4 Reasons We Love Our Wine Club Members

Our Wine Club Members have stolen our hearts… here’s why!
 

1. All You Need is Wine and Food

 

We’re foodies over here at Scott Harvey Winery, and lucky for us, many of our Wine Club Members share that sentiment! One thing we love about wine is its delectable ability to pair with food. Winemaker Scott Harvey and Estate Chef Brian Overhauser love working together to unlock fantastic food and wine combinations for all to enjoy. Whether they are bites at our monthly 3&3 Wine and Food Pairing events or hearty dishes you can cook at home, like braised wagyu beef short rib or sous vide Alaskan halibut, we love bringing people together at the table. We love that our Club Members appreciate a great pairing when they see one, so we make sure they’re always stocked up with winemaker notes and perfectly paired recipes!

2. New and Old Favorites

Speaking of great wine and food pairings, we understand wine can be very subjective and that no two palates are alike. Some of our members prefer red wines – especially our big, bold Zins, Syrahs, and Barberas. Others may prefer white wine or Jana’s bubbles, or they’re fans of all of the above and everything in between! With that in mind, we always want to ensure there’s something for everyone. We love sharing a variety of wines with you each year through the customized club options, and that you get as excited for new and old favorites as we do!

3. Two Tasting Rooms, Twice the Fun

Two tasting rooms means double the fun when our Wine Club Members come to visit! We love being able to catch up and share stories with familiar faces while pouring a new release. When our members pop in for their complimentary member tasting or Wine Club pick-up at our Downtown historic Sutter Creek tasting room or our winery in Plymouth, it’s like welcoming old friends in the door. Whether their visit is a quick trip or they stay for an afternoon and bring a picnic, we see it as a great opportunity to get to know each member and bond over our favorite Scott Harvey wines!

4. Feels Like Family

Last but far from least, we’re fortunate to host a wide variety of exclusive events and parties throughout the year that bring folks together from all walks of life. Whether it’s a Club Member who comes every year or a guest of a member who is tasting Scott Harvey wines for the first time, every time we come together it feels like a family affair!

We know there are endless Wine Clubs to join out there in the wine world, but we’re extremely grateful to our Club Members for choosing us to support and believe in. To our Wine Club Members who continue to value our mission and enjoy the fruit of our labor year after year - we love you!

If you’re interested in learning more about our Wine Club benefits and joining the Scott Harvey community, click here!

 

Cooking Video: Scallops and Jana's Best Pinot Noir

Butter Poached Day Boat Scallops Paired with 2012 Jana Winery Pinot Noir, Napa Valley by Estate Chef Brian Overhauser

Pinot Noir can be tricky to pair with seafood because it is delicate, but it can also surprise and delight in many facets. Chef Brian developed a deep love of Pinot Noir from his time spent in  Burgundy where he was exposed to many fish preparations served with Pinot. Since Pinot Noir is relatively low in tannins, it gives it a good chance to enhance many seafood dishes. The 2012 Jana is one of those Pinot Noirs that has ample acidity and a freshness in its fruit profile allowing it to stand up and sing with this rich and round preparation of Scallops.

Serves 4

• 4 extra-large day boat scallops
• 1 stick unsalted room temperature butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup roasted red peppers
• 1 cup chopped and seeded tomatoes
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1 cup clam juice
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup fresh micro arugula
• ¼ cup EVOO

Method:
Sauté the shallots in a heavy bottom 2-quart saucepan and cook until translucent then add the peppers, tomatoes and clam juice. Cook on medium for 5 minutes, or until it’s reduced by ⅓, then add the cream. With an immersion blender, purée the sauce until combined and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Place the sauce back into the pan and reduce another 5 minutes or until reduced by ½. Salt and pepper to taste.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Place with the butter in a heavy zipper lock or vacuum seal bag and seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting. Place the bag in the water bath set to 180 degrees and set the timer for 6 minutes.

To serve:
Warm four large, shallow pasta bowls and distribute the sauce evenly between them. Place the poached scallops in the center of the plate and add a pinch of the micro arugula on top of the scallop. Drizzle a little EVOO around the scallops and serve with the 2012 Jana Winery Pinot Noir, Napa Valley.

