Naggiar Winery Concert

My wife’s coworker has a knack for winning radio call-in contests.  He gave us tickets to Naggiar Winery’s Concert of Foreigner Unauthorized. We thanked him with my homemade Teriyaki and Black Pepper Beef Jerkey. We which made us both very happy!

We’d never been to Naggiar Vineyards and had no idea what to expect.  There was a catered dinner available for purchase ahead of time. I ordered the Beef and my wife ordered the salmon.  We weren’t clear about the seating so we tossed the folding chairs and a blanket in the trunk, just in case. Off we went on our adventure! This was supposed to be one of the hottest days this month – I believe the forecast was 104!

The Winery

The Vineyard is is in Grass Valley off of Hwy 49 and literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a one lane bridge – ya don’t find them in heavily populated areas! Eventually you turn off the black top onto a private gravel road, soon you’ll catch a glimpse of the beautiful Winery. The wine tasting room and associated structures are beautiful, as well as the grounds, pond and stage.

As we walked up to the winery, we were greeted by a woman that informed us that she was checking to see that we weren’t bringing in something we shouldn’t, she didn’t specify what, we assumed it was food and drink. Other greeters checked us in, gave us our commemorative glasses (Woot! – I like commemorative glasses!) and oriented us with the surroundings. The first thing you notice is the huge concrete patio covered in shade cloth (did I mention it was going to be 104) with nice patio furniture. We were shown our seats, and it was pointed out there were ice buckets for us to fill and keep at our table.

We took our glasses and proceeded to the wine tasting room. A separate pouring table was set up for wine tasting, then you went to the counter for your purchase. They were pouring an abbreviated selection so I don’t feel we tasted their best. What we did taste was good, there were some tasty blends that I haven’t experienced before, and I’d come back for a real tasting. Because it was so hot outside, we choose a Ros’e for dinner and kept it on ice!

The Food

As we sat and people watched. We saw what were obvious regulars that were comfortable with the surroundings, and they brought their own picnic food. One common theme with the folks who brought their own food is that they knew how to picnic off the hook! It takes one to know one – we know how to picnic but assumed with catering available, they may not allow outside food. There were all kinds of goodies, croissant sandwiches with what looked like seafood salad, fresh fruit, cheeses, condiments etc. etc. Many brought personal misters and fans – Did I mention it was 104 degrees?

The catering dinner bell rang, and it was time for us to go get our dinner. Hats off to Bill’s Chuckwagon Catering for a well prepared meal. The beef was available in rare, medium and well done (I got the rare, and it was perfect) my wife’s salmon was well seasoned and moist. Dinner came with sides of garlic bread, rice pilaf, and green salad with a selection of dressings.

The Music

Profs to ‘Foreigner Unauthorized‘  from Fresno, CA they really put on a show! The band members were from my generation, where some of our hair has turned grey and some has turned loose but we’ve still got game! The lead singer looked a bit younger – he had more hair, and he has an incredible voice! I had forgotten how many hits Foreigner had back in the 80’s so there was plenty of material. They did do some other songs near the end. All were done with heart and energy and all were enjoyable! I highly recommend seeing them if you get the chance! The band did share a tidbit about Foreigner’s  song “Dirty White Boy” they said it was written about Elvis Presley.

Dessert

As the band started, people started moving to their lawn chairs located on the grass slope between the patio and stage. Some got up and danced. During intermission I slipped back into the Wine Tasting Room and bought a bottle of their desert wine, a slice of cheesecake, and a chocolate lava cake. I’m not sure if the desserts were a winery staple or prepared by the caterer, but they were wonderful!

The 2010 Dessert Port Syrah, was a well balanced late harvest Syrah, pleasantly dryer than most ports with a lingering finish of  plum, blackberry and some smokey notes – it was awesome with the chocolate lava cake and the cheesecake.

Good food, good wine and good music that’s #NorCalWineLife

Added to our To Do list – revisit Naggair Vineyards to taste their complete wine selection.