Tip of My Tongue: Bistro 100, Keller Estate winery and more

The patio at Wild Goat Bistro was a welcome addition to Petaluma’s arsenal of great outdoor seating when Nancy DeLorenzo opened her doors several years ago.|

The patio at Wild Goat Bistro was a welcome addition to Petaluma’s arsenal of great outdoor seating when Nancy DeLorenzo opened her doors several years ago. However, only being allowed to serve beer and wine inside her restaurant meant the patio was often passed over by diners looking to enjoy a drink along with our great weather.

No more! You can now enjoy a frosty beer or chilled glass of white wine at WGB’s outdoor seating as the warm summer evenings wane into fall.

Speaking of wine, Nancy has add two new ports to her wine menu. With Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny, Fonseca Bin 27 and Sonoma Portworks already on the menu, WGB has always been one of my go-to locations for port. But the addition of two top-ranking Tawny ports rounds out our choices beautifully. Ramos Pinto’s 20 Year Tawny is a rarity in the U.S. (and one of the smoothest you’ll ever drink), but it’s the Graham’s 30 Year Tawny that really gets my juices flowing.

I was lucky enough to spend an indulgent afternoon sampling Graham’s Late Bottle Vintage, Aged Tawny, and Colheita ports as a special guest at Vinum, the world-class restaurant located at Graham’s port lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, across the river from the city of Porto, where authentic port originates. Grape for glass, the Graham’s 30 Year offered the best bang for the euro, so I am glad to see it is making its way onto U.S. menus.

Although it may seem pricey, the biggest cost comes when you realize that the first sip has ruined you for most other ports. But take these two pieces of advice when ordering port, whether expensive or not, and whether at a five-star restaurant or your corner bistro. First, make sure the bottle is fresh and second, request your port in a real wine glass, not those ridiculously small tulip glasses. (wildgoatbistro.com)

As long as I am on the topic of wine, last weekend’s inaugural “Wind to Wine” event was a huge success. With a grand tasting, winemaker’s dinners and winery tours, this Petaluma Gap Winegrower’s Alliance event is sure to be a perennial favorite, so mark your calendars for August 2016. (petalumagap.com)

Salsa & Wine

Ana Keller, along with being one of the driving forces behind the PGWA, hosts great food events at her family’s Keller Estate winery. On Sunday, Aug. 30 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Keller hosts a special afternoon of bubbly, Latin American-inspired bites and live salsa music from the band Sabor de mi Cuba. Tickets are $30 and seating is limited to the first 70 people. PGWA members get a discount, another reason to join. (kellerestate.com)

Bistro 100 and Barber Cellars Winemaker’s Dinner

The “100” refers to the 100-mile radius around Petaluma from which Chef Adair sources his food and wine. His winemaker dinners sell out quickly, in part because of the bounty within those 100 miles, but primarily because of Chef Adair’s mastery at pairing great wine with creative culinary creations. The next dinner is on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and features Michael Barber of Barber Cellars, along with several of his wines. Barber Cellars’ tasting room at the Hotel Petaluma will open for business later this fall.

The Zin-full five-course experience starts with Pt. Reyes Blue cheese and cedar-smoked heirloom tomato quiche and ends with chocolate mousse topped with Canvas Ranch strawberries. In between, you will delight in mussel and scallop fettuccine topped with a pernod, caramelized shallot and butter sauce, bitter greens and garlic potato Charlotte in Béarnaise sauce, and a flatiron steak with truffle butter and mushroom bread pudding. Other than a Pinot Gris with the quiche and a Sonoma Portworks with dessert, Barber Cellar’s zinfandels will headline the show. (bistro100petaluma.com, barbercellars.com, portworks.com, canvasranch.com)

Keller Estate Brunch

Rounding out this unusually wine-heavy column, the weekend of September 5 & 6 marks your next opportunity to attend Keller Estate’s monthly brunch. Offered the first weekend of each month, the cost is $45 per person for brunch, Keller’s award-winning wine pairing, and some of the most spectacular views of the Petaluma River valley. (kellerestate.com)

(You can reach Houston Porter at houston@avant-larde.com with any comments or food-related news.)

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