Here we are, the last newsletter for 2023. Where has this year gone? I could ramble off for far too long, but the newsletter is over 4,000 words this month. Part of me is sorry, but the other part says, “Nope, not sorry at all!” I adore the ever-loving heck out of the fact I don’t have anyone telling me your newsletter is too long! Enjoy, and I hope you have a beautiful Christmas full of love, warmth, friends, and family!
Enjoy all of the links, so much is happening!
Archery Summit is unveiling a new tasting room
Have you heard of Balsall Creek Vineyards yet?
What about Acorn to Oak?
Take a glimpse at Corollary's Tasting Room!
Longplay sells their vineyard
Patty Green is getting into whiskey!
Domaine de Brogile is now known as Domaine Lumineux
Oregon Sparkling is getting more attention around the wine world
Speakling of Oregon Sparkling, Kenny from Arabalis sat down and talk with SOMMTV
Maria Ponzi is the Interim Director of Linfield Wine Studies
I am sharing my October trip to Croatia with you this month, and I am still trying to figure out where to start. Yes, it is obvious to begin at the beginning of the trip, but there is no way I will do justice to the trip. There are so many details I want to share about my week-long journey.
Before I get too far into the weeds of the trip, let me share with you this was an organized trip with Tournant. If you are still getting familiar with Tournant, you should get their newsletter and follow them on Instagram. They have an incredible, unique experience of cooking "lights out" food on an open flame. They recently opened several experiences on their website, which will probably be sold out soon. Last year, they did a Full Moon dinner series, and within the last few months, they started offering dinner at Brick Hall in Dayton. Mona and Jaret, the husband and wife team behind Tournant, are beyond amazing! I have a feeling there will be a podcast with them in 2024.
One other detail I want to mention before diving in is truffles. We stayed in Istria, Croatia’s capital of truffles. I call out this detail because, holy Toledo Batman, there were truffles everywhere. I ate so many truffles in pasta, eggs, and even had truffles in honey. I pass along this tidbit for two reasons. I want to make you hungry while you are drinking your morning, and if you are not a truffle fan, maybe I can convert you. I am pretty sure some of my laundry still smells like truffle. Crazy good and, oh, side tangent. Have you seen Nicholas Cage in the movie Pig? It is Portland-based, and it is about his truffle hunting pig. While I didn’t see any pigs truffle hunting, there were plenty of truffle-hunting dogs!
Before getting into Istria, I flew into Zagreb and took a couple-hour drive into Opatjia, where I stayed for a night before the festivities began. Seeing the countryside was gorgeous. Driving on the highways was a breeze. Everyone spoke English, and getting into Opatjia was breathtaking! I don’t have a picture of the city on the crystal clear blue water. You will have to trust me. Maybe this moon picture will help a little.
Since the Tournant activities didn’t start until dinner time, it was time to explore a little the next day. Driving along the coastline reminded me of the majestic views of the Oregon coastline. There is a different type of majestic in Croatia, though. In Oregon, we are used to a rocky coastline. Driving out of Opatjia to a little town named Cres on an island, whose slogan is “No stress in Cres.”
I had to agree to get onto the ferry; there was zero stress. Getting off the ferry was also super easy, but the line to get back onto the ferry was noticeably long. Hmm, noted. The island's roads were easy but rough in places with construction. There were signs of sheep crossings and walls of rocks along the route to Cres.
After 20 or so minutes of driving, arriving in Cres was like something you would see in a movie or pictures of unbelievable, mouth-dropping beauty. It didn’t feel natural at all!
With a long line to get back on the ferry, there wasn’t much time spent in the town of no stress. It was still a couple hours' drive from Cres to the heart of Istria. Coming around one of the bends in the road, there was the ferry line, and it was long. I walked down to the ferry station. It took about 20 minutes to walk round trip. Come to find out, the ferry comes once an hour. According to the signs, we had to wait a couple of hours. Well, the signs were wrong, and it took three.
