Wine tasting again,,,Surh Luchtel

Just back home in Houston, to the 25-28 degree and hopefully sun in one of these days. Promised rain and thunder tonight, Laila is away to Washington DC and I had to enjoy the wine tasting on my own.

http://surhluchtel.com/index.html

I loved it, The Surh Luchtel winery was presented by Gary Luchtel. Was interesting to talk with him, looking ahead some years and we want to find a place in Italy, good reason to learn about wine and wine makers.

If we manage this summer to travel as planed to CA I am sure we will manage to get to Napa Valley too. And Surh Luchtel will be one of the wineries we will be visiting. I got home with a bag of 6 bottles. 2 white; Sur Luchtel Viognier Fortunati Vineyard in Oak Knoll District(2008), 2 bottles of Surh Luchtel Pinor Noir Gary’s Vineyard(2007) and 2 bottles of Surh Luchtel Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard(2005)

Still space left open in our buffet wine collector, bottom part arrives on Thursday before Laila is back from Washington.

Interesting is the cork. Not cork but a glass cork stopper I have never seen before. Will bring on a picture soon as I got one with me home.

http://www.tastingroomwines.com/index.php

I get to know these guys now at The Tasting Room, Ludovic Poirier who has been in Houston for 14 years (just was to be here for a couple of years) is the General Manager of the TTC CityCentre. Another great guy is Michael Sandoval, Director Retail Wine Sales. I am sure that if Statoil like to have an event there could be some good deals as all is close to Hotel Sorella.

Looking 2-3 years ahead, I am sure it will be a place to eat and drink good wine, and buy after tasting. Great guys, great food and great wine.

By the way I did not mention that Gary Luchtel lived in Sweden in his young days as he had a Swedish girlfriend and still speak Swedish. He lived in Malmø so he was speaking Anna Anka language “skånsk”. Today his mother in law is from Italy, I accept both these days.

She got married

The couple is happy and their parents are happy.

With a nice arrangement at the court house in Stavanger, they got official wed. So now they are man and wife. After the ceremony it was the photographers turn to do his job. I did the driving of the newlywed couple and could take some photos as well.

GE co-workers of Pontus celebrating the newly wed

In the evening it was dinner at the Hotel Victoria of course for the close family.

How great can it be to see your daughter smile of Love and Happiness?

Nothing better I can assure you all.

Also time for a history lesson, at my command they had to take a photo in front of family history. It was where Victoria’s Grand Grandfather lived 111 years ago. Ten years prior settling down in Bergen and joined the team that at one time (1914) was the largest canning factory in Norway with 15000 m2 of machines canning sardines.

For the first time she and her sisters got to hear about their roots in Stavanger and be confirmed they are 75% Stavanger and 25% Bergen in the blood.

The snow is gone

Thank God, just a few days left and we will be back ”home”. Into the nice warm 28 deg C weather, the gym and the pool. Will miss the kids and the grandkids, but they will visit one by one and it will be so nice to be back see them again next time.

By the way, one of my daughters got a “Baby”, not one of the regular once, but an adorable little puppy, and yes little, a Toy Poodle. 10 weeks old and I could put her in my pocket. The name the breeder had given her was FAME. Fame or not, it is the same name as the twins horse way back. It was a great name than and it is a great name now, both of them adorable.

So Jeanett visited 3 Scandinavian capitols in one day, she picked up Fame in Stockholm, travelling to Stockholm via Copenhagen and via Oslo on the return. So when I picked up her and the baby at the airport late Saturday evening it was two tiered girls.

So it is just 3 days away to my Victoria’s wedding, and I preparing my speech. Keep the emissions away and focus on history they have not heard before. Tell you all more about it Saturday along with pictures from the wedding. I will see if I have some pictures of the “baby” as well by then.

Feel likes springs is entering Stavanger, but according forecast in the news, winter could be back on Sunday, than I can smile, we will be on the way back home

Great to see the boys again..

And the boys are Adrian and Matheo. Two wonderful grandchildren, with big smiles on their faces, as long as they not are sick.

Adrian

Matheo

I love play with them and they enjoy have their granddad there, but yesterday after Adrian fall asleep he got a bad cough and a stuffed nose and woke up and was not happy. Just the way it is with the kids, special when they not enjoy the medicine needed to get them well too.

I will see them again later before we go back home to Houston.

Yesterday the temperature was in the low 40’s, today, shame below 32 and snow on the ground and in the air.

We wonder if our few roses and the grapes will survive this winter so Johannes who lives at our apartment in Stavanger can enjoy the smell and we can get home later in the year and make our grape jam we have along with cheese on a Friday dinner.

Longing back to the high 70’s in Houston and sun all week, just a week away.

Back in Stavanger

To 40 deg F, if not winter so not too far away, baby sitting waiting as first request looking to the SMS on my phone when came out of the plane at Sola Airport. OK will be fun to see the grand kids again. But today it will be the birthday present to Victoria that needs to be delivered, 4 weeks late, but I know she will love it as she has requested it.

A call from our company industrial partner will result in meeting later in the week. It will be interesting to see what that will result in. Maybe great news, maybe some weeks delay in decision making. Take it as it comes.

Laila up for seminars the next 3 days, wonder how we will manage to sleep the next two weeks. At last got into the Houston time and then we change again, just time for coffee I guess and stay awake and feel the hunger at wrong times during the day.

Look forward to be back home in Houston, the sun, warm nice weather and head for the gym on a regular basis. Not to forget, the car, just time to enjoy life.

