Bring them, but don't be surprised if one misteriously goes missing............... ;)

There are some toy mountains (I'm from Colorado and they're nothing like CO, Wash state or AK) west of here, so they grow grapes on the slopes. I'll look for a good red. BOB W, please bring one of Bruno's reds. Beaujolais may not stand up to beef but we can do a little tasting beforehand and lay into the heavier stuff (Fred, ding-ding! ^ Malbec?) with the meat.

I just got off the phone with Fred, and his house isn't going to be ready for public consumption this weekend, so I will make reservations at BA grill as soon as they open this afternoon

Hmmm. I did a search of the BA Grill and ran across these pretty negative reviews.

Sounds like the service is verrrry Argentinian. Perhaps a bit too much? I'd be interested in comments from the regulars.

Sorry, not going to be able to make it. Enjoy!

we've had some really good service and some really bad service. The food is always awesome though. I've been there 3 or 4 times in the last couple months and service has been consistently better than it was in the Nov/Dec time frame when it was absolutely horrid.

Reservation is made for 8 people at 7pm so we have room for a couple more :)

What are the plans for wine tasting? I'm staying at the La Quinta downtown. Should we get together there for a pre-dinner round? I have a suite, so there should be room (I hope).

before or after.. or both! whatever works for you :)

I'm bringing a 2000 Linden Glen Manor Red. Here's what the winemakers says about it:

2000 Glen Manor Red

Aromas: Dark fruit, earthy spice, and dried lavender.

Flavors: Sweet cherries, raspberries, and cocoa.

Food Pairings: Grilled meats or portabella mushrooms.

Vineyard: Glen Manor Vineyards is owned and operated by Jeff White who is also part of the Linden Vineyards staff. Glen Manor is on the west slope of the Blue Ridge about 7 miles west of Linden Vineyards at an elevation of 1100 ft. Vines were 5 years old at harvest and trained on the French lyre trellising system.

Vintage: 2000 was a cool, wet growing season until mid September when we were blessed with 6 weeks of Indian summer. The warm, dry sunny weather especially benefited the late ripening Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking: A blend of 50% Petit Verdot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. Grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed and fermented warm in small open bins. The cap was punched down by hand two times a day. The wine was pressed off just prior to dryness and put immediately in primarily Virginia oak barrels. The wine was bottled after 18 months of oak aging. 269 cases produced.


This wine should give you a feel for Virginia reds. This is a single vineyard bottle so the Glen Manor terroir will show through.

If the BA grill has a corkage fee we could take our wine there and mix liberally with the parrilla.

Uh..yeah.........my place?

You can take wine with you to the BA I think with a corkage fee - Fred?

Originally Posted by fredmartens
Corkage? We ain't got no corkage...we don' need no stinking corkage! :D

Now if BA follows Fred's excellent example, we're in business. ^

Hey, how 'bout a ferry ride AND the BA option. Since I don't live near the water a ferry ride is a bit of a kick for me. :cool:

I found a bottle of organic Malbec - Vida Organica 2003 from Familia Zuccardi, Mendoza. Might be interesting beside Bruno's organic Beaujolais. Coupled with the Linden red and throw in a few local bottles, we should be able to do a two stage tasting. What do you all think?

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!


Works for me. I don't know anything about the ferry schedule so one of you locals will have to check that out. I'm staying downtown, so it can't be that far to the ferry.

I have a bunch of good local stuff. I'll bring another bottle of Col Solare to go with Bruno's juice.