Swirl, Sip & Slurp: Wine & Oyster Festival Recap

Yesterday's Wine & Oyster Festival at the Vintage Wine Estates tasting room in Healdsburg was the place to be for lovers of brine and wine. The pours were generous, the oysters sublime, and the entire tasting was a delight for the palate.

The oysters and mignonettes were prepared with specific flavor profiles to complement each wine. And once we got the clockwise vs. counterclockwise tasting order figured out we were good to go through the six oysters and five wine pairings.

My favorite mignonette, served on a Hog Island Kumamoto, was the Pink and Sassy made with beet juice that was both sweet and spicy and really brought out the flavors of the 2007 SCV Sea Fog Cuvee Blanc de Noirs.

Every pairing was well matched to the wines. But my favorite pairing of the day was the "Fresh Kiss" a Tamales Bay Miyagi with a classic rice wine mignonette and the 2010 Winsdor Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc RRV. Sensational. It hit all the right notes and compelled me to buy a bottle of the wine on the spot. That's one power pairing!

Here's a little sideshow to give you a virtual taste of the event.

Raw Pleasures: Wine & Oyster Festival in Healdsburg

The bivalve, the Mighty Mollusk, a briny kiss from the sea--no matter what you call them Oysters are truly gastronomic gifts and their pleasures are many. Writer M.F.K Fisher was so enchanted, she wrote a whole book about them called Consider the Oyster.

Everyone remembers their first time and if you are an oyster lover it most likely is a moment you will never forget. But not all love affairs start out blissfully. I took me many years to give the oyster a second chance. My first experience was not ideal, as it took pace in a divey Florida restaurant where I was a waitress on the weekends while in college. The main attraction was raw oysters but the oysters they served were not always the best specimens nature had to offer. Couple that with my "uniform" a T-shirt that read "I Eat it Raw"-- and you can begin to get the picture as to why my early oyster encounters were not ideal. I have since learned that oysters from warm waters and dive bars are best to be avoided and have instead developed an abiding love for bivalves from cold Pacific waters and especially for my local favorites from Tomalaes Bay.

If you share a love for the brine and beauty of oysters you should plan to be in Healdsburg on July 16th, 2011 for Vintage Wine Estates Wine and Oyster Event

I can’t wait to go. And you can go too for FREE! Vintage Wine Estates has provided me with two tickets to give away. Here's how to enter: Leave a comment below and tell me-- If you had an Oyster bar what slogan would you put on your T-Shirt? Leave your comment by July 13th. A random drawing will determine the winner who along with a guest will get to slurp and swirl the following pairings:

Pink & Sassy
Wine: 2007 Sonoma Coast Vineyards Blanc de Noirs Sea Fog Cuvee
Oyster: Golden Nugget   Mignonette: Sassy Pink

Fresh Kiss
Wine: 2010 Windsor Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley
Oyster: Miyagi   Mignonette: Classic Rice Wine

Purely Naked
Wine: 2010 Sonoma Coast Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Laguna Vista
Oyster: Golden Nugget   Mignonette: Naked

Tropical Thrill
Wine: 2009 Windsor Sonoma Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Oyster: Golden Nugget   Mignonette: Mango Chutney

Sweet Finale
Wine: 2009 Windsor Vineyards Muscat Canelli
Oyster: 2 Golden Nuggets   Mignonette: Naked and Mango Chutney

All pairings will be complemented by baguettes and cheese, plus music by B Rooster Blues Duo.

When:
Saturday, July 16, 2011 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where:
Vintage Wine Estates Tasting Room
308B Center St (on the Plaza)
Healdsburg, CA 95448
877.289.9463