I planted a garden this year. From seeds. And nearly every single seed I planted grew. I have 20 green bean plants, 18 tomato plants, 7 pots of basil, 2 pots of mint, and a pot of rosemary. The rosemary actually did the worst, I planted 3 pots and only got one to come up, and even then, only with a few sprigs. I do not have a green thumb, so this delights me. Plus, the squirrels and I are locked in an epic battle for my garden. First, they dug up the seeds I planted, and now that I managed to grow things, they are eating my green tomatoes. Behold, the first harvest from my garden:
To go along with my first harvest and the beautiful Alaskan sockeye salmon I picked up at the store that morning, I served a 2006 Erath Pinot Noir. My dad picked this up at Branford Wine and Spirits, it had a screw cap closure, and I see you can find it online for about $15. Sorry, didn't note the alcohol content before I left for St. Louis.The first thing I noted about the wine was the color. We sat outside to eat dinner and in the light the color of the wine seemed more like a very dark rose than a Pinot Noir. Though, it could just be that I'm used to a California style Pinot Noir. On the nose I found cherry, smoke, oak, spice, Coke, and raspberry. The nose was quite pleasant and promised good things from the glass. In the mouth I got sweet fruit, raspberry, cherry, strawberry, some spice, and a touch of a tannic feeling on the finish. On its own, the wine was a bit thin/watery, but as we sat outside and it warmed up a touch, it developed a nice body and went quite well with food. As it developed, I found coffee grounds, mocha, and tart cherry flavors in my glass.
Overall, this wine is best with food, and best as it warms up just a touch. For $15 a bottle, it certainly displays the varietal characteristics you would expect from a Pinot Noir, and for that price point, that's not something you can say about many Pinot Noirs. I think you can see my garden in the background! Yes, it's all growing in pots, we haven't had time to build beds in our yard yet, but we will get there....our ground is solid clay and poor little plants do not even have a chance to grow in it, so pots had to suffice for this year. I will soon be rolling in more tomatoes than I know what to do with...each plant has at least 20 tomatoes on it!PS-These pictures were all taken with my new camera, whadda ya think?
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Beautiful outdoor shots.
I have spent so much time at Erath in Oregon, it's always a lovely time.
The best part is they have a box of toys my kids can play with off to the side which lets me stay longer and spend more money. Only the smart wineries do this.
7/30/08, 10:45 AM
your garden looks great and the beans look yummy!
7/30/08, 11:40 AM
Way to go on the garden! The pictures look great. A new camera is always fun to play around with.
Oh and the sockeye looks tasty too!
7/30/08, 1:39 PM
looks like the new camera is in fine working order - excellent!
7/30/08, 2:26 PM
Bud-man and I garden every year, but your garden makes me envious. Regarding the rosemary plant, we've grown ours to be around 4 feet in diameter and about 3 feet high. We did that by planting it in the ground, but we're in Texas. You may want to try it...I think they're pretty hearty.
Also, I plan to search your site for a good Pinot Noir. I took one to a recent wine tasting party that was from Italy, and I guess it way good. I suppose I'm expecting something more like a Merlot, only sweeter. Am I mistaken?
7/30/08, 8:08 PM
Thanks for all the comments!
Boney, I wouldn't really compare a Pinot Noir to a Merlot. It's a lot more delicate in my mind than a Merlot, with leather, cherry, strawberry, spice, and earth being common flavors. I would say Merlot is fruitier (and often sweeter since many times it's not made very well!).
7/31/08, 9:37 AM
I'll second the recommendation of putting your rosemary in ground. I keep one potted in the kitchen window. It grows but is eternally spindly. My plant in the garden is hearty and bushy, though it doesn't always survive the Philly winters. Heavy snowfall seems to do it in.
Your comment about the color of the Erath PN made me giggle, as I was just thinking that the rose you reviewed more recently looks more like a light-medium red than a pink wine.
7/31/08, 11:03 PM
I think I will put it in the ground next year David. But first I have to build up garden boxes, as our "soil" is solid clay. Plants don't stand a chance in it.
8/14/08, 11:07 AM