August 24, 2019 Lunch – Seafood omelet. Dinner - Taos Summer Wine Festival

August 24, 2019 Lunch – Seafood omelet.   Dinner - Taos Summer Wine Festival

Suzette had to go to work for an emergency at 4:00 in the morning so we got an early start.

I started around 7:30 with a bowl of yogurt, Tropical fruit salad and granola and watched PL Soccer.  I then rode the four mile short loop.

Then I showered and dressed and we went to pick up the table and chairs we bought for the apartment at the estate sale in the north valley.

We took it to the apartment and returned home around 12:30.

We were hungry, so we made an omelet with the PPI salmon, tuna and scallops from our sushi dinner with two sliced green onions.

We got packed the gazpacho, cocktail sauce, and boiled shrimp we cooked last night and finally left at 1:30 for Taos.

We arrived at 4:15 at the Alpine Inn Suites at Taos Ski Valley.

We cleaned up a bit and at 5:00 walked over to the plaza in front of the Blake where the wine festival was set up.  There were about twenty-five wine tables and about a dozen food booths and about 50 to 60 people.  So, there was an excess of food and wine for the number of persons attending, which made it great for talking to wine importers and chefs.

We enjoyed some wonderful Italian wines from northern Italy and the Piedmont among many other wines.  

The food was exceptional.  There were four or five terrific dishes. All the restaurants in the Taos Ski Valley seemed to participate, the quality of food has improved dramatically in the last year or two.  One restaurant served ramekins filled with boar and potato shepherd’s pie and ramekins of chocolate mousse with ground up hazelnuts, and another mushroom and leek turnovers topped with a potato swirl but those were not my favorites.

  My favorite was a wild mushroom and shallot duxelles mixed with quinoa piled onto a slice of toasted French baguette. Heavenly. 

There was also scallop ceviche and a wonderful paella.  Here is a picture of Suzette with the paella cook. 

There were also amazing confections, a green chili truffle and incredible small triple macaroons filled with layers of chocolate and Bavarian cream, which we ate while we sipped glasses of 5 year old Reserve Madeira.

We loved everything and as the sun set a couple from Capulin National Monument set up telescopes.  When the tasting ended at 7:30 we returned to our room, so Suzette could put on her shawl and I, my light jacket.   We then returned to the telescopes and looked at Jupiter and Saturn.  We could see the rings and moons of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter, especially in the larger 24 inch telescope.

We went to bed at around 10:00 after a wonderful day.   

This is the third year for the Summer Taos Wine Festival.  It is sponsored by Taos Ski Valley.  I predict it will grow in size and attendance as all the other ones have, especially since there are additional condominiums being constructed.

We will miss the intimacy and excellence of this event this time but keep coming.  The weather was perfect with a cool breeze and the mountains were beautiful.

 

Bon Appetit