Celebrate Lodi spring with 2011s & 50 salads at Wine & Roses

 

This Sunday, April 29, 2012, Wine & Roses – Lodi’s premier hotel, restaurant and spa destination – will host its first annual Spring of The Vine.  Or as Wine & Roses’ French born Chef Didier Gerbi puts it, Le Printemps des Vins.

Chef Didier Gerbi

“This is a day about discovery as you taste wines and share passion and surprise with the winemakers themselves,” Didier explains.  Over two dozen of Lodi’s finest winemakers will be on hand in the hotel’s lush gardens to pour tastes of their most recent vintage:  2011 white wines and rosés, fresh and iced cold off their respective bottling lines.

Markus and Liz Bokisch, for instance, will be showing off their latest and greatest:  their 2011 Bokisch Vista Luna Vineyard Borden Ranch-Lodi Verdelho ($16) – a bone dry white wine so light, sleek, delicate, and bursting with the lemon/lime and tropical flower perfume of the grape, you’ll be grazing in the grass upon your first prickly sip.  Then there’s the 2010 Bokisch, Terra Alta Vineyard Rosado ($16) – a totally cool and refreshing rosé wine, combining the lightness of a spring fresh white with the bold flavors of the red wine grape (Garnacha) from which it is primarily made.

Are you a McCay Cellars fan?  Who isn’t, these days?  Winemaker/proprietor Michael McCay will be debuting his 2011 McCay, Lodi Tres Blanc ($22), which is a très belle blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Verdelho – magically lithe, lemony and exotic.  Representing Peltier Station, winemaker J.C. van Staden will be marching out his 2011 Hybrid (by Peltier Station), Lodi Sauvignon Blanc ($9) – one of the most graceful, and extraordinarily fresh, snappy and aromatic wines made from this grape ever grown in the Delta.

… and more, lots more.  As a special service to their friends and guests, Wine & Roses will also offer all the wines showcased at the event for sale at prices slightly below regular retail.  Can’t beat that!

But of course, there must be music:  The Ike & Martin Band will be on hand to light up the spring afternoon with their turbo-charged acoustic rock and contemporary pop.

Le Printemps des Vins will be  held from 2 to 5 PM, and tickets ($25) may be purchased in advance by calling Wine & Roses at 209.371.6117.  Tickets will be $35 at the door.  Location:  2505 W. Turner Rd., Lodi.

Wine & Roses salad

Last but most certainly not least, the cuisine:  for an additional $10, each guest may enjoy a special spring menu prepared by Wine & Roses Executive Chefs Didier Gerbi and Fabrice Dubuc – including this fantastic “50 ways” customized salad:

50 Ways to Leaf Your Salad

Spring Greens:
Baby Spinach, Red & Yellow Belgium Endive, Spring Salad, Scarborough Frisée, Micro-arugula

Dressings:
Dijon Mustard, Ponzu, Muscat, Blue Cheese, Ranch, Lemon Confit

Vegetables:
Green Bean, Asparagus, Tomato, Chiogga Beet, Yukon Potato, Bell Peppers,
Royal Trumpet, Cucumber, Mini-zucchini, Pink Radish

Fruits:
Raspberry, Poached Pear, Citrus, Blackberry, Raisin, Cherry Tomato
Pineapple, Blueberry, Grape, Strawberry

Proteins:
Chicken, Hard Boiled Egg, Dungeness Crab,Anchovy, Prosciutto
Bacon, Chorizo, Chickpeas, Duck Breast, Marinated Beef

Cheeses:
Maytag Blue, Humboldt Fog, Parmesan, Feta

Toppings:
Pine Nut, Caramelized Walnut, Crouton, Sweet Pecan, Paisley, Green Onion

Wine & Roses' vegetable and herb garden