Driving two hours in the dark using Google Maps around crazy winding roads was an adventure. Finally getting out of the car and walking up to the Villa, I wasn’t sure if this was the correct place. I approached a group of people and asked if this was the Tournant group. Luckily, it was, and luckily, wine was waiting. It was my first time having Teran from a winery called Fakin. I will leave it to your imagination as to what Fakin could be substituted for.
Anyway, the Villa Tournant picked out was stunning. The view from the room in the evening and morning was nothing short of spectacular!
Getting up in the morning, I had to explore the Villa's grounds. There was a lovely little garden along with a ton of olive trees. The shocking find was an olive press under one of the houses. I couldn’t tell if they still use it, but I feel they do.
On the drive to our first little town to visit, Groznjan, Joe pointed out a local honey stop everyone should check out. Walking around the little village of Groznjan felt like I was wisped away to another time when life didn’t have all the pressure and stress of constantly looking at the fantastic electronic screens in our back pockets. Walking through the town and along the city wall was nothing like getting into a DeLorean at 88 mph to return to a simple life. I simply needed to walk along the cobblestones, take in the breathtaking views, and simply breathe. I mean, how often do you get to see a prison built in 1597?
After lunch, the group decided to swim in the Adriatic Sea. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this part at all! I am not a water person, and my swimming skills aren’t the greatest. Showing weakness and vulnerability in front of strangers was not my idea of fun, but I did it.
I could leave this part of the trip out, but there is no way I could. Getting into the water and staying where I could touch the bottom, I was doing my level best to “fit in” while everyone else was saying how easy it was to float in the water full of salt, keeping them afloat.
I don’t know how the topic of the Tennessee Vols came up, but when the lyrics of “Good ole Rocky Top, rocky top Tennessee,” I was there with the group even though my chicken patootski wasn’t floating. What are the chances another Rocky Top fan was in the group halfway across the globe? Life is something, isn’t it?
Could I go into more detail about our lunch and how I changed out of a swimming suit in a little public billboard? I could, but this would turn into a short novel, and you would still be reading late into Saturday evening when your coffee transitioned into wine. I'm not saying that would be bad, but I realize you need to get out of bed at some point this morning.
After exploring, dinner was underway at the Villa, where I was introduced to a cooking device called a Peka. Think of it as a massive cast iron top and bottom that you put onto the coals of a fire, and coals also go on top to cook the food inside. Pictures explain this more than words.
I don’t remember everything we had for dinner that night, but seriously, look at how everything was cooked. A simple fire to cook some out-of-this-world food! When I mentioned earlier in the day how it felt transported back to a simpler time, I still felt like there was no way I was living in 2023. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was helping to make dinner happen. This was not an event where you are catered to with fruffy drinks with people at your beg and call to whatever whim you might have. We all pulled together as a community to make dinner happen. People, myself included, helped wrap sea bass in fig tree leaves. Others picked food from the garden, while some helped bring chairs to the table. There is no way I can list how everyone helped, but here I was in Croatia on an authentic journey of a simpler time with outstanding, out-of-this-world people. I still feel it in my bones as I am writing this. I will never forget this night or any of the other nights.
After dinner, we all retreated to a covered area next to an infinity pool and a roaring fire blazing in the background. At this point in the night, I had a few glasses of Fakin Teran, and jet lag was kicking my patootski. I was doing my best to stay awake but got called out on being tired. It wasn’t too bad getting called out, but nobody likes to admit jetlag is winning over having a good time.
After getting some much-needed shut-eye, the next morning was full of fun! The day started off heading to Karlic Tartufi, where we would go truffle hunting with a couple of dogs, eat food with truffles, and drink wine. All of this started at 9:00 in the morning, and oh me, oh my! Before the morning’s adventure, check out this picture from the Villa!
Getting out of the van after a short jaunt down the road at Karlic Tartufi, the truffle dogs were in kennels and were beyond happy seeing all of us. They were so delighted that one of the trainers had to calm them as our “tour guide” for the morning was talking to us about truffles with some history. The main thing I learned was there are white and black truffles. The white ones are more rare and cost more. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to compare the taste between the two.
