IWFS Wine & Food Gazette July 2019

Event Report:

SPANISH WINE & CIGAR STAG

INSIDE

• Hunting for Blacktails at Steinbeck Vineyards • Blast from the Past • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events

JULY 2019

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

President's Comments believe this is the 4th Omaha Field Club event for Nicholas Moore. The theme changes yearly. We’ve had The Most Interesting Men in the World with a Latin-Inspired dinner; Havana Good Time Stag; and Cinco de Mayo. We’ve had Vintage Port, Rum and Tequila. The one constant is cigars. This year was an Iberia Dinner with Grappa...and of course, cigars. Field Club is ideal for cigars, with its wonderful covered porch, you are technically outside and not violating Omaha’s No Smoking inside ban, but still protected from the rain, which has shown up for at least one event. I don’t even smoke, but this event seems to draw out an enthusiastic cadre of members and guests, who always have an extraordinary time. You non-smokers out there, don’t be dissuaded from attending a cigar event because you don’t smoke!

I know quite a few wine lovers who also love to hunt. The fancier places have a bar with a good selection of wines, but when I go pheasant hunting in South Dakota, I always bring my own. The lodge does not provide alcohol, hence no liquor license and insurance headaches. One thing I can guarantee you is that the middle of South Dakota does not have any fine wine stores. My twin brother (yes, there are two of us...I am the good twin since I am a wine drinker, and he is the evil twin since he is a hunter and kills things) is a big game hunter, complete with game room. He showed me an article from Safari Magazine about hunting deer at Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery just outside Paso Robles, CA. Wow, a vineyard that has wild game on the hoof, and great wines to boot.

What an ideal combination. Check out the story.

As you know, the Gazette comes to you now from issuu.com. This is the professional way to send a magazine. Todd urges members to join issuu.com. Not only will you then be able to print the Gazette if desired, but the functionality and usability is superior, especially on your mobile devices. So, sign up if you have not already.

Don’t forget, event photos show up on the web site before the gazette comes out, should you want to see them or download them.

Skoal!

Tom Murnan Cover Photo: Traditional Seafood Paella with Saffron Rice by Omaha Field Club Executive Chef Fortino Gallardo. Photo by Tom Murnan.

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Question: Who said “High heels were invented by a woman who had been kissed on the forehead?”

Answer: That was Christopher Morley.

He also said: “Life is a foreign language: All men mispronounce it.”

From The Best of the Cockle Bur compiled and edited by Harry B Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974

July 2019 · Page 3

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Event Report:

Spanish Wine & Cigar Stag

By Nick Moore / Photos by Ron Policky and Tom Murnan s per tradition, this event report for the Fourth Annual Cigar Stag came at the eleventh hour. Ignoring the advice of our sage branch president to write it while the evening was fresh in my memory, I waited nearly a month. In true Proustian fashion, I substituted tea for one of the remaining bottles of Rioja and a cigar for a madeleine and was instantly transported back in time…back to an unseasonably chilly evening in early May at the Field Club of Omaha.

As I sit typing these words on my patio, Gypsy Kings strumming away in the background, the structure and fruitiness of a Tempranillo washes over the dry spicy leather of my Camancho Churchill and I’m reminded why I wanted to pair Spanish wines with cigars in the first place. There’s just something about these two that evokes the merciless sun and rocky rolling hills of the Iberian Peninsula—armchair travel at its finest!

Although my Francophilia is legendary among the Branch members, few were aware of my love for all flavors Spanish. The staccato of a Gitano guitar, the oaky tannin structure of a Gran Reserva, and intoxicating fragrance of garlic and herbs all induce a trace like state of euphoria for my senses and I wanted

to share the experience through food and wine pairings that night. From all the purple smiles, pats on the back, and bravado of cigar smoking I received, it appeared that I warmed more than a few hearts to the Spanish manera de vida.

Some 35 members and guests were treated to a secret family Sangria recipe during the quaffing, along with some phenomenal wines from the Cellar while spicy Iberian chicken croquettes circulated the room. Eager to begin the feast, my co-host Duke Matz and I made short remarks while patrons enjoyed their first course of white cucumber gazpacho (a take on the classic Spanish tomato-based chilled soup) and 2013 Benjamin Romero Preciador Blanco. A simple but spot-on pairing to cool the palate and whet appetites.

The second course was a good pairing in theory: olive tapenade crostini and 2016 Bodegas Muga Flor de Muga Rosé. Unfortunately, the rosé fell flat, despite a Robert Parker rating of 91. The rosé market in the United States is still in its infancy and so a tepid consumer demand means most importers don’t get the really good stuff.

The third course pairing resulted in equal measure, not greater than the sum of its parts. Alone, the seafood paella with saffron rice was delicate and beauPage 4 · 2019 ·

tifully presented on individual mini paella dishes but the 2017 Granbazan Etiqueta Albariño was just too grassy and crisp to match the unctuous prawns and spicy sausage.

With the final course I redeemed my prowess for pairing food and wine… something I probably take too seriously!

The essence of all things Spanish, the culinary expression of machismo, and Hemingway’s favorite: Rabo del Toro. A traditional stew of red wine and oxtail, traditionally from the losing end of a bullfight, stilled served in cafes near the Plaza del Toros in Madrid. Like the moment when a matador lands the final blow, the crowd went wild. Fatty, tender, fall-off-the-bone beef in Rioja reduction sauce paired with a 2009 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 Tempranillo and a 2011 Palacios Remondo Rioja Propiedad was like a bro-hug adorned with angel kisses.