150-year anniversary of Vineyard 1869

Andis Wines, Scott Harvey Wines, and Vino Noceto will host a weekend of events to celebrate the 150-year Anniversary of the Original Grandpère Vineyard (OGP), also known as Vineyard 1869. Over the course of two days, guests to Amador County will have a chance to taste, sip, and explore the Zinfandel vineyard heralded as the oldest documented Zinfandel Vineyard in America.

Guests with a Tour and Passport Tasting ticket will have a chance to walk amongst the ancient vines themselves – Saturday with winemaker Rusty Folena of Vino Noceto and Sunday, with past proprietor & winemaker, Scott Harvey. Tours will meet at the vineyard at 10 a.m., weather permitting. The tasting passport and tour package is $65 per person ($45 for Wine Club Members). Reservations are required, as space is limited to 24 people.

  

Each winery will be offering current and library vintage tastings of their OGP/Vineyard 1869 Zinfandel, paired with small bites. The passport ticket is $45 per person ($35 for Wine Club Members) and it will grant you access to all three locations, plus a 15% discount on 3 or more bottles of “OGP” Zinfandel purchases for the weekend.

OGP History

The Original Grandpère Vineyard dates back to the 1860s and was named 2016 Vineyard of the Year by the California State Fair. Still in production today, only four wineries are privileged enough to receive fruit from this vineyard, three in Amador County - Andis Wines, Scott Harvey Wines, and Vino Noceto – with the fourth being Macchia in Lodi.

The identity of the original planters is not officially known, although genealogical research has narrowed it down to the Upton family: either to John D. and Mary T. Upton, the original settlers, or their daughter Martha Upton and her spouse George Rouff, who were married in May 1866. An 1869 land deed shows grapevines planted on the 10-acre site, located in the Shenandoah Valley about five miles northeast of the town of Plymouth.

Click here to purchase tickets to this celebratory weekend! Wine Club ticket pricing available.

 

 

 

2018 Harvest Recap

I have not missed a harvest since 1974, this being my 45th harvest. I’m wondering how many more I have in me? Especially after this 2018 harvest. Some harvests come and go quickly and are over before you know it. This was not one of those. It was one of those long drawn out harvests that just seemed to go on and on… Fortunately, the long drawn out ones tend to produce the best most flavorful and extractive wines. Harvests like 1974, 1979, 1986, 1991, 1997, 2016 and now 2018.

Harvest started for us on September 6 with Muscat Canelli off our estate vineyard. The grapes are in frozen storage waiting to be pulled out to produce Ice Wine. So, technically harvest is still not over until we process the Muscat Canelli Eis Wine.

We finished harvesting grapes on November 6 and 7 with both the Portuguese varieties for our Forte and Concord for the Tickle Me Pink.

As in most late harvest years, the yields were a little above average in size. We had a wonderful spring with a good healthy flowering for all varieties except the Tempranillo. Our neighbors in Amador County had the same complaint about their Tempranillo.

The growing season was dry and with periods of cool weather and some long hot spells.  The hot spells were early enough in the growing season that they did not negatively affect the grapes with excessive sun burning. Harvest began later than normal and went on and on with no rain until early October. I say the best Zinfandels in Amador are made after the first rain. So, it was welcome. After the rain, it dried out quickly with a North wind, so we escaped any molding in the Zinfandel.

Resulting wines are full and extractive with good acidity and lots of regional and varietal character. Wines that were similar to the great 1991 wines I produced at Santino/Renwood.

Cheers,
Scott Harvey
Winemaker

 

 

 

Cooking Video: Scott Harvey Barbera and Mary's Chicken

Poussin in the Shape of a Pear Paired with 2015 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera by Estate Chef Brian Overhauser

Scott’s 2015 Mountain Selection Barbera merges beautifully with the richness of this impressive bird dish. The youthful structure of the 2015 vintage transforms your palate and prepares you for the next wonderful bite without skipping a beat.

