Friday, 4:30Pm to 6:30PM, Feb. 3, 2012. Saturday, 1-6PM, Feb. 4, 2012.

Here’s the lineup:

1. Stonewood Cellars Moscato
2. Circle Viura and Chardonnay 2010
3. B.R. Cohn Sonoma County Chardonnay 2006
4. Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinor Noir 2010
5. Circles Syrah and Garnarche 2010
6. Laetitia Estate Syrah 2004

This special dinner featured Emmanuel Kemiji, Master Sommelier and owner of Miura Vineyards. He turned out to be a great storyteller who entertained the crowd with his stories as well as his wonderful wines.

Kemiji’s cult wines sold under the Miura label are difficult to find outside of fine restaurants. This marked their first appearance in Augusta.

Craig Calvert with Emmanuel Kemiji.

Kemiji was born in New Jersey of Spanish and Greek parents. The family moved to Spain after he was born. He later moved to California, where he studied pre-med at the University of California at Davis, famed for its wine education program. After a summer with a favorite uncle in Spain, Kemiji returned to UC-Davis and switched to the oenology program.

He is one of 186 professionals worldwide who have earned the title Master Sommelier, passing the exam on his first attempt.
After graduation he ended up running the wine program at the Ritz-Carlton restaurants. One night “after everything that could go wrong did go wrong” at the San Francisco Ritz, Kemiji and some friends in the restaurant business went out for drinks. They ended up at his house where over cognac and cigars they all decided to open a winery. They also decided he should run it because of his background in wine.

Kemiji joked that you should never partner with fine restaurant chefs because they couldn’t reach a decision on anything. “It took six months to come up with a name,” he said. They settled on Miura, after Don Eduardo Miura who was a breeder of the most famous bulls used in bull fighting in Spain.

Jane and Jerry Howington with Craig Calvert.

In 1995 the seven partners harvested 2 1/2 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the famed Quintessa vineyard. Because it worked out pretty well they decided to do it again the next year. This time they only got one ton of grapes and Kemiji decided to bottle the wine for himself.

“I had 125 cases of wine sitting in my living room,” he said. “Friends in the business wanted to come by and taste it, and then they started buying a case or two for their restaurants.”

The wine was a big hit, and in 1998 Miura had its first commercial vintage of 3,000 cases. Kemiji left the Ritz in 1999 and the wine hit the market in 2000.

“You are commercial when your friends don’t drink all your wine and you have some to sell,” Kemiji said with a laugh.

Miura is known for its Pinot Noirs. Kemiji said they follow the winemaking model from Burgundy, a more natural style than many other wineries around the world. “We only use natural yeasts found on the grapes and we don’t filter or fine,” he said. “That makes winemaking more difficult but we feel it adds extra layers of flavor.”
The wines served at Calvert’s proved his point. All were rich and complex, great examples of how good Pinot Noir can be in the right hands. Except for the Monterey Pinot, all the wines are made in small lots of 200-300 cases each.

Kemiji kept the diners entertained throughout the evening as he described each wine. Craig Calvert, who owns Calvert’s Restaurant with his wife Beverly, and his staff kept the crowd satisfied with fantastic food that was perfectly paired to the wines.

Wine assistance at the dinner was provided by Vineyard Wine Market
Where: Calvert’s Restaurant in Surrey Center.
When: Tuesday, January 24, 2012. 6:30 PM.

Here is the evening’s menu:
Course 1
Gran Sarao Cava Brut (Spain)
Paired with: Light hors d’oeuvres
Winery: Gran Sarao

Wine notes: The sparkling wine was excellent, crisp and clean. One of the highlights of the appetizers was a seared scallop dish that featured some nice spiciness.

Course 2
Miura Pinot Noir Monterey County 2008 (California)
Paired with: Green lentil soup w/ smoked sausage & crusty gruyere toast
Winery: Miura

Wine notes: The soup was outstanding, a nice match for the approachable Monterey Pinot. This wine had the best nose of the night, and would be a wonderful all-purpose everyday wine. It was soft and smooth, with a pleasant finish.

Course 3
Miura Silacci Vineyard Monterey County 2007 (California)
Paired with: Mixed Greens Salad w/ apples, pears, craisins, walnuts- green goddess dressing & sliced avocados
Winery: Miura

Wine notes: This was an interesting salad, with a mix of flavors. The single-vineyard Pinot had more body and structure than the Monterey wine. The vineyard is in the northernmost part of the Santa Lucia Highlands featuring a cool climate.

Trish and Clint Bryant.

Course 4
Miura Pinot Noir “Pisoni” Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 2009 (California)
Paired with: Cedar planked blackened salmon w/ pinot noir reduction & roasted potatoes
Winery: Miura

Wine notes: Considered a cult wine because of its strong following, the Pisoni showed great depth and complexity. It was another perfect pairing with an incredible Salmon dish. Kemiji said the Pisoni vineyard is the most talked about Pinot vineyard in California, and only 10 wineries get grapes from it. He described grower Gary Pisoni as a guy who had a lot of fun in the ’60s and still has a lot of fun. Pisoni got his grape vines by picking up cuttings off the ground at the famed La Tache vineyard in Burgundy and bringing them home in his suitcase. He planted them on a ranch his father owned and happened upon a great combination of soil and weather that perfectly suited the grapes. Kemiji first got some of his grapes in 1999. The Silacci vineyard grows grapes from the same cuttings, but the Pisoni vineyard is farther south along the Santa Lucia Highlands.

