Welcome back. Before my Napa Valley Register column, Eat Drink Cook was a Substack newsletter. The format: cover up to a dozen subjects covering wine, events, food, daddy/daughter stuff etc. The idea was, and is at least for today, to draw in readers with quick, spiffy, occasionally insightful, perhaps witty experiences and opinions. I thought at the time that a dozen small subjects would be easier to write than one long one. Turns out that wasn’t the case.
Since it’s been a while I think I’ll try the format again and see how it goes.
12 subjects is too much to read, let alone write. Below are 6.
EVENTS
Tomorrow night, W 8/5 is the final class in my “Under $25 Wines” series at the new Napa Valley College Hospitality Training Center.
It’s a blind tasting. Pick the expensive wine from the Under $25 wine.
Compare Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Napa Cabernet. $50/ticket. Buy tickets here.
Eat Drink Cook Road Trip to Brockmeyer Family Wines
Sunday, August 16, 2 PM.
I know writing “you don’t want to miss this” gets redundant, but it’s true.
Members pay $20, non-members $40. Info and sign up.
Fourth Fridays at Folklore
Friday, August 28, 5:15 PM.
So much fun. For Social Club members. (Join the club.)
Info and Sign Up
Bring A Bottle of Pinot Noir Dinner Party “On The Farm”
Saturday, October 10, 4 PM
at Umbel Roots Farm, Highway 37 near Lakeville Highway.
One bottle of Pinot Noir admits 2 + $50/club member, $75/non-member.
Special guest: Kurt Beitler of Boheme Winery (read about Kurt below) with a couple of his single-vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinots. More info and Sign Up
A PAID Substack subscription = Eat Drink Cook Social Club Membership.
$12/month or $120/year
A Grand Wine Tasting At Napa Valley Yacht Club
The summer sun creeps toward the horizon, an evening breeze blows intently off the Napa River and 80 people arrive for an exceptional wine tasting with winemakers from four of Napa Valley’s best.
That was the scene at The Napa Valley Yacht Club last Thursday for an NVYC/Eat Drink Cook “joint” tasting with Massican, Robert Biale, Priest Ranch and Bouchaine wineries pouring and visiting. Proceeds from the tasting benefited the Yacht Club’s Maritime Scholarship Fund, and like most of my events I prepared the food…this time a variety of lavash pinwheel sandwiches and a made-from-scratch onion dip that received ten recipe requests. I provide that recipe below.
“This is the best event I have EVER poured at,” Cody Hurd, winemaker of Priest Ranch, told the group tasting the “Estate” Grenache Blanc on the Yacht Club back deck, next to the river. “Everyone is so nice and interested in the wines. So happy to be here.” Dan Petroski was there too, pouring two Massican wines that, fifteen years ago, spurred conversation about how Napa wine could evolve. David Natali, Robert Biale winemaker, came in strong pouring three single-vineyard Zins: R.W. Moore, Heminway and Monte Rosso. It was a line-up worthy of Master Somms. Dave Eriksen, sales guru at Bouchaine, poured four dynamite wines finishing up with the 2021 “Estate” Syrah, a special treat that I later learned sells for…a lot.
For almost forty years the Napa Valley Yacht Club has provided a boat dock for visitors and a member clubhouse equipped with a full bar, small kitchen and seating for a hundred. To the side is a boat ramp available to anyone with kayaks, paddleboards, etc. Check it out if you haven’t already – it’s at 100 Riverside Drive on the river, between The Tannery and Downtown Napa.
This was my Eat Drink Cook Wine Tasting Showcase #3. The next one, #4, will be Thursday, October 15 at The Napa Valley Wine Train station on McKinstry Street. Information is on my website, eatdrinkcook.club. My Social Club members get a discount on attending. You can join the club through my website.
Bohème Winery in Occidental
If you feel like a break from the regular Napa thing without the heavy lift, drive out to Occidental for a wine tasting at Bohème Winery, then see where the day takes you. Bohème owner/winemaker Kurt Beitler is humbly making some of California’s best single vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from his Sonoma Coast vineyards. I just went out to visit with fellow Chard & Pinot fans to taste the 2023s with Kurt. I won’t bore you with tasting notes but will send privately upon request. Leave it to say the wines are vibrant, vivid and multi-dimensional. Bohème Winery tasting room in the heart of Occidental is open Thursday to Sunday, noon to 6 PM. Bohème Winery Tasting Room, 3625 Main Street, Occidental. Tell them Eat Drink Cook sent you.
2026 Harvest - earliest ever?
The two predominant themes of Harvest 2026 currently and EARLY and LIGHT. Sparkling wine grapes started arriving at wineries in mid-July. Many premium Sauvignon Blanc and lighter white producers began harvest last week. That’s July. Used to be anything picked in August was very early (sparkling wine grapes the exception).
You see, that hot week in mid-March (low to high 80s March 13 to 20) turned on the vines’ lights and woke them up. There was no turning back as spring rains arrived, causing shatter (which is basically inclement weather stopping pollination). That means a light harvest, and the lighter the grape load, the faster they ripen. And so here we are with harvest in full-swing before the kids go back to school.
The Odyssey
The family went to see The Odyssey tonight. My takeaways:
1. I got the message. Humans, especially men, destroy needlessly and generally suck.
2. You can get 2 to 1 odds on Kalshi betting on The Odyssey to win the Best Picture Oscar. I like those odds.
3. How soon before prequel The Illiad goes into production? The Odyssey is making big money, so.
Street of Dreams
From the desk of an early U2 fan starting in 1981…I heard their latest single “Street of Dreams” on Napa’s own KVYN radio. I dig the catchy tune, more so than anything they’ve released the last 22 years. The video harkens us old U2 fans back to their Embarcadero pop-up in 1987. For Street of Dreams they ride in, and on, a bus through historic Mexico City singing “La calle, calle de los sueños. All the doors are open on the street of dreams. Don’t you give up on your dreams. For the many not just the few. Don’t you give up and your dreams. Won’t give up on you.”
Onion Dip
I made this onion dip for the Eat Drink Cook Wine Tasting Showcase #3 chronicled above. Serve with thick or wavy potato chips.
Dice 2 medium yellow onions. Finally chop 5 to 10 cloves garlic and 1 tablesoon fresh ginger. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, ½ teaspoon sugar and cook for about five minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic, ginger and ½ teaspoon dried shrimp. Cook medium-low until the mixture is very soft and a light brown color. Add 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and cook one more minute. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
In a large bowl combine 2 cups sour cream and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Add onion mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste and add salt if you want but remember the chips are salty. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving (best to make the day before). Drink with the Bouchaine Alsatian White Blend. Or a lager.
You made it: the end of this week’s Eat Drink Cook: a life-journal from a Napa Valley dad, wine expert and enthusiastic cook. I write stories about food, wine & cooking. Sometimes I sprinkle in bits about being a dad and just a guy enjoying these crazy times the best I can. Read me for food & wine tips, recipes, and stuff I come across that you may find interesting too. Join the club.