Wind, Rain and Chili Oh My!

Saturday started out hot, humid and breezy at Standing Stone Vineyards on the East side of Seneca Lake. The tents were set up with the Chili-meisters stirring and cooking like mad. There was the "Cheese-head Chili" man (yes, Packers fans, he does have the Cheese-head hat!). There was Gary's Hot Highland Drunkin Cow Chili, Chicken Wing Chili, Jamaican Me Crazy Chili, Dr. DD's Chili or Dr. DD's wife's Chili....all were very good and I was glad I wasn't judging. (I was told to stay clear of the cheeky red-head with the British accent as she might try to sway the votes toward the Drunkin Cow Chili)! Jim was chosen to judge, so "PHEW" to me!

There were the busloads, the limo's and the hard core chili tasters. The tasting room buzzed with people, then rumbled with people - wait- that wasn't the last tour bus, that was thunder! You could see the dark clouds and rain crossing the lake...headed right towards us! The wind hit! The tents and chili flew and the rain came down sideways and in torrential quantities. In came the soaking wet Chili chefs. Fortunately the judges had had enough time to make their decision. So when the thunder clapped, the lightening struck and the electricity went out, all was serene on the porch of Standing Stone as the awards were given out to the best Chili on the East side of Seneca. I believe Chili #6 won - Dr DD's wife(?), but I'm not sure as I was busy chatting, and pouring. All I know was when all the left over chili was mixed together and we had a moment to try some, the conglomeration was great! What wine would you have with chili you might ask? Well, it depended on the chili: hot and spicy - maybe Gewurztraminer or Smokehouse Red, sweeter - maybe the semi-dry Vidal. Whatever your preference, it was a fun day to taste and experiment with pairings. (And yes, after about 4 hours, the electricity did come back on)!

P.S. Marti hinted that there may be some vertical pairings coming up in August, so stay tuned!

Upcoming Wine Events at Fox Run and on Seneca Lake!

Something very special is happening at Fox Run Vineyards: Fox Run's Valentine's Dinner with the Winemaker on February 13th! Check out Fox Run's website http://www.foxrunvineyards.com/

because they have a link to my video post of last year's Wine maker's Dinner! I know that will convince you to attend! But seriously, the menu looks great. Heather Tomkins is the new Executive Chef at Fox Run and she is fabulous. It is a very special way to show your Valentine how much they mean to you! Join us - you won't be sorry.

Another Fox Run event coming up is a Winter Tasting on February 26 from 5:30 - 7:30. Heather will create 4 different taste treats to pair with Fox Run's wines. Peter Bell, Fox Run's winemaker, will be there to explain the wines that will be paired with Heather's delicious creations. Jim and I attended a tasting in the fall where Heather created such wonderful treats such as pumpkin hummus (paired with Reserve Chardonnay), roasted dates wrapped in bacon stuffed with Red Buddy (paired with Merlot) and fried cauliflower with green curry sauce (paired with Riesling). For this event (held near Halloween), it was optional to dress in costume. So Jim and I debated - should we dress up? What is no one else does? What can we"dress up" as that might also pass for normal clothes? We came up with Clark Kent and Lois Lane as you can see. Thank goodness because other than someone with a NY Yankees jersey on, no one else appeared to be wearing a costume! None-the-less, we had a great time eating, participating in the blind wine tasting/guessing the wine game and talking to fellow Fox Run wine lovers!

Also February 12-14, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail will be hosting their Chocolates and Wines at numerous wineries around the lake. You can order tickets to that event at this website: senecalakewine.com

All great fun events to warm you up on these long, cold winter days! See you there!