Beer Dinners at the Ferry: Crooked Hammock

Friday evening I attended the first in a series of beer dinners at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal. There are 8 dinners in all this winter and they alternate between the Cape May, NJ terminal and Lewes, DE terminal featuring New Jersey and Deleware craft beers.

The space used on the Cape May side is perfect as it overlooks the channel where the ferry come in. As daylight gets longer it will be beautiful watching the sunset as you learn about the craft beer.

The evening began with beer cocktails and passed appetizers.  There was a choice of beer cocktails and I chose the beer and Bloody Mary mix (for the cocktails they were using Blue Moon because they guys from Crooked Hammock hadn't arrived yet on the ferry) and Paul choose the Side Car made with Cognac, lemon juice and beer. The Side Car we felt was the better of the two.  I definitely prefer vodka in my Bloody Mary mix than beer.  I will give them thumbs up on the Side Car beer cocktail.

The Maui Wowie beer is a pineapple Belgian Brown Ale brewed for the new year.  It does make you want to think you are in Hawaii.  It was paired with Grilled Jerked Shrimp with Pinapple Peppercorn Salsa  The beer did have a hint of sweetness to it and it complimented the spice in the shrimp.  A very nice pairing.

Next course was the Hearts of Palm salad with Oranges in a Cilantro Vinaigrette paired with the Shoobie Belgian Blond Ale.  Shoobies are defined by city folks who traveled to the beach by train in the late 1800's.  Their ticket included a shoe box lunch, hence the term Shoobie.  This beer had a touch of bitterness on the finish.  It paired very well with the salad as the citrus notes of the salad complimented the beer.

The main entree was off as I thought we would have a choice but it all came out on one plate.  We had Boneless Beef Short Rib, Broccoli Rabe Sausage, Chicken Breast, Roasted Root Veggies and Grilled Polenta.  We got a little of everything here paired with Mootzy's Treasure IPA.

This beer is named after Richard "Mootzy" Mootz who is a native of Sussex County, Delaware.  He was one of the "Monument Men" that recovered the stolen treasures after WWII.  That was a great movie if you haven't seen it.  Crooked Hammock honors and celebrates Mootzy with their flagship IPA. It is a nice beer, bitter and hoppy.  It paired well with all on the dinner plate.

Now my favorite...dessert!  The more I'm drinking Stout the more I am liking it!  Haulin' Oats Milk Stout was paired with Salted Caramel Cheese Cake.  Yum on all accounts!.  The beer is named after Chris's favorite music artist whom he toured with on summer in college, Hall & Oats.

The beer had a sweetness and creaminess to it, and it was light in weight.  It had aromas of caramel and cocoa which paired very well with the cheese cake.

Overall the dinner was very good.  They kept us entertained with four rounds of trivia.  However, I would have liked to see the people from Crooked Hammock speak about their beer and the Chef talk about why he chose the dishes he prepared to pair with the beer.  The dinner wasn't suppose to be all about Kevin the Terminal Manager and trivia. There was plenty of time for both.

Sip and Savor at Ocean Breeze Wine Festival on Diamond Beach & $5 off Admission

Cape May County's first annual premium wine festival kicks off at Bungalow No. 1 Beach Bar Saturday August 1, 2015.

Wine-Time on the beach!  You don't even have to leave the beach after spending all day sunning yourself.  My kind of wine festival!

Wine-time begins at 4:30pm and runs until 8pm.  Taste award winning wines from renowned wine brands like Masi wines from Italy, Cloudy Bay from New Zealand, Jordan Winery in Sonoma, the famous Chateau Montelena.  There will be 30+ wineries to sample from. At 5:30pm I will be giving a short seminar to learn how to taste wines like a pro.

Admission to the festival is $50 and includes wine tasting on the beautiful white sands of Diamond Beach, a keepsake glass plus two food tickets for small bites and listen to music by Next.  You can also purchase an additional VIP Grazing Station Access for $20 or a small cheese plate for $10.  Both add-ons need to be pre-purchased before the festival. 

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at http://snip.ly/MKom   Use code WINEGODDESS5 for $5 off ticket price.

Here are some tasting tips to maximize your wine tasting experience:

• Make sure you eat a good lunch.  There are many wines to try and the munchies provided are intended to help you try the wine with food and clear your palate
• Drink water!  You will be in the sun.  Remember you are on the beach. So not only will the wine dehydrate you, but so will the sun.  Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!!
• Be courteous to others who wish to taste.
• After receiving your pour, please step back from the tasting table to do your personal evaluation.  This allows others to step forward to receive their sample
• Step to the side if you wish to speak with the winery representative.

What do Yoga, Wine & Chocolate Have In Common

They are all offered with a yoga class. Who wouldn't sign up for a Yoga class when in the end you get rewarded with wine and chocolate. Certainly not me and when I realized I was going to be in town the evening it was being offered of course I signed up. 

An evening of Yoga, Wine & Chocolate at the Congress Hotel, how lucky can a girl get. With yoga mat in tow, I showed up ready to twist, turn, stretch, balance and most importantly de-stress and relax.

About half way through the yoga class the torture started.  No it wasn't the yoga moves it was the smell of chocolate baking. I don't know if it was brownies, cookies or a cake, but what a way to tease the room. Inhaling the aroma really got you excited for what was to follow.

No sooner after an hour and fifteen minutes of yoga did we roll up those mates and b-line it to the wine and chocolate that was waiting for us at the tables behind us.

