Yummy! Wine and cookies. Take a look at the wine and cookie tour we are doing with Virginia Wine Adventures. This is going to be a combination of tasting wine and pairing them with holiday cookies. There will be cookies purchased from local cookie companies and Deidra (VA Wine Adventures) and I are going to each make a cookie to show off our baking abilities.
I am torn on which one to make. I have a recipe for a wine cookie -- it's more savory than sweet but I was thinking of using the wine that we taste in the recipe. The other one is a traditional almond paste cookie that everyone always raves about. Any ideas?
Hey, Doug Fabbioli will be pouring on this tour and I understand he is breaking out his newly bottled Raspberry Merlot and a pear apertif especially for us. I love the merlot he does each year and now I am also excited to try the pear. Anything Doug does, in my opinion is wonderful! Check out his website at www.fabbioliwines.com.
If you haven't been to Sunset Hills yet, go take a peak at their gorgeous tasting room. It is done and wow the Amish who restored the barn are true artists and craftsmen. Just beautiful! They as well as Notaviva will be a regular stop on my Virginia Wine Tours. People enjoy the wine, music and beautiful surroundings of both places so I like to spend time there.
Hey, here is a tour I am doing for a private group, I can't wait! This is going to be a "Culinary Day in Middleburg". First a stop at Chrysalis Vineyard for a wine tasting and tour by their winemaker. Then on to the Red Fox Inn, the oldest working inn in America. This is such a cool place with a cool history. Anyway, we are going to have lunch there, and offer Virginia wines of course, but the menu will feature courses that they would have had during the Civil War period. The chef will do a chef demo of peanut soup and then we will offer a chicken or Quiche dish for the entree. I found out Quiche was around way back then. Go figure! Finally a bourbon pecan pie will be offered for dessert. After the Red Fox they can shop in downtown Middleburg for awhile which offers a very quaint shops to do some shopping. Pretty cool!
Anyway, that's it from here.
Ciao and Chow
Andrea
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Virginia Wine Tour Weekend Package
What are you doing Saturday and Sunday Dec 6? Take a look at the package that the Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites Hotel Dulles North and Good Taste! Tours developed. The hotels are both great properties, close to restaurants, shopping etc. Plus they give you a hot breakfast in the morning and a manager's reception in the evening.
Anyway, we have partnered to offer a Virginia Winery Tour weekend package on December 6 -7. You come in early on Saturday the 6th and then your Food and Wine tour departs the hotels at 10:30am. You also have the option to extend your stay and come in early on Friday, December 5. I will be the host on the tour and we will visit 3 wineries all with a unique story and great wines and see some beautiful scenic Virginia countryside along the way. Also, a gourmet boxed lunch will be included and at Notaviva winery we will have a wine pairing with dessert! Wait until you taste their dessert wines. They are "not too sweet" dessert wines but can certainly stand up to let's say a decadent chocolate dessert or maybe a nice buttermilk pie!
There will also be a "behind the scenes tour" at one of the wineries to see and learn the process of making wine. After our wine adventure you will be brought back to the hotel where you can relax for the evening, go out to dinner, go to a movie.
Check out the package under public tours on goodtastetours.com http://www.goodtastetours.com/tours.html. It will also be up on both hotels websites soon too!
Chow!
Andrea
Anyway, we have partnered to offer a Virginia Winery Tour weekend package on December 6 -7. You come in early on Saturday the 6th and then your Food and Wine tour departs the hotels at 10:30am. You also have the option to extend your stay and come in early on Friday, December 5. I will be the host on the tour and we will visit 3 wineries all with a unique story and great wines and see some beautiful scenic Virginia countryside along the way. Also, a gourmet boxed lunch will be included and at Notaviva winery we will have a wine pairing with dessert! Wait until you taste their dessert wines. They are "not too sweet" dessert wines but can certainly stand up to let's say a decadent chocolate dessert or maybe a nice buttermilk pie!
There will also be a "behind the scenes tour" at one of the wineries to see and learn the process of making wine. After our wine adventure you will be brought back to the hotel where you can relax for the evening, go out to dinner, go to a movie.
Check out the package under public tours on goodtastetours.com http://www.goodtastetours.com/tours.html. It will also be up on both hotels websites soon too!
