Where in the world have I been ?!

It has been a busy year, however with so much interst in my blog and the endless questions "Why did you stop?"  When will you start again?  We loved it! ?  I am starting back up.  What made the decision for me.....reading over the old entries made me realize how much I enjoyed blogging.  So I am back to my ever Lovin' Blog.

Here was a year....

So...we have been building our house.  This September will be 3 years.  Hoping to move in by Thanksgiving...at least that is when we expect our first guests...a good goal to shoot for..don't you think?

The Tub Arrived....You can see JACK really loves it!

We Partied Like Rock Stars!

We celebrated The Sweet Peach's Birthday.

We celebrated the Comedian's Birthday!

We Recitaled

We Nutcracker'ed

We Harvested Our Grapes

We Made It Into Wine!

We Sold The Wine!



We Vacationed



We Watched Jack - "The King of the Hill"

 

I Became One With The Wild Along The Yukon/Alaska Hwy.



We Vacationed Some More!




Watched Jack - "King O' Da Beach"!



AND THAT WAS THE YEAR!  Sort Of.....



One Man's Junk...

Is my treasure!  I think I may have a problem.  I love other people's junk!  I think it all started when I was in college and had $000 (this translates to zero dollars).  I would find things that other people were throwing into the trash and repaint or clean up to find a new spot in my apartment.  It is almost like treasure hunting now.  This chair I found at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago.  If you could read the blue sticker....$5.00.  That is a screaming deal, because this chair is solid oak that has been painted black at one time, then primered for this beautiful Silver color.  I will scrape this down and make it BEAUTIFUL!  Just as I did to this....

This was a $30 garage sale find.  Boy did it need some serious LOVE, and 2 months worth of sanding, a little epoxy for some loose joints and this beauty has been "Salvaged". 

Lucky for me, digging through other people's trash is now the "In" thing to do.  The good news is that it doesn't end up on a trash pile somewhere, more importantly, you aren't buying something New made out of cheap plastic from CH....well you know where, to only have it fall apart in a couple of years.

Recycle, Re-USE, Re-Furbiture!  Here are some more great Junk Salein' Buys!

I love this old trunk!  Literally found in front of someone's house ready to go to the dump.  Being from Colorado (however having never been to Pierce CO)....this chest has remained with me through the years.  A little beat up, but I can see the beauty in the flaws. 

Not all items are furniture...like these three little cuties!  I think I paid $ .50 a piece.  So sweet!

Winemaker Man laughs at me, because he only sees the "Work", which could be better directed to the Vineyard or Winery.  Not all Sweat belongs to the land!

Maybe I'll paint this guy black.

This is a project in the works.  This coffee table has to two planes of glass, was purchased by my Mother in the late 70's early 80's..originally came in a dark walnut wood.  My sister got ahold of it in the mid eighties and sanded/stained to this Santa Fe, torquise wash...no offense sis...but blaghhh!

I have big plans for this...taking it back to it's original Walnut.  It will fit the Hand Carved Chess Game from India nicely.  Although I have a feeling this is going to take a little longer than a couple months.

Now you know what I do with "my spare time"!  The world better watch out when I finally get around to taking that Wood Working Class.

ReUse - ReCycle - ReFurbiture

The Food Just Kept Coming!

Mother's Day was fantastic for me.  After a relaxing day of garden daydreaming...

Yes ....these are my girls digging in a compost pile!  I LOVE IT!  Notice the gloves?!  Every Mother's Day the the best gift for me is help in planting my vegetable garden.  Everyone was still a little tired after the late night on Saturday.  So we mostly daydreamed about all the work we will get done this week and coming weekend. 

My Winemaker Man and My Sweet Peaches took me to Bistsro Maison for a Mother's Day Lunch/Dinner.  I LOVE Bistro Maison!!!  http://www.bistromaison.com/.

Deborah and Jean Jacques do an amazing job.  Deborah, the always accomodating hosetss, working the front of the restaurant....if you have a dog and need to be seated close to a covered patio where the dog can wait for you to finish your fine French meal - To taking care of your littles ones - craft room upstairs for the children to make a homemade Mother's Day card. 

Apparently there was a bit of a "paint issue" with my youngest in her great card design!  I say "Future Winemaker"...

she loves to taste everything!

Most important...Deborah loves my first born as if she were her own.  Anyone who loves my children that much...definately makes it to my Awesome Person List.   Jean-Jacques produces flawless meals...and makes the very best "French" Fries you have ever tasted!  I believe they are drizzled with Truffle Oil!

Deborah's wine cellar is extensive with special wines not always found on the list...if she likes you...she might bring out something special.  She really knows her French wines/producers and is extremely price sensitive.  The above wines were brought based upon our palate. 

After a brief discussion, The Winemaker Man and myself chose the second one from the left.  A beautiful Premier Cru from Burgundy and I believe the price point was $50-60.  

A beautiful wine!  A little early to drink, but still delicious.  You could tell this has some serious Funky Barnyard in it's future!  Right now earthy and bright.  You know the French Joke....How long does it take a french man to open a bottle of wine...20 years!  How long does it take an American to open a bottle of wine...20 minutes..the time it takes to get the bottle home from the store!