The first pairing was Strawberry Infused Chocolate Tart paired with 2012 Lucien Albrecht Cuvee Balthzar Pinot Blanc.  I really like the Pinot Blanc!  It's nice, fresh and energizing after yoga.  The Strawberry Infused Chocolate Tart was delicious.  However, the two didn't pair well together. A Pinot Noir would have been a better pairing and it would have complimented the strawberry flavor in the tart. I would highly suggest the Pinot Blanc for a great summer sipper by the pool and or paired with soft cheese. SRP $13.99

The next pairing was a Bourbon Brownie Petit Four with Smoked Sea Salt paired with 2014 Bodega Norton Coleccion Malbec.  No these weren't the brownies we were inhaling during yoga. They weren't warm. But that would have been awesome if they were! This pairing was by far the best of the evening.  The black cherry flavor in the wine combined with the brownie made a chocolate covered cherry explode in your mouth.  Where as the wine on it's own was a little rough, the chocolate brownie made it shine.  SRP $7.00

I think I died and went to chocolate heaven on the last pairing.  OMG the Chocolate Ganache Truffles with a touch of Cayenne Pepper was to die for.  Rich and creamy it just melted away in your mouth exploding with touch of Cayenne Pepper that lingers.  Incredible!  I wanted to box up a few and take them home for breakfast. These were paired with 2012 William Hill Winery Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.  A nice Cabernet that has a touch of Syrah and Merlot blended in.  The wine on it's own was very enjoyable with aromas of blackberries and a hint of chocolate followed by a palate of black cherry and cassis. However with alcohol level of 13.5 combined with the Cayenne Pepper of the truffle you needed a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in your mouth.  SRP 12.99

If you are ever in the Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ and they are serving those truffles get them and get some to go home with.

I highly recommend a Yoga Wine & Chocolate class!

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Willow Creek Winery Opens in Cape May, NJ

It's not summer, so what am I doing in Cape May, NJ in the middle of winter...looking for a summer house.  Yes, it's going to be my new wine destination soon.  We actually pulled into this winery last Memorial Day weekend to find it closed.  When we were down there a few weeks ago on a house scouting trip we checked it out and it was open.   They opened December 15, 2011 with a soft opening and will have a Grand Opening in May.(You have to have some fun, while house hunting.)

When you first pull up to Willow Creek Winery, you see the picture above.  It's a beautiful house, but it isn't the winery.  You have to drive around to the left and follow the signs.  At some point you think you are really in the wrong place but then it opens up to more vines and a beautiful large winery.

They spared no expense! They have a 50 acre farm in Cape May, NJ.  Their first vines were planted in 2004 and in the past eight years they have planted over 5000 vines and 10 varietals. The varietals planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Corot Noir, Malvasia Bianca, Sangiovese, Alberino, Sauvignon Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin and they are planting Malbec this year.

The winery holds two labels Willow Creek and Wilde Cock.  The Willow Creek label is for estate wines and Wilde Cock uses grapes from their farm as well as grapes that are sourced from other places.  Not necessarily New Jersey which I found strange.  Some of their blends for their Wilde Cock label are sourced from Washington State.

Paul and I did a full tasting which was $10 per person.  We began with Malvasia Bianca 2011 and 2010.  The 2011 was aged in 3 year old French oak for 3 months and finished in stainless steel.  It showed flavors of pear, honeysuckle and honey.  The 2010 was aged in 100% stainless steel and it expressed the grapes acidic, mineral and citrus attributes.

The 2011 Sauvignon Blanc was aged in French oak for 7 months.  Personally I don't like my Sauvignon Blanc oaked as I feel it takes away the grapes personality and expression.

There were two Pinot Noirs, 2010 and 2011.  The 2011 spent one year in French Oak.  Flavors of raspberry, tobacco and smoke.  I didn't like the nose on this wine.  The 2010 was much nicer on my palate. This spent 1 1/2 years in French oak, with flavors of raspberry and a hint of black pepper.

We can't forget the 2010 Merlot.  This had a nice nose with dark berry aromas.  The palate bursted with black cherry and plum flavors.

The Bacchus Red is a medium bodied wine and a blend of Merlot, Chambourcin and Cabernet Sauvignon.  I tasted a lot of cherry in this blend.

There was a Rose in the mix.  The Meditrina Rose which was estate blended with 49% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Chambourcin and 1% Merlot.  It had 1.5% residual sugar.  It reminded me of a candied cherry jolly rancher.

On to the Wilde Cock label which the name comes from the owner who is Barbara Wilde, but not sure where the Cock comes into play. Hopefully in the future I will get to have a one on one interview with Barbara.  Onto the Wilde Cock...

We began the flight of Wilde Cock with the Wilde Cock Red.  This was a blend of Merlot from the estate and Shiraz from Washington State. It was thin with notes of black cherry and a tad of black pepper from the Shiraz on the finish.

We then moved onto the Wilde Cock Sweet White.  It's a blend of Riesling and Moscato.  The Moscato is sourced from Washington State.  A bit to sweet for me, but it did have a little fiz going on.  Not sure if it was suppose to be that way or going through a second fermentation in the bottle.

Last selection tasted was their Wilde Cock Southern Sangria. Made with pomegranate and cherry nectar it was actually very nice and had a great nose.

The winery offers an "Adopt a Vine" program where you can adopt a vine for 12 months.  Each month you will receive a private news letter discussing the stage of growth your vine is in and will have the opportunity to  come out each month and care for it.

Looking forward to many more tasting when I am down in that area.