Isn’t Fennel a seed?

 Let’s be honest, I am no Martha Stewart. A lot of the cooking talents in my family lie with my grandma and mom. While I am learning to host my own delectable flair I still don’t know that much about the names of ingredients, spices ect. So imagine my surprise when my family and I attended the 6th Annual Russian River Valley Winegrowers Crab and Fennel Fest to find out the fennel is actually a very fibrous plant and a seed. I had always thought that Fennel was a seed but I learned that Fennel is also a hardy herb that when cooked is aromatic and flavorful. Crab and Fennel were the guests of honor and the event included all you could eat Dungeness crab with fennel, pasta and salad. The food was great but the best part was of course, the WINE! What makes this wine tasting unique is the emphasis put on vineyard designate wines. An entire table was dedicated to tasting vineyard designates from all over the Russian River Valley and allowing the public to meet the winemakers and growers behind these wines. There was no shortage of noteworthy producers including those of Williams Selyem, Merry Edwards and Papapietro Perry. This was Pinot Noir heaven!
Following dinner was the much anticipated spirited and fun-loving hermit crab races. 5$ gets you a ticket to bet on your own hermit crab from “Crabby” Chardonnay to “Zinful” Zinfandel you could chose which varietal hermit crab would wine the race. The winning ticket holder received great auction items such as dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen and an overnight stay at Hotel Healdsburg. Wanting to support my favorite varietal I placed my bet on the blue hermit crab representing Pinot Noir. Sprayed with a little “go juice” the crabs were slow to move at first but slowly crawled out of their shells. I’ve never been so intrigued by hermit crabs before! It was a long, well fought battle but in the end ”Crabby” the Chardonnay crab prevailed as the winner and I accepted defeat.
 For an auction donation John Tylerdonated 6 bottles of wine as well as a tour and tasting of Bacigalupi vineyards, including the famed Paris Tasting block. The lucky winners will spend a day with the family sampling our latest vintages and paired with an artisan cheese selection. 
What a great Sonoma County event, looking forward to the next one. And now I know what fennel is so no big surprises next year. Hey, you learn something new everyday!

Thanksgiving dinner wine list

I am always interested in see what bottle of wine people chose to drink on that special occasion or holiday. As a family that lives, breathes and drinks a lot of wine we tend to pull out some really great and occasionally disappointing wine selections. Last night for Thanksgiving all sorts of wine was open to celebrate….here is a re-cap:

For starters as a tradition we always start with a champagne toast and appetizers. In my opinion there is no better producer of sparkling wines in California then Schramsberg! Two bottles of their Reserve Sparkling wine and Thanksgiving was off to a great start.

Next was the salad and Artichoke Crustini course. For this course we break out a family favorite, the 2005 Rudd Bacigalupi Chardonnay. This Chardonnay comes from the original Paris tasting block that was the main component in the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Paris Tasting in France. Only about 2 acres remain of the original vineyard and for the past 5 years we sell the fruit to Rudd in Oakville. This Chardonnay is unlike any other I have ever had, it is creamy, oaky and buttery, not your average Chardonnay by any means and for me it is always a treat when we open a bottle.

On to the main course which of course included Milton, our 25 lb turkey, a stuffing recipe by my Great Great Grandmother Olie, yams, mashed potatoes, two types of cranberry sauce, rolls and roasted vegetables. Pinot Noir was the wine of the night as we opened a 2000 William Selyem Pinot Noir and a 2001 John Tyler Pinot Noir. This 2001 was the first unofficial bottling by John Tyler Wines. As an “experiment” my Dad and Tyler crushed one barrel of second crop Dijon clone Pinot Noir in 2001. They hand pressed and bottled and corked about 20 cases. The wine is showing beautifully 7 years later. We also opened an Everett Ridge 2005 Pinot Noir from our 115 Dijon clone vineyard and a Seghesio 2006 Pinot Noir.

My Grandmother Helen is arguably the best pie maker in Sonoma County. She made 3 pies all from scratch. Pumpkin pie, Minced Meat pie (my Dad’s favorite) and an Apple Pie. For our dessert drink we opened a Mauritson Rockpile Port called Independence which is made entirely from Portugal varieties. Very tasty!

So overall quite a line up for Thanksgiving dinner… who knows what will be on the Christmas menu???

Fall into Color

When you are surronded by the beauty of vineyards, fall is the absolute best time of year. The explosion of colors throught the vines is a sight to see. I always have wondered, what is going on underneath all that color change? Well warm, sunny days and cool, crisp but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays. The color change is a sign that the vine is shutting down, storing all it’s energy and preparing to go dormant for the winter. This rest period is essential to the growth cycle of the grapevine. Once spring arrives this stored energy will be used to grow new shoots during bud break, and ths the cycle starts all over again!

The Bacigalupi family’s third generation

On the same ranch that our grandparents farmed, we grew up chasing lizards, climbing trees, and following our father around the vineyards. After high school we each went our separate ways. Nicole attended San Diego State University, obtaining her Bachelors degree in Business, with a concentration in Marketing. And I (Katharine–aka Katey) attended the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. I received my Bachelors degree in Agricultural Business with an emphasis in Wine and Viticulture. After college, we both returned home to Sonoma County to help launch our family’s first wine label.

We think we have taken a real hands-on approach to learning the ropes of the wine industry.

“During harvest our responsibilities range from negotiating grape contracts, pulling leaves out of the bins, driving the tractors and delivering grapes to the wineries.” ~Katharine Bacigalupi.

Being in a family business isn’t always easy and we can sometimes feel the pressure of living up to certain expectations.

“We come from a long lineage of grape growers and winemakers within our family. We hope to continue with the great reputation that our grandparents have built, while adding a little youthful enthusiasm. It is invaluable for us to know that we are carrying on something that was started by our grandparents over 50 years ago, not many people our age have that opportunity.” ~Nicole Bacigalupi

When we’re not helping with harvest, we are constantly traveling, introducing our brand to consumers throughout the country. Working alongside our mom, and our cousin Tyler (winemaker for the John Tyler label), the we hope to continue our family’s legacy within the wine industry for many years to come.

Bacigalupi family legacy

In 1964, Grandpa began his plantings with six acres of each varietal. Eventually he obtained pinot noir bud wood from Karl Wente, the first well documented plantings of Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. He remembers Wente telling him the stock had come from France via the family’s old vineyard in Livermore.

Our family name (Bacigalupi)  gained recognition during the 1976 Paris tasting when the 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay from Château Montelena made with 40% of our fruit triumphed over many acclaimed French wines. This event was to be the turning point in America’s global wine image.

Our vineyards now consists of 125 acres of premium grapes, which have been planted and managed for the past 30 years by my father John Bacigalupi and our family. The John Tyler wine label is the realization of a dream for our family who has roots in the wine industry stretching over four generations. Looking towards the future, we hope to continue our legacy of premium grape growing and wine making for many years to come.