September 2022: Issue 22
End of Harvest We’re Not in Kansas Grape Farmer Michael Hanna Tomato Tart
by Joey Wolosz | Published September 29, 2022
A Note from Joey Wolosz
A bit of what to expect in this issue:
Harvest wrapped up a bit early this year. The last to arrive was Cabernet Sauvignon on October 5th. Our picks have fully fermented and are happily in barrels in the cellar.
On October 1st, we Eased on Down the Road with our float and many Wine Club Collective members for the Yountville Days Parade. We took “Best Representation of Theme” for the second year in a row with our Wizard of Oz extravaganza.
This month, Jeff and I are featured in San Francisco Magazine’s Men of Style layout. We have a two-page spread with photography. I guess my denim tuxedo now qualifies as high fashion.
I meet up with a tastemaker your should know. She is a drag icon who gives loads of love and MORE!
I give you my spin on Italian Sunday sauce that you can eat right out of the pot, no pasta required.
Finally, our 2021 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Rosé received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast. Stock Up for the Holidays. I give you all the deets below.
Joe
Vintner, Cook, International Man of Style
P.S. Share these monthly Field Notes with someone you think could use a bit of food, wine, and engaging conversation in their inbox.
Our very large entry in our very small town parade was deemed “Best Representation of Theme,” the second year in a row. October 1st was Yountville Days.
There were approximately 30 entries represented by a menagerie of horses, high school bands, and baton-twirling eight-year-olds. We were smack in the middle of the pageantry with a contingent that spanned five car lengths with about 40 wine club members.
The theme was “No Place Like Home.” I believe the organizers’ intention was no place like Yountville; however, we went full Wizard of Oz, with the Gentleman Farmer house band on the float playing Ease on Down The Road.
Our team member, Jen Murphy, created a twelve-foot tornado for the back of the truck. The float was covered in red poppies, with Dorothy-blue gingham, an Emerald City, and the obligatory rainbow.
Wine club members and their guests showed up as scarecrows, wicked witches, tin folk, lions, and flying monkeys. Allison Sands went the extra step and put together choreography. We paused a few times to break out into a 45-second dance number.
The whole party ended up in our back garden with some strays we picked up along the way. The band set up to entertain with snacks and a good amount of wine.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Mark your calendars for next year, October 7, 2023.
It came as a surprise, our short interview with Michael McCarthy of Modern Luxury’s San Francisco Magazine landed us on pages 76 and 77 in his feature Men of Style. Important to note, not much was said about the wine and much about Jeff’s blue nail polish. Check it out here.
Juanita MORE! is a San Francisco drag icon, philanthropist, activist, and hostess serving food, loads of love, and high glamour. This just scratches the surface of her 30-year career, and she continues contributing to the San Francisco community. She holds the title of Absolute Empress 56 of the Imperial Council of San Francisco, one of the oldest non-profit organizations globally.
She’s helped to raise over one million dollars for local charities. Sharing a quote from her website, “Her culinary expressions are an extension of what mothers have been doing in their kitchens for generations — which, simply states, is sharing loads of love.”
The City’s Arts Commission is celebrating 30 Years of MORE! with an exhibit of her work at the War Memorial Theater through the end of November. Gentleman Farmer was the featured wine on opening day. When I dropped off the wine, Miss MORE! graciously agreed to an interview.
Follow her at @missmore8 on Instagram. MORE! at juanitamore.com
We chat about Miss More’s childhood growing up in an agricultural family, winning drag cook offs, and hosting naked dinner parties. Intrigued? Read the full interview here.
I love a good sauce. At restaurants, I usually order extra sauce on the side. For some, food is an accessory to the condiment: you order fries for the ketchup, the wedge salad for the blue cheese dressing, the ribs for the barbecue sauce. I fall into this camp.
I could eat a bowl of good red pasta sauce on its own, spoon or no spoon.
This recipe is a spin on the Italian amatriciana sauce.
Traditional sugo all’amatriciana is made with guanciale, a cured pork jowl. If you’ve seen my kitchen, you know that I cure and roll pancetta and usually have about 10 pounds in the refrigerator or hanging over the sink by a string and a C-clamp. It is the belly and has fat content and flavor.
Typically this Italian sauce does not have herbs. If it did, people would probably use basil. I use rosemary because that is what my mother did, and childhood flavors are always a strong pull. I also add a little balsamic vinegar, which gives an amazing amount of depth, and red chili flakes to give a comforting warmth. To keep with tradition, you can add a bit of Pecorino Romano or not.
You can use a large 12” skillet; however, I use a stockpot with high walls to avoid splattering all over my range.
Pour over a pasta of your choice. Bucatini is a classic, but spaghetti, ravioli, or malfatti would be welcome at your table. I make hand-cut egg noodles. You can also eat with a spoon; it’s that good, no shame.
I like to pair this with any of our red wines or for something fun, our 2021 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Rosé that just scored 90 points with Wine Enthusiast in their October issue.