Friday at the Rodeo again…fun

Sunday on our way to Stavanger for 2 weeks, including a wedding, yesterday at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo again and we got to see a lot more and spent more time to get to see it all.

No purchases, maybe next year or even before that I will get my Stetson and boots. With all the animals, educational agriculture for the kids, Tivoli, concert just enjoy the pictures from it all, we did.

New Car….MINI Cooper S Convertible… yehhhhhh

Last evening we could at last pick up the car. A car to enjoy it is as you see from the pictures. Some talk about sunny California and some about sunny Florida and yes I have been there both places but I will enjoy sunny Texas and sunny Houston like today.

We both will be enjoying driving around to explore Texas and neighboring states with this 180hp car with the roof down and hair ( I can only talk for myself) blowing in the wind.

I hope you can imagine as I do, looking forward to be back by end of the month when spring even come closer.

In addition it is a car for the narrow roads in Italy as we move across there when our days in Houston getting to an end….long time from now.

Wine tasting at The Tasting Room

It was better than expected. The wine, the culinary program under the watchful eye of Chef Michael Kramer and the great people around our table, we was lucky with who we joined up with, 3 guys working for the marketing activity at Beringer, a re-sale guy, the Vice President for public relation at Penfolds (a Foster group company), and the chief winemaker herself  Laurie Hook.

Sitting at the table with the winemaker gave us good stories and closer communication to increase the wish to visit Napa Valley in t he recommended month of October or November.

But back to the wine and food, we are looking forward to hit The Taste room again for their wood-burning pizza oven, but I must say it was a wonderful taste to the food presented over 6 courses yesterday.

Starting with: Roasted Baby beet, Balsamic Caramel, Sea Salt Chevre along with a glass of ’04 Beringer Stainhauer Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thereafter Sea Scallop, Israeli Couscous, Pancetta, Truffle Honey along with a ’04 Beringer Bancroft Ranch Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Just great and the taste of the Scallop and Pancetta, great.

The third selection was a ’04 Beringer Chabot Cabernet and Braised Pork Shoulder, Caramelized Onion Puree, Braising Juice, hmmmm…..

The wine we have selected for our Christmas party this year is ’04 Beringer Marstone Cabernet Sauvignon. Yesterday it was served with Rack of Lamb, Mushroom, Potato, and Mint Oil; yes we could feel the X-Mas time. Maybe not the highest rated Beringer, but perfect for us by end of the year.

For me the taste of the Braised Shortrib was just over what I could expect of meat. Melted completely on my tongue. With Sage Polenta and Tomato Conserve including a glass of ’04 Beringer St Helena Home Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

End of the evening it was Cheesy Girl “Buff” Agro Dolee with top ranked 95pt ’04 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

As you may see, I could have been disappointed not finding the Sangiovese wine on the table, but at least I got to ask the winemaker the reason for not finding to many vineyards with that grape. As expected it is difficult to get a good wine from the Sangiovese grapes in California and Napa Valley, even so I will get my hand of it and taste it to compare as we did compare these Cabernet with our experience with Italian wines.

I look forward to visit the vineyard.

Many of the 40 participants at the Wine Tasting yesterday got their bottle or two.

We will wait until we are back from our 2 weeks in Norway until we make our order. Then the Buffet is ready to receive them and store them for the occasions of a dinner with friends or X-Mas parties.

Now I look forward to compare prices in Norway up against the retail prices in US, above wines have a retail price above US 100 $. In 3 weeks time I will be back and tell you if they are above or under that level.

Beringer Vineyards holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley. It is also one of the very few wineries that survived the draconian prohibition of 1922, which lasted over a decade. The estate is also in the National Register for Historic Places as a historic district, a status it has held since 2001. With its perfect blend of modern technology and age old traditions, Beringer Vineyards still produces memorable wines that continue to bring recognition to the company and all of Napa Valley

http://www.beringer.com/

WINE

At the newest restaurant around our block “The Tasting Room” there will a wine tasting with wine from the well known estate “Beringer Vineyards”

http://www.beringer.com/

It is the Winemaker Laurie Hook that will bring us all the information about the wine and history of the taste from the estate. She herself growing up in Sacramento, never dreamed of becoming a winemaker, but when she found out that her family had owned a French Chateau (Chateau Oliver) before the revolution she got interested.

After studies at University of California at Davis she headed for a small Melbourne-area (Australia) winery for six-months. This was in the mid-eighties and going back to Sonoma County for more touch to the grapes. Already in 1986 she came to Beringer as an enologist, a job that allowed her to solidify the scientific side of her training. In 1997, she was named Assistant Winemaker to Winemaster Ed Sbragia, and in 2000 was promoted to Winemaker for Beringer vineyards.

As the Tuscany guy I am, I have seen they do one red from Sangiovese grapes too, just hope she have brought it with so I can taste it, if not, I have to get it when I am back later in the month.

It will be an interesting event and we look forward to tell you her story.

Trace Adkins concert

Heading for Reliant Stadium again,

this time for a concert with Trace Adkins I thought. What I did not know was that prior the concert we had Bull Riding competition, Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, yes you mention it we got a surprise, pleasant and a lot longer night than expected.

It was all fun and to enjoy so we look forward to be back on company day next Friday 11^th. Hope then to get some better seats as we were high up under the roof yesterday.

It was also the Armed Forces Appreciation day so you can understand, we are in US, and they are proud of the guys heading out for the Armed Forces. Hope you enjoy the show.