Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2017
Interesting aromas of dried grape, coffee, caramel and popcorn.
More fruits on the palate.

Le Complice
Syrah, Grenache, Terret Noir.

Decayed rose petal and fresh and bright strawberry.

Tannat 2018
Beautiful aromas of rose, violet, raspberry, cherry and coffee, braced with high tannin.

En Gobelet 2019 

Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Counoise, Tannat.
High, fine tannin is balanced with freshness of red fruits. Pleasant to drink.

Three vintages of Esprit (Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Counoise)
2019
Red fruits, red flower and blueberry. Tannin is a little harsh.

2017
Tannin is high but balanced with vibrant red fruits, pomegranate and cashew nuts.

2012
Intense aromas of dried red fruits, black plum and cacao beans.
This wine displays concentration of fruits and high, smooth tannin.



What impressed me during this visit was the fact that their reputation had already been established but they showed no sign of slowing down for making things better for both wine and the future of the community.

The wines were of course great, but tasting them with people who were proud of working there made them taste even better.

Burgundy and homey food

Domaine des Comtes Lagon Meursault-Porusots Premier Cru 2014

Chardonnay from Meursault, Burgundy.
This wine is rich but also approachable.
Aromas spread in front of me - it was so vibrant that it was almost visible - a bouquet of white flowers, fresh fruits and marzipan.
Rich fruit flavors of pear and peach ended with slight bitterness of citrus zest.
Oak was there but as a supporter not as a dominator.
Bright acidity gave an accent to the round body.


We had this wine with Nikujaga.

Nikujaga is a Japanese comfort food: sauteed onion and beef are cooked in stock (dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sake) with potatoes.
It is a casual dish and wouldn’t be found in most restaurants, but is a very popular home food.

It was a surprisingly good pairing - a nothing fancy homey food like Nikujaga and Premier Cru Burgundy.
Then I realized that this combination wasn’t so far-fetched.
Nikujaga was said to be invented about 100 years ago by the Japanese Navy in an effort to recreate beef stew with Japanese ingredients, and beef stew and red Burgundy are the classic pairing.
I also used pork instead of beef this day (no reason, I just had pork in the fridge).
The lighter flavor of pork was a better pairing partner to the white wine.


I wondered if I cooked with beef, it could have been good with red Burgundy.
I should try it next time.

Harvest at Castelli Vineyards

It’s been almost two years since we started to stay home in an effort to prevent the spread of corona virus.

This year, with vaccines and wearing masks, we have gradually started to participate in outside activities with caution.
Among them, the most memorable activity was when I experienced harvesting wine grapes for the first time in my life!


JC and I, among other friends, were invited to join the harvesting at Castelli Vineyards in October.

Castelli Vineyards is a family owned small scale winery in the Green Valley in Sonoma county with focus on Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir.


The majority of the harvesting was done by skilled people in the previous weeks.
We participated in harvesting Nebbiolo in a small parcel of land surrounded by hills.

The area was under the shadow of surrounding hills and was cold when I started to pick grapes but as the sun rose and after carrying the bucket full of grapes, I started to sweat. It felt good.
There were some tiny grapes (millerandage ?) but overall the grapes looked healthy and beautiful.

That part of the vineyard was so small that we finished harvesting by noon.
After that we went back to the winery and tried pressing the must which was crushed weeks ago.

The bright color juices become wine after sleeping in barrels for months. It’s kind of romantic!

The harvesting was followed by the feast.

I looked back the experience of the day over the great wine and food which were made in the winery.
It was just like the harvesting I had been dreaming of. 

Thank you Castelli Vineyards for giving me this great opportunity.

Ultimate Reform

Last year I made a vest with thick yarn I hand spun specifically for the project.

Unfortunately the vest was very hard ... it was more like armor than clothes...
I assume that I gave too many twist to the yarn as I spun and the yarn became too stiff.

I couldn't wear the armor but couldn't throw it away either so I decided to perform a major reform.


I unraveled the armor to make yarn. The yarn was curly so it was straightened with steam.
Then I wove this yarn into fabric. Plain double weave.

After weaving I washed, dried and pressed.

I measured and it ended up approximately 1 yard by 2 yards.
It was smaller than I expected but still destined to become a jacket.

The fabric was woven loosely comparing with the commercially available wool fabric therefore I sewed the fabric onto the lining so that it wouldn't stretch.

I heard that this way of garment construction, quilting the fabric to the lining, was used by Chanel. I don't know if it was true but it was fun to explore different kind of sewing.

If you are interested in, you can find detail of this construction in Thread magazine back issues or Claire Shaeffer's book.

 

This is the result.

Not bad for the salvaging armor-like vest project.

San Francisco Bakery tour

I’m an indoor person and don’t really mind staying home.
However, this situation where I HAVE TO stay home makes me feel like that I want to go out.

Therefore, when the spread of covid virus seemed to slow down and we both were fully vaccinated, JC and I left home for San Francisco.

To make it more fun, we decided to conjure up a theme for the outing.
“San Francisco Bakery tour” was our unanimous theme.

The first stop was Breadbelly in the Richmond District, my favorite bakery in San Francisco.

You can order at the door and they have the outside dining area but it was cold that day so we ordered takeout.

Kaya Bun
Milk bread with kaya cream inside.
Delicious green color coconut spread from South-east Asia (Kaya) is under the crispy topping.

Croissant
Love the flakey texture!

Pear Danish
Poached pear in white chocolate cream flavored with sake kasu.
Dreamlike combination of crispy dough, sweet fruit and cream with a hint of heat from sake kasu which gives depth to the sweetness.
Sake kasu is a byproduct of sake. It’s very rich in flavor and usually used in savory dishes like soup or marinade.
I’m Japanese so no stranger to sake kasu but find sake kasu used this way just amazing!

Chef Kate is a petite, sweet lady but when it comes to flavor combinations she is a giant!




The next stop was Cinderella Bakery.
This Russian bakery is also in the Richmond district.

I’m always fascinated with pastries from Eastern Europe therefore was really looking forward to visiting this bakery.

It was becoming sunny and warmer so we decided to stay at the outside dining area.

Syrniki (cheese fritters) served with sour cream and jam.
Flavor is rich but the texture is so light and delicate.

Piroshki was big. We couldn’t finish all of them and took the rest home. It was still delicious the day after.

Kvas
This traditional Russian drink is made with bread, yeast, water and spices.
There is no fruit in it but it tasted like apple cider.



Both bakeries were great in different ways.

Breadbelly suggests the awesome and endless possibility of flavor combinations and Cinderella bakery offers the piece of tradition of the country which I’ve never been to.


We wanted to visit more bakeries but already had a bag full of bread to take home so I will have to come back to SF for the bakery tour part two.