There is some debate within our group about whether the next part of our tour was fixed. Regardless of the discussion, seeing the dogs go off the walking path, heads down, sniffing for truffles, and diving nose-first into the ground was fantastic.
I will always remember how one person in our group, including the trainer, pulled ahead of the group to find truffles. She took the dog and was like let’s find a truffle. Once the dog found the truffle, the trainer hustled quickly to catch up. I would have loved to know what he was thinking at that moment!
After an excellent trump through the woods, finding a few truffles, it was time for food and wine at 10:14 in the morning! Charcuterie boards with truffles on them are way better than anything I have had in Oregon. Do I need to mention that we are in Croatia's capital of truffles? I don’t think I could afford the board if I were in Oregon.
As we were devouring all of the cured meats, cheese, bread, and so much more, our tour guide was cooking scrambled eggs with an overhead camera so we could watch what she was doing. After the eggs were finished, an obscene amount of truffles were blended in. I could have eaten the whole freakin skillet!
I was a little disappointed that nothing was mentioned about the wine. We had containers of white and red wine passed between the tables. I assume it was Teran, but I don't know since it was never announced. I could have asked, but I was overwhelmed with truffles!
There were vines on the property, and nothing was mentioned about them. I hustled down the street to get some pictures. It was interesting how all of the stems from Harvest were there in the vineyard. I am sure that also happens here, but I have never seen a big pile of them sitting there. Also, the pictures show healthy vines. I saw some that needed to be replanted.
Since the day started on the early side of life, there was free time to explore before dinner. Taking a look at Google Maps, a castle was close by. Asking the local translator for the group if she had any thoughts or opinions about it, her response was, “Oh, there are castles all over the place.” Running into a random castle on your way to work must be nice!
Before heading out to the castle, a much-needed stop by the honey shop was in order. Sampling all of the honey was fantastic. I bought three jars, along with some honey brandy.
There wasn’t another soul at the castle. To pay, an automated system opened a gate to the castle. Going through the castle was a blast. I couldn’t imagine living here several hundreds of years ago, but I could also understand the importance of it. Getting up to the top floor, you could see forever, giving you the vantage point of knowing when and where your enemies were coming.
I don’t know if I jumped more when a motion-detected voice from a statue of a Knight started talking or when I almost stepped on the deadliest viper in all of Europe, the horned nose viper. Both were fascinating to encounter once the initial fright was over.
After the castle, more exploration continued in a little town called Sovinjak. When I say small, I mean the waitress at the restaurant knew everyone who lived there, and it took about 10 minutes to walk around the whole town.
As I am typing this, rain is coming down, and it’s in the low 40s. I vividly remember sitting in the sun, overlooking the landscape and being hot. Why was I unhappy with the warmth when it’s nasty, wet, and cold outside today?
After a nice chat with the waiter, it was time to order. A bottle of wine, an entree of mushrooms, and a pasta entree were in place for a great meal. There was an option to add white or black truffles to the pasta dish. Not having white truffles yet, it was highly desired. Unfortunately, they were out for the day and had to settle for black truffles. Oh darn! I was expecting just a little bit of truffle, but she sliced two whole truffles onto the dish. Holy Toledo Batman, can you say truffle mania?? I was also blown away the check was somewhere around $60.
Getting back to the Villa, the dinner prep was pretty much complete, which means I don’t have many fancy pictures, but there are some incredible sunset pictures with the infinity pool and food pictures.
I also don’t remember much of what was in the food for dinner that night. Let me explain. If you remember, I got called out for nodding the previous night while everyone else was talking. The person who called me out wanted to know more about me. Somehow, I ended up telling my life story to the whole table. I seriously have no clue how this happened. Maybe it was the overabundance of truffles mixed in with wine throughout the day. Or perhaps it was just sitting around a table with good people enjoying off-the-charts food and relishing. At any rate, it was a fantastic full day of food, wine, and people!
Our next day excursions took us way up a hill to a little town called Motovun. This town was more touristy than the others but still adorable and fun, with views for miles. I will skip through some details and post some pictures because I finally get to talk a little about wine. The last time I looked, this was a wine newsletter.