The Food......Salade Weppler Farm Organic Greens, Duck Confit,Dried Mt. Hood Cherries, Toasted Walnuts,Cherry Vinegar & Walnut Oil Vinaigrette.

Pork Loin accompanied with Root Vegetable Confit of Shallots, Radish, Carrots, Leeks; Parsnip Puree

Pan Fried Sturgeon, with an amazing Heavy Cream Mushroom Sauce

Trois Fromage Fondue  Gruyere, Emmenthaler, White Tillamook Cheddar Cheese

Profiteroles Homemade puff pastry stuffed with House-made Grand Marnier Ice Cream

Another Healthy Meal!  I do not confess to eating or not eating any of the above....but I will say

it was ALL delicious!

Enjoy!

Workin' It

Just received this photo from one of the guests at the festival. A picture of yours truly Workin' It. It must still be early in the day because I still have a big smile on my face! Thanks for the great photo!

Portland Indie Wine Festival

How much wine does it take to put on a festival for 400-500 guests? 

We were so honored to be invited for a 5th time to participate in the http://www.indiewinefestival.com/ .  This is an outstanding event put together by Lisa Donoughe who is also a principal in the Portland public relations firm Watershed http://www.watershed.com/.  She created this event in 2004 to help showcase the up and coming wineries in the Oregon wine industry.

Criteria is to 1. Grow your own fruit  or  2.  Make your own wine  and   3.  Produce less than 2500 Cases.

At Coeur de Terre Vineyard we do both, which qualifies us to submit our wines for consideration.

The wines are blindly tasted by Sommeliers, Wine Writers, Master Wine Makers from all over the nation.  The top 40 wineries are invited to participate and are only allowed to pour the wines that were selected by the judges.  It makes this event somewhat exclusive.  What I have always been impressed with is how many individuals come from out of state to taste these hand crafted wines.  Florida, California, Colorado, Washington, North Carolina just to name a few.

This years event was a little bittersweet as I believe it to be our last. The 2009 Vintage we were up to 2400 Cases so it is highly likely we will outgrow the event with our 2010 Vintage, making room for more amazing craft wine makers.  The upside.....we may be able to be on the otherside of the table enjoying ourselves! 

We were "discovered" at Indie and this event has allowed us to catapult our label forward.  I am eternally grateful to Lisa Donoughe for creating and pulling this event off every year.  She truly is amazing.

Here are some highlights from the event.

Don and Johanna Sandberg of IOTA Cellars.  If you haven't tried their wines you really should!  They are located in the Northern Tip of Eola Hills or what is also known as Amity Hills.  They are of the same mindset....They Grow It, They Make It, They Sweat It!  Check them out here  http://www.iotacellars.com/.

 

Dave Grooters of Carlton Cellars.  Another great producer http://www.carltoncellars.com/.  Dave is actually a neighbor of ours, however his vineyard and winery is located in Carlton.  Funny story...when we were first planting Renelle's Block a full decade ago, a red Pick Up truck came ambling down our gravel road and stopped.  Out jumps Dave engulfed in dust and introduces himself with such enthusiasm for what we were doing.  Immediately asked if he could help us, he spent the day planting vines, he gave us a hose so we could water the vines (which we still have) and we became steadfast friends ever since.  The great thing about what Dave is doing at Carlton Cellars is...once again....He Grows It, Makes It, Sweats It!

Keep in mind.....there are many in the wine industry that just purchase fruit from a source, have another source make the wine and slap their name on the bottle.  There are others that may own the vineyard...yet pay someone else to manage the vineyard....and pay someone else to make the wine.  Not necessarily the true Indie Craft Winemaker/Winegrower.  This is what makes these people so very special....and a little bit

 Crazy!  

 Here are all of the Indie Featured Wineries

This is Pamela Adkins and Julie Bulrice.  Their dream...to be the Future Indie Winegrower/Winemaker!  Good luck girls!  In my book, you are starting out the right way...with lots of research!

Another wine that I think you should keep an eye out for, but I did not get a chance to take photos of.....

Aubichon Cellars...these are our friends Jim and Kristin Sanders.  Jim and Kristin work hard, hard, hard at their day jobs to support their passion which just so happens to be Craft Wine Making.  If you have not tried or heard of this wine all I can say is YOU MUST!  Jim has an amazing palate and an amazing gift.  http://www.aubichoncellars.com/ 

After the event, The Sanders and The CdT Crew...decided to skip the after party and head for something a little more intimate (seeing that we both had sitters hired for the night).  Good friends of The Sanders just opened their own Restaurant....The Country Cat http://www.thecountrycat.net/.   Oh My WORD was this place amazing...and sinful in so many ways.  The concept is "good home cookin" in a modern, Jetson's feel diner.  Very Hip.  I was in blue jeans and nice blouse and felt a little over dressed, which is just my kind of place also very child friendly.  Our server was a blast and she knew how to help with navigating the menu.  I will give you a brief rundown on the food ordered.  I will not be sharing with you what I did, or did not eat...because there just doesn't need to be a written record of that. 