Serves 4

• 2 Mary’s Poussin (baby chickens)
• 1 cup fresh black trumpet mushrooms
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ cup Barbera
• 4 cups rich poultry stock
• 1 cup cauliflower puree

Method:

To make the poussin: Bone each bird to produce two servings per poussin. Begin by cutting down along the breastbone, scraping along the bone to keep the meat intact. Disjoint the wing and continue boning along the wishbone. Turn the bird over and cut along the backbone, carving out the meat from the bone. Disjoint the thigh and continue to remove an entire half of bird with the skin intact. Cut off the wing at the first joint leaving only the shoulder bone attached. Scrape meat off this remaining wing bone to remove the bone, leaving the meat and skin attached to half the bird. Remove the thigh bone, leaving the meat attached to the poussin half. Cut around the knob end of the leg, releasing the skin and tendons. Press the leg meat and skin firmly toward the thigh so that 1-1/2 to 2 inches of leg bone is exposed. Cut the knob off the end of the leg bone and salt and pepper liberally. Repeat with the second half of the poussin.

Next, press the poussin half fold-side-down on a flat surface so the leg bone sticks straight up and the chicken forms a pear shape. Place the leg with the bone up in the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Bake 30 – 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

While the bird is cooking sauté the mushrooms in butter for approximately 5 minutes.

Take the birds out and remove from pan and drain off the fat. Deglaze with the wine and reduce to a syrup then add the stock and reduce to ½.

To serve:
Using a large, warm, shallow pasta bowl, place the purée in the center then take the mushrooms and place on top of the purée. Take the reduced stock and ladle over mushrooms then place the roasted poussin on top in the center and garnish with the rosemary placed into the leg cavity. For an extra effect, light the rosemary just before taking the plate to your guest.

 

 

Visit the Best of Amador County

Rolling hills, rustic charm, and world-class wineries await you in Northern California!

If you haven’t already, enter our Wine Country getaway contest to win a three-night/four-day trip for four in Amador County Wine Country.

Liquid Gold

Once home to Gold Rush prospectors, Amador County is back on the map, this time for its award-winning wines and friendly hospitality.

Winemaking isn’t new to Amador County. Vines were planted in the mid-1800s to satiate the many Europeans that were seeking riches in the area. The volcanic and sandy loam soils are extremely well-suited for creating flavorful and luscious wines. While Prohibition resulted in abandoned vineyard plots, some sites survived due to the resilience of the vines and today are producing spectacular old vine reserve Zinfandel.

In addition to Zinfandel, the local wineries have been successful in producing varieties with Italian, Spanish, and Rhône origins such as Barbera, Aglianico, Tempranillo, Viognier, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.

Be Our Guest

The team at Scott Harvey Wines, along with our partners Baja Limo, Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar and FlyWithWine, looks forward to welcoming our sweepstakes winner. Together, we’ve cultivated a handful of VIP food and wine experiences to make your trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The winner and guests will be hosted by winemakers and owners Scott and Jana Harvey at the Scott Harvey Winery in Plymouth... Scott grew up in the Sierra Foothills region and has been involved in winemaking for over 40 years. In 2005, he and his wife Jana–also a wine industry veteran–began making wine under their own labels. They now run two tasting rooms, one in downtown Sutter Creek and the other at their winery in Shenandoah Valley, welcoming thousands of guests for tastings, pairings, tours, and events.

Wine Country Itinerary

The winner will enjoy a long weekend with accommodations in the winery’s estates guest house. We’ll delight them with a guided vineyard tour with Winemaker Scott Harvey, as well as a private dinner with Scott and Jana Harvey. Good company requires great food, and Estate Chef Brian Overhauser will deliver just that. Additionally, Chef Brian will prepare a VIP Food & Wine Pairing experience to showcase our food-friendly, Old World style wines. A special offer to purchase Scott Harvey Wines at the discounted Wine Club member pricing will allow guests to take home memories to be shared long after their trip.

Scott & Jana Harvey

The weekend will continue with a guided winery tour through Amador County’s sun-drenched hills.

