Sunday, November 17, 2019

Five Days in the Southern Rogue Valley
Day #3......afternoon & Evening



Following a full day at the crafters market, touring historic Jacksonville and extended visits at DANCIN Vineyards and Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden, it was good to check into our hotel for the next two nights......

Lithia Springs Resort & Wine Garden is an inviting and comfortable wine country lodging.  The beautiful grounds are conducive to wandering and relaxing.  Take advantage of the spa, pool or Jacuzzi, or just choose to sit with a glass of wine by the koi pond, in one of the tucked away alcoves or in the privacy of your bungalow.
The comfortable mini-suites contained large Jacuzzi soaking tubs, and the pastoral grounds were inviting…..the late afternoon was perfect just to kick back before getting ready to leave for dinner.



                            Wandering the serene grounds of Lithia Springs Resort & Wine Garden






                 An Evening at Alchemy Restaurant and Bar with the Wines of Quady North

What do you do after an exquisite day of wandering and wine experiencing?  Dinner of course!  With wine.  

The New York Times has described the Winchester Inn as “Ashland's premier historic inn,” and the award winning Alchemy Restaurant and Bar is located on Winchester’s main floor.  Being greeted by Drew Gibbs (owner) and Brian Gruber (winemaker for Quady North) we were first given a tour of the historic property, guest rooms and bar.  Then, being escourted into the dining room, we were treated to another culinary food and wine experience.  

The table was elegantly set, and winemaker Brian Gruber spoke about Quady North, their history, philosophy and how owner Herb Quady found his way from California to Southern Oregon.  Primarily producing Rhone varietals, all of Quady North’s wines are small lot, and reflective of this special Southern Oregon micro-climate.

And so……for the next few hours, we ate, drank, laughed and learned more about Oregon’s Southern Rhone (ooops, I did mean Rogue) River Valley……and the farm to table bounty that, combined with the wines……made for another memorable evening of food and wine perfection:

2017 Quady North Ox Block Viognier accompanied our salad of:
Brown butter squash, pickled pear, mixed greens, spinach, herbed feta cheese with a champagne vinaigrette.





Relishing the beginning, we then began our second course with a 2017 Grenache Blanc, perfectly paired with a clam linguine, with lemon buerre blanc and wild mushrooms.


Now that the “lighter” courses had been served, we were treated to a 2015 Quady North Serenade Vineyard Syrah-which highlighted the seared duck breast, pickled cherry, parsnip puree and charred carrots.


And why stop there?  Finally, being poured to accompany our fourth (but not last) course of braised beef short rib (that simply fell off the bone), with blue cheese, polenta, black currant demi, Brussel sprouts and candied hazelnuts was a 2014 Quady North Cabernet Franc.


I don’t know about the rest of our group and their upbringing, but I was glad that I heeded the advice my mother always gave me:  “Save room for dessert.”  Because being placed before us was an elegant cheese plate, consisting of:
*La Fromager d’affinois*Camembert de Normandie*Deer Creek Blue Jay juniper berry blue cheese* and OH! Yes! Let's NOT forget the black currant brandied truffle, and a mixed berry jam compote to enhance the cheeses.  And, dessert would not have been complete without Quady North’s signature 2017 Elysium Black Muscat.



                                          OH! The Truffle!

After over three hours of enjoying Brian’s company, learning of his, and Quady North’s history and wines…being able to taste a representative sampling of the wines with an expertly paired menu to highlight each wine with each course……I think all of us were ready for bed.  

We would all have happily settled in then and there had we been provided a cot.


                                                               ..........................................


And that concluded the first three days of our adventure, with two more being eagerly looked forward to.

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