Bakery Recipe: Basil Ice Cream with Fresh Blackberries
By Pastry Chef Tobi Sovak
One of, if not the, greatest benefits of living in Oregon, is the veritable plethora of amazing fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and more that are available this time of year. The quality, and the abundance is amazing – many find special ways to celebrate this time of year, often referred to as “The Oregon Bounty.” In honor of the season, we are running a special lunch prix fixe at our restaurant featuring 100% Oregon ingredients from the estate and beyond. This recipe was the dessert from the most recent menu, it was requested by our facebook friends. View the current Oregon Bounty Lunch Prix Fixe Menu.
American Kestrels Released by Cascades Raptor Center
Kit and Laurin from Cascades Raptor Center were out last week to release some American Kestrels. The Kestrels are placed in a nesting box, and a mesh screen is taped over the door. In order to calm down and become acclimated to their new surroundings, the Kestrels stay in the box with the screen on for 2-3 hours.
Predator perches installed on the estate
The King Estate raptor program continues to develop, with more nest boxes and releases, as well as the addition of ten new predator perches around the estate.
Head over heels for Acrobat
This is the second year in the life of Acrobat, the brand we introduced last year with the 2008 vintage. Acrobat showcases Oregon’s preeminent varietals, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The inaugural release was extremely well received, earning 89 points or better from all of the major publications, and heralded for its unprecedented value by the press and trade. Much more importantly, you, our wine-loving friends, gave us great feedback about the wines and we flew through the first vintage. We set out to deliver affordable wines of quality, and the response we got from the public indicated that we hit the nail on the head.
What is Sustainable Food and Drink?
Food For Thought, a new radio show on Eugene station KLCC 89.7 FM airs on Sundays at noon. The hosts are Boris Wiedenfeld and Ryan Dawe-Stotz. Boris is the manager of Sundance Wine Cellars and Ryan is the “wine and food guy” at Marché Provisions (Marché founder Stephanie Pearl Kimmel was King Estate’s first culinary director). Both are active in the local food and wine community and are dedicated to shedding light on what “sustainability” means and why we should care about it. The guest host of the July 18 episode was Adam Bernstein, executive chef at Adam’s Sustainable Table who is well-known for using local and organic produce. Adam says sustainability is “about being able to create a dynamic where we are able to use renewable resources to have the smallest possible impact on our environment and the world at large, preserving as much for future generations as humanly possible.”
Blooming! Estate Grown Organic Lavender
It is said that the ancient Greeks and Romans added lavender to their bathwater, both for its fragrance and therapeutic properties. This would explain the botanical name of this ancient herb, from the Latin ‘lavare,’ meaning ‘to wash.’ But lavender isn’t limited to the bath. It can be used in any room of the house and even has a home in the spice cabinet (after all, it is in the same family as mint). A bundle hung in the closet is thought to deter moths and the oil is used in aromatherapy in the treatment of headaches and to reduce tension.
The next: chapter
In 2005, we embarked on a simple mission: produce the best food friendly Riesling possible. Our customers demanded that the Riesling remain affordable, and we wanted to meet that demand, so we set a limit of a $12 price tag.
The mission took us on a journey through some of the Northwest’s finest Riesling vineyards and finally led us to the breathtaking Wallula Vineyard in the Eastern corner of Washington State’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The Wallula Vineyard, which has since been redubbed The Benches, is a spectacular southward-sloping vineyard site on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington’s Wallula Gap. The terraced vineyard blocks range in elevation from 320 to 1,350 feet.
Acrobat & Signature Pinot Gris are 2 of 10 winners at the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition
The first round of judging began at the end of March with 163 wines, and over 1,800 oysters. Over 6 days, 5 judges completed two rounds of judging, and the first phase of the Oyster Wine Competition was complete. The contenders were narrowed down to 20 wines, and King Estate had 2 wines out of the remaining 20, 2008 Acrobat Pinot Gris and 2008 Signature Pinot Gris. The wines were then prepared for the final round of tasting, a grand affair which takes place over 3 days (April 20th-22nd) and across 3 different cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle). The judges consisted of some of the foremost experts in the world of wine & oysters, ranging from sommeliers to wine writers and beyond.
King Estate ranks among the most popular wine brands in America’s top restaurants
In the April issue of Wine & Spirits Magazine, the results of the 21st Annual Restaurant Poll were announced. The poll represents the best selling wines in America’s top Zagat rated restaurants.
Cutting estate grown organic daffodils in support of the American Cancer Society
At the end of February we harvested some beautiful organic daffodils grown alongside our pinot gris and pinot noir vines. Employees joined in cutting flowers and bundling bouquets for the American Cancer Society, and of course they took a few home for themselves too. The flowers, along with everything other than grapes, are grown under the watchful eye of Jessie Russell our Garden Manager and resident horticulturist.