Chow!
Andrea
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Cookielicious Virginia Wine Tour
So, my friend Deidra who owns Virginia Wine Adventures and I are going to partner on a Holiday Cookie Tour in December. My last blog talked about cookies too. Hmmm, I wonder if I am becoming "cookie obsessed."
We plan on do a progressive cookie tour, with transportation and a gourmet boxed lunch of course where people can sample a cookie or two at each stop, pair it with wine and then take 1/2 dozen or so cookies from each stop home with them to have a nice holiday cookie tray.
We are looking at Sunday, December 14 as our tour day so mark your calendar. Details are still in the works but check back at my website or make sure you are added to my mailing list to be emailed the details of this "cookielicious," decadent Virginia Cookie and Wine tour day.
Hey if you have any other ideas for a public tour, drop me a line at andrea@goodtastetours.com. We will definitely take a look at it.
Ciao, Chow,
Andrea
We plan on do a progressive cookie tour, with transportation and a gourmet boxed lunch of course where people can sample a cookie or two at each stop, pair it with wine and then take 1/2 dozen or so cookies from each stop home with them to have a nice holiday cookie tray.
We are looking at Sunday, December 14 as our tour day so mark your calendar. Details are still in the works but check back at my website or make sure you are added to my mailing list to be emailed the details of this "cookielicious," decadent Virginia Cookie and Wine tour day.
Hey if you have any other ideas for a public tour, drop me a line at andrea@goodtastetours.com. We will definitely take a look at it.
Ciao, Chow,
Andrea
Sunday, October 26, 2008
My own little wine pairing at Notaviva Vineyards
Oh yummy, yesterday I went to Notaviva Vineyards in Purcellville, VA. They are on my Virginia Wine tours and I have become friends with the owners Steve and Shannon Mackey. I am now an official groupie of Steve and Shannon. If you haven't heard, the building of their vineyard and tasting room is being featured on HGTV every Saturday morning for 8 episodes until the middle of November. I have brought several tours there and love their wines, their tasting room, the music and their hospitality and highly recommend people stopping in to say hello, taste and buy some wine.
Anyway, my parents were visiting from Frankfort, New York and my dad is an excellent cook and my mother is an excellent baker. Being from Italian descent, the Italian dishes and cookies flow freely when they come to visit. Anyway, we went out to see Steve and Shannon and I actually brought some of my mother's cookies to pair with their wines. Hey, they were good. My mom made a chocolate meatball cookie that really paired well with the Cab Franc. I pasted the recipe below. They also sell a Raspberry Merlot, made by the incredible Doug Fabbioli their wine consultant, which is a scrumptious dessert wine. This is a perfect pairing with the chocolate cookie but alas they were out. I also paired a lemon coconut cookie with their Believe dessert wine (a tintaco grape in the port style) and a pumpkin spice that I thought went reallly well with their Dream Chardonnay.
Anyway, I don't have all the recipes for the cookies yet... but here is the chocolate meatball one.
Chocolate Meatball Cookies
1 dark choc. Cake mix
½ cup oil – Wesson or Crisco
½ cup water
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Optional – chocolate chips, toasted chopped walnuts or raisins. (Put in as many as you would like.)
Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Dough will be stiff. Add optional ingredients. Shape into small balls. Place on cookie sheets sprayed with PAM.
Bake 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
Cool cookies.
Dip cookie into choc or vanilla glaze after its cool.
Glaze
2 ½ cups of conf. Sugar
6 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla
if want choc. Glaze add unsweetened cocoa to your taste.
I know it is not purely from scratch because it has a cake mix as a base but if you want to be really adventurous omit the box and make your own chocolate scratch base. My mom is going to send the pumpkin spice cookie recipe and the sesame cookie recipe. I will be sure to post when I get them.
Anyway, happy baking and why not have a glass of wine to do your own pairing.
Chow!