My glass (re: bottle) nearly empty and my cigar smoldering to a nub, I can’t help but smile as I recall the hilarity, camaraderie, and world-class B.S.-ing I heard on the veranda that night as the dewy spring breeze whispered away the smoke and fiery Spanish grappa fueled the conversation late into the night… can’t wait for next year, boys!

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Hunting for Blacktails at Steinbeck Vineyards

by Tom Murnan

M

y twin brother, Steve, is a biggame hunter and a member of Safari Club International.

He has been to Alaska and Africa and had to build a room addition with 14-foot ceilings to accommodate his trophies.

The March/April 2019 edition of Safari Magazine had two articles on hunting in wine country: one in California, and one in Italy.

Vineyard Blacktails told a story of hunting in the vineyards at Steinbeck

Vineyards. Craig Boddington wrote of a hunt he had at the winery. Steinbeck is in the Central Coast area of California, in the Monterey Peninsula not far from Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. When he started hunting as a kid in the 1970s, cattle ranching was king, but now the land is more valuable if you raise grapes.

Vineyards are beautiful and all, but they are not typically great hunting areas since there is little cover for wild game. Wild hogs were introduced in the area since the 1970s but remains a small industry. But back in the ‘70s, the area was rife with deer. Drought and predators like coyotes and cougar reduce today’s deer populaPage 16 · 2019 ·

tion. Steinbeck is just east of Paso Robles.

The property has been in the family, and in grapes, since the 1880s. They manage the small herd on their land by letting them roam the vineyards and not installing deer-proof fencing. Of the hundred or so deer, they harvest about 6 mature bucks a year and a few older “management bucks” (non-trophy). The winery estimates the deer eat about $80,000.00 worth of grapes a year but have no plans to eradicate them.

A legal Columbian Blacktail mule deer buck must have a fork in the upper portion of one antler. It is typically slim pickings to even find one legal buck, but not

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Deer In Vineyard, photograph by Kelvin Watkins

Donna Boddington’s Steinbeck buck was a giant for the area, the extremely rare clean four-by-four.

A legal Columbian Blacktail mule deer buck must have a fork in the upper portion of one antler.

It is typically slim pickings to even find one legal buck, but not at Steinbeck’s preserve. at Steinbeck’s preserve. Bucks typically are small, partly due to drought and long hot summers. California has no Whitetails but does have four kinds of mule deer. These Blacktails are called Pacific Bucks by the locals. Rifle season starts the second week of August. It is hot in August, and hunting hours are morning, but by mid-morning the deer bed down seeking shade. They start moving again in the evening. Some bucks may have fully formed antlers but may still be in the velvet in August. Steinbeck has a “deer camp” in the middle of the vineyards, a nicely fitted house, available to rent. Some of the meals are at camp, and some at the tasting room area. And choice wines are served by the host winery. When a buck

is taken, a bottle from the specific vineyard the buck was harvested is opened to celebrate. The hunting method involves standing in the vineyard rows and moving slowly, crouching around the rows. There are numerous hills, and you also search for movement using field glasses. Unless they are fully out between the vines, they can be very hard to see against the trunks and vine canopy. Once a suitable buck is spotted, the stalking begins.

Boddington’s party consisted of 4 men and one woman (his wife Donna).

They mostly used Mossberg Patriot bolt action Creedmore 6.5mm with Riton 4-16x50mm scopes. The lady shot a perfect 4x4 buck in the velvet, but with firm antlers underneath. This was a rarity for July 2019 · Page 17

the Paso Robles area. Boddington missed his “management buck,” an ancient buck with a non-typical rack. One of the guys got a four-by-three, and another guy got another big one. Dressed weights ran about 180 pounds. That vineyard living made for some great venison, a great match for Steinbeck Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next month: Shooting big game in Italy.

Source: Safari Club International March/April 2019: Vineyard Blacktails by Craig Boddington.

blast from

the past Photos from Mike Dunn & Roger Peterson

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UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS

Mark Your Calendars!

JULY

STAG

AUG

COUPLES

18 18

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano Pinot vs. Burgundy, Cab vs. Bordeaux Producer: Mark Stokes

The Doctors Moore Farm Catered by Leo Fascinella of Pasta Amore Producer: Mike Wilke

SEP

STAG

OCT

COUPLES

NOV

STAG

DEC

COUPLES

12 24 03 15

Venue TBD Producer: Tad Singer

TBA Red Wines of the World Producer: Dave Thrasher

Mahogany Prime Steak House 7th Annual Burdeny Bordeaux Bash Producer: Derek Burdeny

Happy Hollow Club Holiday Wine Dinner and Dance Producer: Duke Matz

HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com

July 2019

Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas.

Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.

The International Wine & Food Society of London, England Omaha, Nebraska Branch - Executive Committee This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.

PR ESI DEN T: Tom Murnan............................................... murnantom@gmail.com V ICE PR ESI DEN T / SECR ETA RY: Mark Stokes.............. mark_stokes@aig.com T R E ASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................ zanol@cox.net W I N E CELLA R M AST ER: Les Zanotti............................ zanol@cox.net M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Duke Matz........................ dmatz@darland.com

BOA R D O F D I R E C TO R S : Derek Burdeny

John Matthews

Tad Singer

Lowell Wilhite

Steve Hipple

Duke Matz

Mark Stokes

Mike Wilke

Todd Lemke

Tom Murnan

Dave Thrasher

Les Zanotti

KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Tom Murnan, 402.740.4802 or via email at murnantom@gmail.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEMBERS WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Like us on FACEBOOK (IWFSOmaha): facebook.com/IWFSOmaha and follow us on TWITTER (IWFSOmaha): twitter.com/IWFSOmaha All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisers’ products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.