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October 2026 Staff Dinner
I had been trying to sneak one last staff wine dinner in for almost a month, and circumstances just kept pushing the date. We finally settled on a day that most could attend, and the theme was burger pairing.
It was a gorgeous Saturday, maybe one of the last of the year. I decided to go with grilled 1/3-pound burgers, and kept it somewhat simple with good American cheese. Obviously Martin’s Potato Rolls.
For sides, we had some dilly potato salad, rosemary fries, Bloody Mary deviled eggs, and homemade chicken liver toasts. There were a few other “tune-ups” thrown in of course. To accentuate the Americana theme, Keely brought Oreo ice cream sandwiches for dessert!
To the wines:
2023 Michael David 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel
2023 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard
G.D. Vajra N.S. della Neve Brut Rosé
Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Brut Rosé
Frerejean Frères Champagne Brut Premier Cru Cuvée Rosé
2013 Cain Five
2016 Spring Mountain Elivette 2016 (magnum)
2004 Shafer Hillside Select
2021 Weingut Rudolf Fürst Spätburgunder Burgstadter Berg 1G
2023 Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon
2022 Penfolds Bin 389
2016 André Brunel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Cailloux Rouge
We had a wonderful fire, and the conversation continued long into the night. The wines were all on point, hard to call a winner (I mean OBVIOUSLY the 2004 Hillside Select was the winner!), but it was a fun idea, and a good execution. And probably the last time we are all getting together this year, so time well spent.
Already looking forward to the first staff dinner of 2027!
