Abacela Winemaker Dinner
When: Thursday April 5th at 6 PM
Where: Bethany’s Table
Earl and Hilda Jones are quite the partners. Earl has a willful sense of certainty to which he applies his curious nature, bold insightfulness and scientific training. Hilda’s gracious, warm nature and Southern charm tempt one to underestimate her depth and determination and her considerable gifts and abilities, but there would be no future in doing so. These two characters combined forces, pulled up roots and set out from their Southern home and secure lifestyle to pioneer Tempranillo and Iberian-esk winemaking in the Umpqua Valley. Together they have forged one of the most dynamic and well-regarded wineries in the New World. It is a story worth knowing.
It feels appropriate that Bethany’s Table's kick off our “Year of Southern Oregon" by starting at the very top. This will be Bethany’s Table second Abacela dinner and we know just what to expect: entertainment will be
accompanied by educational insights and enjoyment. We have tasted our way through the lineup and Janet selected wines that inspired her creative impulses. You will be wowed as you taste excellent wine and food that, when taken together, make each other better yet. Winemaker Andrew Wenzl will join us to present the wines and tell the stories. Andre joined Abacela in 2003 as Cellar Master. In 2005 he was promoted to Assistant Winemaker and in 2008, Andrew oversaw his first crush as Winemaker. Andrew knows Abacela!
We will close the restaurant for this dinner on the night of April 5th so that we can focus entirely on providing a world-class experience. Guests are invited to arrive between 6 and 6:30 to enjoy a greeting wine (2017 Grenache Rosé) together with light appetizers while we make new friends and catch up with the old. Dinner seating occurs and the show is underway at 6:30 PM. The cost is $75 plus gratuity. Make your reservation by clicking here. Then, simply choose April 5th at 6 PM... the rest is easy!
First Course
One cannot properly get to know Abacela without experiencing the Albariño. The uniquely diverse geology and terrain of Abacela’s vineyards allowed Earl to pick just the right spot to grow this grape and the wine produced is on par with the Old World favorites of Spain and Portugal. This beautifully balanced food wine will be paired with Janet’s version of Spanish anchovies, which almost seems too easy.
Second Course
In tasting through the lineup of red wines the Dolcetto made a brilliant case for itself. The 2014 vintage produced a wine with silky tannins, rich texture, supple red and black fruit flavors underpinned with earthy minerality and spice. True to its Piedmontese heritage, this wine inspired Janet along classic Northern Italian lines. She will create an Italian pork-fennel sausage, polenta with truffle cheese and a chunky spiced tomato sauce.
Third Course
We all know that Abacela’s success is staked on Earl and Hilda’s commitment to Tempranillo. However, incarnating a winery in a place where three mountain ranges crash together has provided the Abacela team with the opportunity to match the diversity in terroir with enlightened viticulture and thoughtful, restrained winemaking to produce a Malbec that fully embodies the time and place of its making. There is an earthy foundation upon which is heaped robust, sun-ripened berry fruit and the lasting finish, viscosity and richness of the wine inspired Janet to use it almost like a chutney to accompany lamb skewers, saffron-pearl couscous, vegetables, za'atar and tzatziki.
Fourth Course
Google “American Tempranillo” and one learns that the enthusiasm for the remarkable grape has become widespread. This was not the case when Earl and Hilda struck out for Oregon in a Calistoga wagon loaded with their two daughters, wine press, a handful of Tempranillo vines and a box of scientific books, notes and charts. Drill down in those search findings and one finds Earl’s name peppered everywhere as he often occurs as the patron saint of American Tempranillo. For this final chapter of the evening we could not choose between them, so Janet is preparing a course of coffee-rubbed smoked short ribs and root vegetable hash to serve with the 2014 Barrel Select and, for a very special treat, a library offering of Abacela's 2009 Paramour. Strikingly similar and distinctly different, this will be an excellent opportunity to compare these versions side-by-side together with a course created to bring out the best of what these flagship wines offer.