Heidi's Winery Report

I would like to introduce my self; I am a part of the winemaking team at MacRostie Winery, Heidi Bridenhagen. My days are spent working behind the scenes -what happens before our wine is put into a bottle.  I work with the vineyards to cull the highest quality fruit. I work with our cellar team daily to create the wines that are put under the MacRostie label.

I am excited to give you insight into what you are drinking now, by sharing with you what is happening in the vineyards and cellar throughout the year. I will update this every other month to give you a look inside the life of a winemaker and keep you up to date on special projects going on at MacRostie Winery.

May Shipment Food and Wine Pairing
My sister, Barrett (of Dirty Laundry Kitchen), and I have been busy this month coming up with a recipe that suits both our Sangiacomo Chardonnay and our Arrow Block Pinot noir from Wildcat Mountain. For the food and wine pairing this month Barrett and I tried out something new. With all of the technology out there, why not have a video chat, cooking and wine tasting session? In CA, I sat down with the wines and wrote tasting notes, which I then sent along with a bottle of each of the wines, to my sister. While in Pennsylvania, Barrett came up with an ingredient list that she e-mailed to me. We picked a date, opened our computers and wines then set to cooking and drinking! We came up with a delicious menu highlighting and accentuating different aspects of each of the wines. Below are my perceptions of the wine and food that we created. You can visit Dirty Laundry Kitchen for the recipes. 

Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter

The cumin in the BBQ butter accented the peppery notes of the Arrow Block Pinot noir. The natural bitterness and aromas of the lingonberries drew out the wine’s rich black cherry/blackberry fruit and left a soft and supple finish. Sangiacomo Chardonnay has bright fruit and nice acid. The richness of the BBQ butter brought out this acid and was a refreshing contrast to the heat of the sauce.

Kale Salad with Hazelnuts

The lemon and caraway in the kale salad highlighted the citrus and spice of the Sangiacomo Chardonnay while drawing out the wine’s natural richness. When tasting the Kale salad with the Pinot noir aromas of earth and tobacco were accentuated and the hazelnuts melded deliciously with the tannin of the wine.

Red Potato or Sweet Potato Salad with Whole Grain Mustard dressing

The red potato salad is topped with alfalfa sprouts, which had the Sangiacomo Chardonnay show notes of sweet grass and mineral. The whole grain mustard highlighted the fruit and spice of the Arrow Block Pinot noir.  

Sonoma County HEAT

It’s May 1 and the heat accumulation in the vineyards is record breaking. 2004 was the most recent vintage that saw this many rays. The farmers are racing to keep the vines suckered and tucked as the shoots continue to push. Bloom is just around the corner!