Starters....beers for the boys...a split of Prosseco for the girls and an order of onion rings..thinly sliced/battered with some spice and deeeeeeeep fried. 

Next........A beet salad with blue cheese crumbles, A "Pork Pocket" Fresh ham stuffed with shrimp wrapped in bacon on grilled scallions fava beans in mustard sauce (not a fan of Fava Beans...but these had a wonderfully fresh texture..loved them).   Wedge of Butter Lettuce With green goddess dressing soft boiled egg .

Next........Cast Iron Skillet Fried Chicken with a sweet cream biscuit bacon braised collard greens (this was To Die For..kid you not - it was delivered with the biscuit on top..dripping with honey! MMMMMMMM!  can anyone say Lipitor)  The Country Cat's Whole Hog Rolled belly, brined chop, smoked shoulder on South Carolina grits with cider glazed Moyer plums (Another Super Healthy Choice)

Cattail Creek Farm Lamb on celery root puree with a chunky olive, sundried tomato, walnut tapenade (This actually came with Lasagne that had been doused in Paprika and toasted Pine nuts...ohhhhhh the flavors)  This was all enjoyed with a bottle Tempranillo....sorry I don't remember the producer...I was enjoying the great conversation and laughs!

Last......Dessert!  A Trio of Pudding Butterscotch, Chocolate, Crème Brulée with baked-to-order cookies (and yes the cookies came out warm)  Leah's Doughnuts served warm and tossed in cinnamon sugar with caramel and apple dipping sauce (it was about this time that our server let us know that everything is deep fried in real LARD!  I knew it was good food...just not sure how good for you.  Let's call it SOUL food....it was definately good for the SOUL!

I would definately come back (for the rare occassion I make it into Portland) and I would highly recommend the restaurant.  Be sure to check out their website and the story......A great way to finish off the Craft Wine Making event.

Cheers!

Mother Love

This is the beautiful woman that brought me into this world.  This is an old photo, but I love how it captures her beauty and her youthful spirit.  Yes...at the time of this photo she was a mother of two daughters ages 3 and 6. 

She was so brave to bring these two hellions into the world...okay, the one on the right...not so much a hellion, BUT....  The one on the left...you can just see it in her eyes. (this would be me.) 

Funny, when I was a child and young adult I used to expect my Mother to be perfect....until I became a Mother and realized how difficult a job it truly is! Now I realize that she did the very best she could on any given day....just as I do everyday. I pray my children never hold me to the same standard as I held my Mother.
Thank you Mom for the Love and Understanding!

Here is another Mother..."The Mimi"...she is not my Mother, but she sure shows me love like she was, and my how she loves my girls with all of her heart!  We Love The MiMi and are so grateful everyday that she is a part of our lives! 

Here is another Mother that I miss very much.  Mama Nita aka, my grandmother.  She used to treat me like the Princess I always knew I was and I am so grateful for the wonderful memories of her....I can't wait to be The Grandma.

Here are my two Sweet Peaches.  They have yet to hit the "terror on heels stage"...but I brace myself, for I am sure pay back is comin' my way.  I absolutely love being a Mother and am grateful everyday for my two beautiful children.  It never ceases to amaze the wonderful lessons to be learned from our children and I welcome every opportunity!

Happy Mothers Day To You!

Rose' Rustique

We have just decided on our new label for the latest addition to our wine offerings.  But wait......there is a story to go with it!

As some of you already know......we graft all of our own vines that go into the ground here at Coeur de Terre Vineyard.  A few years back (4 to be exact...does that then make it several years?) I became very excited to plant a Syrah block on our property.  This block would go into the ground above our upper outbuilding where the slope is due South facing, very rocky and extremely HOT during the summer due to the location above the upper metal outbuilding.  Scott laughed at me stating that Syrah would never ripen here....."we are in the business of Pinot Noir, why do you want to plant a varietal that CA and several countries are growing/making well and inexpensively"  it went on and on.  Finally he humored me and we headed over to The Green's who own Deux Vert Vineyard one spring and cleaned up their vineyard floor after they finished pruning one of their Syrah blocks.  Along with the Syrah we also picked up some Viognier...every good Syrah has a little Viognier blended in.  And so the process went.  We grafted, created, planted and tended these vines for several? years.  Well...last year....2009 Vintage....our Syrah/Viognier block came on line.  We were able to pull a little bit of fruit. 

Oh what to do with a cool climate Syrah. 

Scott couldn't help himself, he decided to make a TRUE Rose'.  This wine is a fine blend of Syrah (not all..we are still making a Syrah bottling), Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Gris and a little bit of Oregon Pinot Noir.  Ahhhhh the color.  A beautiful Rustic Pink.  And oh how it dances on the palate!  Yummmmmmmy!

Since this is the very first Rose' we have made, we needed to come up with a new label/package etc.  Above is what we have decided upon, cream color label with the natural cork/logo.  For those of you interested in enjoying some of our Rose'....come to the winery Memorial Day Weekend and we will be serving it along with all of our other Spring Releases.

Cheers!  And stay tuned for the true Cool Climate Syrah coming to you at a later date!