Course 5
Arrels Monstant Clos Oblidat Sangre de Garnatxa 2006 (Montsant, Spain)
Paired with: Grilled leg of lamb w/ Argentinian mint sauce
Winery: Arrels

Wine notes: The lamb was mouth-watering, with just a hint of mint adding just the right touch. The wine, made of 100% Garnacha grapes, was fruity but very dry, with an intense flavor. It comes from Kemiji’s first Spanish vineyard, which he bought with three French chefs from California in 2003. Arrels is the Catalan word for “roots of the vine.”

Course 6
Clos Pissarra El Ramon Priorat 2008 (Spain)
Paired with: Tenderloin of beef stroganoff w/ wild mushroom saffron rice
Winery: Clos Pissarra

Wine notes: The beef stroganoff served on rice was another exquisite dish. It was well matched by the wine, a blend of Carignane, Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine that continued to open up and improve in the glass. Pissarra is the Catalan word for slate. The last two wines come from the Priorat area, widely considered the area that produces the best Spanish wine.

Course 7
Paired with: Chevre stuffed chocolate brownie w/ fresh berries.

In keeping with the spirit of renewal in the South African wine industry, in recent years over 40% of the vineyards were replanted as the industry has realigned its product to compete globally, moving from volume production to noble cultivars and quality wines. South African vineyards were once dominated by white grape varieties but the predominantly red new plantings shifted that. In the last four years, winegrowers have started planting more whites than reds, a reversal of the 10-year trend to planting more reds.

Noble varieties which have been cultivated increasingly in the past few years include Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, which produce top-class white wines, and Shiraz and Pinot Noir. A significant proportion of their red wine vineyards are currently very young; 41.3% are under 10 years old.

Although most of the vine varieties cultivated here today were originally imported, up to now six local crossings have been released. The best known of these is a red variety, Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsaut), which more recently is cultivated locally on a fairly large scale.

The Worcester region has 8.56% and the Breedekloof Region 12.44%, followed by Paarl (16.4%), Stellenbosch (16.93%), Malmesbury (14.8%), Robertson (13.86%), Olifants River (9.9%), Orange River (5.3%) and Little Karoo (2.79%).

The Worcester Region also produces the most wine (10.8%), followed by Olifants River (16.2%), Robertson (13.8 %), Paarl (9.7%), Stellenbosch (8.2%), Malmesbury (8.8%), Orange River (13.2%) and Little Karoo (2.8%).

Here is our line-up:

KWV Steen ’09
Douglas Green “The Beach House” 80% Savignon Blanc and 20% Semillon ’10
Fleur du Cap Chardonnay ’10
Fleur du Cap Merlot ’08
Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon ’09
Ernie Els “The Big Easy” ’10
Click here to read more about

But we are also featured other wines and some brews. Don’t forget our nibbles.
Where: Vineyard Wine Market (map), 4414 Evans to Lock Road, Evans, GA. (706) 922-9463

When: Friday, January 13, 2012. 4:30 to 6:30pm, Saturday, Jan. 14 2012. 1 to 6 pm.
Cost: $5 for the Flight

Here are the wines being presented (click to see more):

1. Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2010
2. The Dreaming Tree Chardonnay 2010
3. The Dreaming Tree Crush 2009
4. Betts & Scholls OG Grenache 2008
5. The Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
6. Salva Tierra Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The Beer Line Up:

1. Pinkus Unfiltered U R Pils
2. Žatec Dark Lager
3. Stone 11 Vertical Epic
4. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Here are the detailed wine notes:
Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2010
What: A long cool awesome vintage. Heightened minerality. White stone fruit, you know, apricot, nectarine, peach also satsuma and lime leaves. This girl is kickass as ever! We love Riesling from Evergreen Vineyard in The Ancient Lakes area of the Columbia Valley AVA.–From their Website
From: Columbia Valley, Washinton
Winery: Charles Smith Wines
Year: 2010

The Dreaming Tree Chardonnay 2010
What: The fruit jumps out of the glass and reminds you of roasted pear or baked apple pie. Big fruit and brown spices that are backed by a distinct Central Coast citrus note. The entry coats your mouth with these great flavors. Easy to enjoy, this wine will bring the coastal wine adventure right to your home.–From their Website

From: California
Winery: The Dreaming Tree
Year: 2010
Goes with: Delicious on a warm summer night with grilled seafood, seafood-and-chicken paella, fresh fava bean salad, or buttered radishes and smoked salt.

