Great weekend in Sonoita (Part 2)

Well, Saturday proved to be a great day in Arizona's wine country as well. It was the day of the Canelo Hills Winery & Vineyard Farm & Wine Festival - 3rd Annual. From the feedback I heard, this proved to be the best yet!

For starters, the weather couldn't have been better! In the mid 70's for most of the day, I didn't even realize I was getting totally sunburned! A light breeze kept things perfect.

Five wineries were pouring wines (all AZ wines, of course!). For only $10 you received a "take-home" glass with six tasting tickets. Charron Vineyards from Vail was pouring their trademark white merlot. Learn more about Charron at http://www.charronvineyards.com/.

Of course, Canelo Hills was pouring wines from their collection. Whites and reds. http://www.canelohillswinery.com/

Pillsbury Wine Company, a Cochise County winery, was pouring their new "One Night Stand" Rose, Roan Red (a classic spicy Rhone blend) and Diva (a bold, Syrah based red blend). http://www.pillsburywineco.com/.

Keeling Schaefer from Pearce, located at the base of the Chiricahuas, poured their Chardonnay, Syrah and Grenache. http://www.keelingschaefervineyards.com/

And I was the most excited about tasting the newest winery in the state . . . Lightning Ridge Cellars. Ann and Ron Roncone debuted their wines at this event and it was so much fun to see the delight on their faces. The wines were received very well and I saw many bottles leaving the area! They have a white wine - a muscat - and a red blend (nebbiolo, sangiovese, mourvedre . . . and I think I'm missing one). We took two bottles home with us and enjoyed one that evening. Very impressive!

Another highlight were the alpacas. Square Top Alpaca Farm was present with two of their junior alpacas. These guys have the sweetest faces. When you visit Sonoita, be sure to stop by and meet these cute little creatures.

Food was provided by Cafe Sonoita. Other local products were available as well, including gift baskets, Native Seeds Research, herbs and others. The Santa Cruz Humane Society was also finding homes for some very cute puppies and kittens.

We also enjoyed a tour of the vineyard and winery, learning about the history of the winery and how the operation works. It's truly a family run business.

Great job Tim, Joan and Kathryn! I'll definitely be back next year!

Happy Anniversary Dinner at Quiessence

Well, Chef La Prad didn't disappoint, yet again! Always consistent, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at this beautiful location, a hideaway in the middle of the city. The service is always impeccable and enjoyable; we always feel like we're royalty!

We started off with a two glasses of wine and a great amuse-bouche of heirloom cauliflower. It was lightly fried and served with a citrus aioli - yummy and light! Oh, I almost forgot the fabulous homemade bread: an herb focaccia and, well, I can't remember the name of the other one. They were both fabulous, though. The focaccia was nice and light and served with an herb butter; the other bread was served with honey. We were starving and really appreciated the bread arriving promptly! I started with a glass of Pinot Gris and Josh had a red blend (Cabernet, Cab Franc & Syrah). Yes, we ventured out from Arizona wines for this round and it was a great start to the meal.

We then enjoyed the "Chef's Spread", which, in all honesty, no one should ever pass up if they visit Quiessence. This is an opportunity to enjoy homemade charcuterie prepared from the heart! Our plate included two cheeses: Bravo Farms Silver Mountain Cheese from Visalia, California and a Carr Valley Cheese Co Apple Smoked Cheddar from La Valle, Wisconsin. We also enjoyed the homemade salumi and coppa (with a nice little kick!), along with the chef's special head cheese and pork rillette served with some house grown pickled veggies. You really have to try this . . . you will love it.

We switched up the wine selection and I enjoyed the Keeling Schaefer Syrah, which we were so happy to see served by the glass! Josh ordered the Duende Syrah (we're obviously big fans of Syrah!). We then shared the recommended Citrus Salad which included Arizona citrus and Golden beets combined with sunflower seeds, shaved red onion and a creamy sherry vinaigrette, topped with some herb greens.

Our appetizer course consisted of Blue Hill Bay Mussels, with white wine, cream tarragon, shaved fennel and garlic. This was wonderful - big, fat, tasty mussels and the grilled ciabatta bread, homemade of course, was incredible! Josh ordered the Rainbow Valley farmer's cheese gnocchi with sausage and apple. Gotta' love homemade gnocchi! Josh liked this so much that he asked me to eat more of the mussels (which I happily did) so he could enjoy the majority of the gnocchi! He wasn't sure about the apple combination at first but became a believer after he tried it. The combination of apple, sausage and gnocchi (which I tried to get in every bite) was scrumptious!

OK, now Josh and I normally order two entrees and then share. This gives us an opportunity to try different things. Well, our server described the elk and we both decided that we wouldn't want to share! With all this food, we should've ordered one plate and shared but now we have some extra to enjoy today! Cocoa braised elk on butternut squash "mash" and herb salad - WOW!!! I am always afraid with game that it will taste, well, gamey! Not this! It almost melted it was so tender. And what Chef La Prad does with butternut squash can only be described as sinful.

Oh, and during this course we enjoyed two glasses of Pillsbury Co. Roan Red. The Roan Red is just perfect with food. Both Josh and I agreed that this wine is the perfect compliment for just about any food, showing off nuances of the wine and the food! I love a wine that makes the food taste better and has more layers and depth when it, in turn, is paired with food.

Well, we had to call it a night after the entree. There just wasn't any room left for dessert. There was barely any room left for the entree!

If you haven't been to Quiessence, you really need to check it out. It is at the Farm at South Mountain and when you're there you absolutely forget where you are - in the middle of Phoenix! They are open for lunch and dinner and sport a great wine and beer list. Check them out at www.quiessencerestaurant.com. Their menu changes daily to showcase the fresh veggies they grow at the farm but the quality is consistent with every visit. You will not be disappointed.