PICS
Going up the hill to Motovun, there were several signs for wineries. There was time, which meant visiting a Croatian winery had to happen! Without any research, Tomaz was the winery of choice!
Walking into the tasting room felt fancy but still warm and inviting. There was an option to sit inside or out. If you are a long-time newsletter reader, you know I chose outside in a heartbeat!
Looking at the tastings offered was a little tricky, not knowing what anything was. I decided on the “5 vrsta vina (pjenúsavo, svjeze, odlezano i premium vino)” which included a Sparkling Rose, Malvazija Istarska, Teran, another Malvazija Istarska, and another Teran.
Here are the descriptions of the wines from their website.
Sparkling wine “Celeste” is a sparkling wine obtained from varieties Teran (60%), Merlot (30%) and Black Malvasia (10%), and is produced by Charmat method – refermentation in tanks.
Malvasia “Avangarde” is a fine wine obtained exclusively from the Malvasia variety from Motovun vineyards. It has a yellow color with a greenish glare. It is a wine of great potential that, according to the content of aromatic components, we can classify into a group of semi-aromatic varieties with a large floral-fruit aromatic potential.
“Barbarossa Superior” is a premium wine obtained from the grape variety Teran, from Motovun hills with an altitude of 300 to 400 meters above sea level. 70% of grapes are dehydrated on vines in the vineyard and 30% on straw. Vinification is separated, and after fermentation it ages for 2 years in French wooden barrels
Teran “Barbarossa” is a premium wine produced exclusively from the Teran variety from Motovun vineyards, aged for 18 months in wooden oak barrels.
Malvasia “Sesto Senso” is made from selected Istrian Malvasia berries from the best positions. After harvesting, a maceration of 21 days was carried out and later the wine was aged for 18 months on fine sediment in large barrels of oak, mulberry and acacia. The wine is of yellow-golden colour. The fragrance resembles fried hazelnuts, honey, tobacco and cinnamon.
I didn’t have my tasting journal with me, and I didn’t make any notes. I wanted to sit back and enjoy the wines. My overall impression was that the wines were interesting. I want to dive deeper and understand more of what is going on. Getting a few sips at one point in time is not enough time.
The person doing the tasting did an excellent job, but trying to dive deeper to understand the wines or to get some stories wasn’t happening. I did notice another person engaging with customers on a level I wanted. When he walked by one time, I got his attention to ask a question. From there, it was all downhill. We nerded out on the wine and got onto the topic of Sparkling. As the conversation wrapped up, I asked, “If you, by chance, have a bottle of the Sparkling open. Can I get a taste?” Yes, I already had the Rose, but there were two more. Both were from the Teran grape, but one was a red Sparkling while the other was a white Sparkling.
After a few minutes, he returned with two full bottles of Sparkling to dive into. It was interesting and exciting to dive into Croatian Sparkling, and yes, both of these were 100% Method Traditionnelle. Here are the notes from the website.
Sparkling wine “San Pancrazio” is a sparkling red wine obtained from the Teran variety. After 12 months of maturation in barrique barrels, this secondary fermentation is aged for 36 months on yeasts.
Sparkling wine “Pier” is a sparkling white wine obtained by decolorizing Teran, and is produced by the classic method. After secondary fermentation, it aged on yeasts for 36 months.
In our group back at the Villa, two people were celebrating birthdays the next day. Can you guess what I did? I bought some Sparkling to bring back, saber, and celebrate!
Our final dinner of the trip was here, and what a fun dinner it was. I do have more prep pictures this time. I am also aware this is the longest newsletter I have probably ever written. I will wrap this up because you don’t need a whole pot of coffee this early. So, I am going to leave pictures for you to pour through.
One final meal of the trip was a brunch cooked over an open flame. I have more pictures for you; all I can say is, wow, what a trip!
As I started this newsletter, I mentioned how excellent Mona and Jaret are from Tournant. You must seriously scour their website to look at their fantastic experiences! After booking an experience or visiting them at Brick Hall, please say, “A.J. sent me!”
With Heartfelt Gratitude,
A.J.
PS - Did you get to the end and was it too long?
