CRYSTAL BASIN CELLARS RENEGADE RAG The invite was extended last year, but a family vacation had been pre-planned. So when another invite to judge wines at the Orange County Fair Wine Competition arrived, I couldn’t say no. Here was great territory to be gained! I had never judged a competition nor helped put one on, so I was about to encounter an environment of 100% learning. My biggest fear – looking like an Idiot! I got some coaching from another wine judge, but it turned out that the format of the judging for Orange County was different – so much for planning! Upon arrival at the judging venue, I was notified of my first day assignment – 75 PETITE SIRAHS. If that’s not pure rookie intimidation, I’m not sure what qualifies. So then – what is the format? 75 glasses around you in a circle? Where do you start? Turns out that I’m seated at a long table with 4 other winemakers and the competition staff brings us out 4 wines at a time with a maximum of 8 wines on the table. You get a total of about 15 minutes with these wines: Color check, sniff test and then get a small mouthful and slurp some air through the wine. Spit out (most of) the wine and Confessions of a First Time Wine Competition Judge Bistro 3590 Carson Road, Suite B Camino, CA 95709 530-303-3749 11am - 8pm daily Winery & Tasting Room 3550 Carson Road Camino, CA 95709 530-647-1767 11am - 5pm daily This is our 3rd Annual Gold Medal Shipment specially reserved for Renegade and Ascendance Wine Club Members. In the past, our clubbers would comment and even complain that the wines for which we were getting Gold Medals were gone by the time they could get up to the winery! We fixed that with this Optional Shipment allowing you to choose your favorites. Gold Medal Edition Summer 2016 try not to get any on yourself. Then – the next 8 show up! You have olives, sparkling water and some thinly cut roast beef to try to drag the purple residue off your tongue. We sampled 48 wines before lunch – and the remaining 20-something afterwards. It may not sound like work – but try it sometime if you need a challenge! It’s not necessarily determining the quality of the wine that is difficult; the pace is the hardest element and you end up swallowing the last 1/3 of an ounce of the sample. Multiply that by 48 and you need a nap before lunch! The second day was easy by comparison, some whacky Italian varietals, 38 Zinfandels and Gewürztraminer for dessert. One of the coolest things was that I was able to ask for information and the final awards for wines that I was interested in – both good and bad. I found that my pallet is actually pretty much on! The wines that I awarded Gold Medals to were very closely in concert with the scores that judging panel as a whole granted. Shoot – maybe I’ll get invited back next year! Gold Medal Release to Club Members! Optional – so if you don’t want it – let us know! For a charge of $60, Club Members can select three wines from the gold medal winning list (see the back of this letter) in the following format: One Ascendance Wine and Two Renegade Series Wines. The Renegade Series Wines need to be different so everybody has a crack at some variety. First to Camino gets first pick of the pile! Scalloped Tomatoes With Croutons Simply Perfect Food & Wine Pairings: Salads & Vegetables Suggested Pairing – Sangiovese or Grenache This dish does not destroy gorgeous summer tomatoes. The heat simply wilts them a little and makes them jucier. You can add any or all of these ingredients for a fun change: cooked crumbed Italian sausage, eggplant, cubed mozzarella cheese or zucchini. Ingredients: 3 tbsp. olive oil 2 c. French boule/bread, 1/2” dice, crust removed 2 1/2 lb. tomatoes, any variety of good ones, cut into 1/2” dice 3 garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp.), minced 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. Kosher salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 c. basil leaves, lightly packed, chiffonade to thin slivers 1 c. Parmesan, freshly grated Cooking Instructions: Special equipment: large, saute pan, large bowl, 6 to 8 cup baking pan 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil over medium- high heat in saute pan. 2. Add bread cubes and stir to evenly coat. Cook, tossing frequently, until toasty on all sides, about 5 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 4. Add tomato mixture to toasted bread and cook them, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. 5. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Pour into shallow baking dish and top with Parmesan. 6. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and tomatoes are bubbly.