Ride in style with Baja Limo, the premier luxury transport service of the Bay Area and Northern California Wine Country. Courtesy of Baja Limo, the group will receive a $250 gift card allowing them to splurge along the way!

Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar, the most flavorful, local favorite, will treat the winner and their guests to a decadent lunch with the freshest, seasonal ingredients.

FlyWithWine will help the winner continue to create fond memories by supplying a gorgeous, durable 12-bottle VinGardeValise® wine suitcase to transport their award-winning Amador wines home to share with family and friends.

Experience a Dream Vacation

With over 40 wineries and tasting rooms and a plethora of wine varietals to taste, we know you will have a unique and unforgettable adventure in Amador County!

Take a moment to enter online: Wine Country getaway. And don’t forget to share with your friends and family!

We hope to welcome you to Amador County Wine Country soon!

 

 

 

Cooking Video: End-of-Summer Sauvignon Blanc & Your Best Tomatoes

Seasonal changes are a breath of fresh air. Here in Northern California wine country, we ease into the cool, fall weather much later than our Midwest and East Coast friends. But whether it’s still a dry 80 degrees or a balmy 60, Sauvignon Blanc makes for a deliciously drinkable wine all year long – especially when paired with end-of-season tomatoes! Enjoy this delectable dish created by Estate Chef Brian Overhauser. Cheers!

 

Heirloom Tomato Stack Paired with 2017 Jana Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County

This wine-friendly appetizer is nicely balanced by the crisp refreshment of Jana’s 2017 Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County. It provides appropriate fruit and acidity for this rather clean and fresh salad.

Serves 4

• 6 Heirloom tomatoes approximately the same size
• 1 Package pre-sliced fresh mozzarella
• 1 garlic cloves pressed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup fresh micro basil
• ½ cup EVOO

Method:

Cut the tomatoes as thin as possible to get 24 pieces and layout in a single layer on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

Salt and pepper each peace and then drizzle some EVOO as well. Now, take the cheese and distribute on top of every other tomato. Distribute the garlic evenly on top of all the slices.

Now, stack one at a time to get 4 stacks with six pieces each containing two slices of Mozzarella

To serve:
Transfer the very cold plate and top with micro basil and enjoy with a bottle of 2017 Jana Sauvignon Blanc on a warm, late summer day or by the firepit on an early fall evening.

 

 

Barbera in Amador County

 

I’m convinced, and it is rapidly becoming known, that Amador County is the best wine growing region in the world for Barbera – and the proof is in the high-quality wine that flows out of here season after season.

When you look at the natural origins of Barbera, it hails from a region in Italy called the Piedmont or Piedmonte, which translates to “foothill” in Italian. And much like the Alps above Italy, the Sierra Nevada flanking Amador are huge granite, monolithic uplifts born from continental drift. These foothill regions are full of decomposed granite soils coming off the sides of the mountain range. Amador’s terrain is like a home away from home for Barbera.

The biggest difference between the two winegrowing regions is that Piedmont is very close to a marine influence – the Mediterranean Sea. During the growing season, Piedmont receives a nourishing fog from the Mediterranean, creating the best varietal known as Nebbiolo (named after the fog). The most expensive wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, come from this region. And while Nebbiolo is a fog-loving variety perfect for the misty Piedmont region, Barbera is a sun-loving variety that is dealt the second-best vineyard sites in Piedmont.  

Now, take it around the world to right here in Amador County, a very similar foothill region up against a very similar fast-growing, granitic mountain range. The Sierra Nevada’s marine influence, the Pacific, is too far away for the fog to roll in during the growing season, making this a more suitable territory than the Italian Piedmont. Barbera thrives in Amador like no other place on earth.

My favorite red wine to make is Barbera. I first cut my teeth making Barbera at Montevina Winery in 1974, and it struck a passion in me that’s never faltered. I’ve been producing Amador County Barbera ever since, under our own Scott Harvey label. It’s my favorite because it makes, undoubtedly, the best wine in the region.