Andrea
Anyway, my parents were visiting from Frankfort, New York and my dad is an excellent cook and my mother is an excellent baker. Being from Italian descent, the Italian dishes and cookies flow freely when they come to visit. Anyway, we went out to see Steve and Shannon and I actually brought some of my mother's cookies to pair with their wines. Hey, they were good. My mom made a chocolate meatball cookie that really paired well with the Cab Franc. I pasted the recipe below. They also sell a Raspberry Merlot, made by the incredible Doug Fabbioli their wine consultant, which is a scrumptious dessert wine. This is a perfect pairing with the chocolate cookie but alas they were out. I also paired a lemon coconut cookie with their Believe dessert wine (a tintaco grape in the port style) and a pumpkin spice that I thought went reallly well with their Dream Chardonnay.
Anyway, I don't have all the recipes for the cookies yet... but here is the chocolate meatball one.
Chocolate Meatball Cookies
1 dark choc. Cake mix
½ cup oil – Wesson or Crisco
½ cup water
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Optional – chocolate chips, toasted chopped walnuts or raisins. (Put in as many as you would like.)
Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Dough will be stiff. Add optional ingredients. Shape into small balls. Place on cookie sheets sprayed with PAM.
Bake 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
Cool cookies.
Dip cookie into choc or vanilla glaze after its cool.
Glaze
2 ½ cups of conf. Sugar
6 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla
if want choc. Glaze add unsweetened cocoa to your taste.
I know it is not purely from scratch because it has a cake mix as a base but if you want to be really adventurous omit the box and make your own chocolate scratch base. My mom is going to send the pumpkin spice cookie recipe and the sesame cookie recipe. I will be sure to post when I get them.
Anyway, happy baking and why not have a glass of wine to do your own pairing.
Chow!
Andrea
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
First blog ever written and ever read
Ok, out there I have heard about blogging for too long now and have to enter the 21st century and actually write one. Let me tell you a little about the company
The adventures of Good Taste Tours began in January 2008 when I wanted to bring my 20 years of event planning -- most of it in the hospitality industry and my love of food and wine together. They say do what you love and a vision for culinary tours was born. I envisioned creating a culinary experience in Virginia's wine country particulary Loudoun county wineries and creating food and wine pairings at these wineries. In addition, I wanted to use some unique restaurants, cooking classes and culinary events in the area to enhance the experience and create a truly gastronomic experience. Throw in transportation, gorgeous scenery, good conversation and a friendly smile and Good Taste Tours was born.
So, my first tour was in June with a private group and they had a ball. In fact they have already been in touch with me to plan another tour. I also wanted to offer public tours so couples or single people could join a tour and have a great experience too. My first public tour was in July and it was dubbed (to this day) the energy bus because of all the ideas and networking coming out of that wonderful journey.
Anyway, here we are in late October and I have had several more tours. I also decided I want to be able to handle small groups (2 - 7 people) without having to outsource the transportation so I bought a mini van last week. I love that vehicle, however, the first few days it felt like I was driving a "house" every time I was behind the wheel. Now I am much more comfortable.
So, if anyone would like to post to this blog I welcome your comments, thoughts and questions. I will try to post often to share my life with Good Taste Tours. Take care.
Chow,
Andrea
The adventures of Good Taste Tours began in January 2008 when I wanted to bring my 20 years of event planning -- most of it in the hospitality industry and my love of food and wine together. They say do what you love and a vision for culinary tours was born. I envisioned creating a culinary experience in Virginia's wine country particulary Loudoun county wineries and creating food and wine pairings at these wineries. In addition, I wanted to use some unique restaurants, cooking classes and culinary events in the area to enhance the experience and create a truly gastronomic experience. Throw in transportation, gorgeous scenery, good conversation and a friendly smile and Good Taste Tours was born.
So, my first tour was in June with a private group and they had a ball. In fact they have already been in touch with me to plan another tour. I also wanted to offer public tours so couples or single people could join a tour and have a great experience too. My first public tour was in July and it was dubbed (to this day) the energy bus because of all the ideas and networking coming out of that wonderful journey.
Anyway, here we are in late October and I have had several more tours. I also decided I want to be able to handle small groups (2 - 7 people) without having to outsource the transportation so I bought a mini van last week. I love that vehicle, however, the first few days it felt like I was driving a "house" every time I was behind the wheel. Now I am much more comfortable.
So, if anyone would like to post to this blog I welcome your comments, thoughts and questions. I will try to post often to share my life with Good Taste Tours. Take care.
Chow,
Andrea
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