Cheers,

Scott Harvey
Winemaker

 

Say Hello to Sekt Series Part 3

Sparkle Through Summer - Say Hello to Sekt Series Part 3

This sparkler was practically made for a summer soiree, with its juicy crush of stone fruit flavors and waves of refreshing minerality coupled with racy acidity. The Jana Blanc de Blanc holds its own during a meal thanks to its complexity and voluptuous body, and complements a variety of cuisines perfectly. To finish out this bubbly blog series, we’re sharing some of our favorite summer dishes to enjoy with our Sekt-style Jana Blanc de Blanc!

Fresh Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Crunchy, fresh, and satisfying, this simple Vietnamese-inspired dish begs for hot summer days and a glass of Jana Blanc de Blanc. The salad brings a hint of acid to complement but not overpower the wine’s pronounced acidity on the palate, and its touch of fiery spice serves as this bubbly’s perfect foil. Grill some chicken or pork to serve on alongside the salad, pop a bottle, and you’ve got yourself a perfect evening, if you ask us.

Easy Moo Shu Pork

Packed with vibrant sweet and savory flavors, this dish is as delicious as it is simple, allowing for maximum time to enjoy the summer evening with a glass (or a few) of Jana Blanc de Blanc. The dish’s straightforward elements delightfully contrast the wine’s intricate mosaic of flavors on the palate.

Grilled Veggie and Meat Skewers

Think seasonal delicacies like eggplant, mushroom, squash, red onion, and bell pepper skewered alongside chicken, pork, you name it! The wine’s crisp flavors and bright texture bring out the same qualities in the vegetables you choose. A sip of Jana Blanc de Blanc after a bite of grilled goodness strikes the perfect gastronomic balance.

So whether you choose to sip your sparkler solo this summer or alongside one of these simple summer specialties, we hope you feel a little extra sparkly!

Reading Between the Vines

Putting wine into words tends to elude even the most talented philosophers and linguists. Ancient Greek playwright Euripides came close when he said, “Both to the rich and poor, wine is the happy antidote for sorrow.” Centuries later, author Paulo Coelho encourages readers to “accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”

Mosel, Germany

Wine speaks without words, though humans try to translate its language with every sip, every layer of flavor, every year in the cellar. Perhaps what’s most difficult to grasp about wine’s existence is its terroir, which has no direct English translation. (Terroir, in English, combines 5 traits: climate, soil, terrain, vintage, and in some areas with a long history of winemaking, tradition.)

Grapevines grow in some of the most fascinating and geographically treacherous places in the world–whether it’s Riesling rooted inside blue slate on staggering grades in the craggs of German mountain towns or Assyrtiko curled into nests rooted in volcanic ash on the Santorini coast, wine is not just a product of where it came from, it is a time capsule, a bottled poem written by the wind, the rain, the soil, and sun. We carefully craft wines of distinction that tell their story of place, variety, tradition and vintage. Our wine is a true expression of terroir.

Santorini, Greece

A winemaker like Scott Harvey tends to the vines and makes the resulting wine to best express terroir. He is the winemaker, after all. But most European languages don’t even have a word for winemaker–the closest translation equates to “wine grower.” By definition, wine and its terroir transcend the passage of man. Scott Harvey, however, has found a balance between using traditional methods to bring out the best of the grapes’ character and allowing the grapes and the resulting wine to speak for themselves.

With his dynamic background in winemaking beginning with his training in Rheinland Pfalz in Germany, Scott has sharpened his terroir-translating skills with old-world winemakers whose families had been making wine for generations. He approaches his vines and wines through an old world lens, allowing for their bright, California character to shine through the old-world influence of minimal oak and balanced winemaking techniques.

During Scott Harvey experiences, you have the chance to immerse yourself in Amador terroir. Feel the soil beneath your feet on a walk around the vineyards, let the sun’s rays warm your skin, and taste in the winery nestled in the rolling hills and valleys of vines. Listen as the master of the old world himself, Scott Harvey tells you what is happening at that moment in the vineyards and how it affects the wine in your glass. And if you’re a 3&3 wine & food pairing guest or enjoying a vineyard tour with Scott, you’ll taste the wine these very vineyards birthed. So read between the vines–allow terroir to be translated by all of your senses, and discover Scott Harvey.