The Dreaming Tree Crush 2009
What: A blend of the North Coast’s finest varieties, this wine pulls you in with a smoky berry note and then jumps up with a raspberry jam.–From their Website
From: California
Winery: The Dreaming Tree
Year: 2009
Goes with: A quaffable wine that is tasty with Spanish orange and onion salad, or with Vietnamese-style grilled ribs and rice.

Betts & Scholls OG Grenache 2008
From: Barossa Valley, Australia
Winery: Betts & Scholls
Year: 2008

The Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
What: The wines were aged in oak for 19 months and then carefully blended to bring out the true character of the varietal. Classic aromas of blackberry, cherry, and dry herb notes are wrapped by toasted vanilla and soft, mouth-filling tannins. It’s elegant and supple. A fun start or end to any meal or gathering.–From their Website
From: California
Winery: The Dreaming Tree
Year: 2009
Goes with: Grilled rack of lamb or rich lentil salad

Salva Tierra Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
What: The calling card of this great vintage is the depth and richness of the wines, while still maintaining a smooth and silky texture, without being too extracted or overripe. The wines balance the luscious Napa Valley fruit and the elegance of a wine with intense history. The wine is full of depth and complexity with typical Napa Valley Cabernet characteristics. The aroma is very fruit forward dominated by the blackberry notes, and underlying cassis and anise. The mouthfeel is deep and rich with plenty of big tannins for cellaring.–From their Website
From: Napa, California
Winery: Renteria Wines
Year: 2007

Pinkus Unfiltered U R Pils
What: Pale golden in color; light to medium in body; dry and well-balanced; clean hop and malt character
From: Munster, Germany
Brewery: Pinkus-Muller
– The Pinkus-Muller brewery traces its origins to the family’s arrival in the Northern Germany town of Munster in 1816. At that time, Johannes Muller and his wife Friederika Cramer started a brewery and a bakery. Since their arrival there have been 150 breweries in Munster. Only Pinkus remains.

Today, the fifth and sixth generation of the family operate the famous Pinkus-Muller Pub/Brewery. So dedicated to quality is Pinkus, that they are the world’s first brewery to brew with only organically grown barley malt and whole hop blossoms.

Pinkus Brewery is certified organic by USDA (from {WEB 2}MerchantDuVin Website

Žatec Dark Lager
What: Fairly full-bodied; clean malt flavor and aroma with notes of dark bread, caramel, and even a suggestion of toffee. Balanced by elegant herbal hops, and finishes with inviting smoothness. A refined dark lager
From: Czech Republic
Brewery: Žatec
Goes with: Polish sausage (kielbasa) or Italian sausage, roast turkey, black or pinto beans, hummus or paté. The rich dark malt flavors make a great pairing with spicy cole slaw, kim chee, or pickled vegetables. Try with homemade macaroni & cheese or with fresh-baked pumpernickel bread. Serve in a stemmed Zatec goblet or fluted pils glass at 42-45 °F.

Stone 11 Vertical Epic
What: As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists & turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a “vertical” tasting. Each one unique to it’s year of release. Each with its own “twist & turn” in the plotline. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year’s edition. To remind you, the remaining dates are:
12.12.12.

The Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale pours a deep amber with a cream colored head of foam.
Aroma: The Belgian yeast strain we used this year has more pronounced banana aromatics than the clove flavors produced by some of the yeast strains we have used in past years. Mixed in with the banana esters are toffee malt notes, hints ofspice-clove and cinnamon-, and a trace of very mild green chili in the back. The aromas all blend together incredibly well.

Taste: Upfront the banana yeast-derived flavors are blended very nicely with toasted and toffee-like malt flavors, fruity esters, and balanced hints of cinnamon. Mid palate the Perle and Pacific Jade hops and the Hatch green chili flavors come through. The beer finishes dry, and bitter with just the tiniest hint of chili heat and a touch of alcohol.

Overall: Not your typical chili beer! The famous mild green chilies from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico add layers of delicious flavor with a very mild heat component. The base beer itself is very reminiscent of a European amber beer, with Perle and Pacific Jade hops, Munich and other roasted German and Belgian malts, hopped and brewed to a very Stone like TBD IBU and 9.4% abv. Cinnamon is a wonderful spice if used judiciously, which we did here-it doesn’t by any means dominate the beer’s flavor, but definitely adds a subtly complex spice note that blends amazingly well with the bananaesters and green chili. –From their Website
From: North County San Diego, California
Brewery: Stone Brewing

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
What: Big, Dark and Scary Imperial-esque Stout Brewed With Plenty of Dark Malts and Roast Barley And Loads of Sebastopol’s Hardcore Coffee for Deep Roasty Flavors and that Extra Krunk.–From their Website
From: Petaluma, Californina
Brewery: Lagunitas

Scarecrow, historically the J.J. Cohn Estate, is a California wine producer. The estate is located in Rutherford, CA, within the Rutherford AVA in the Napa Valley AVA zone.

Seating is limited! Make your reservations by calling Calvert’s at (706) 738-4514.

Here’s a video on Emmanuel Kemiji, Master Sommelier and owner of Miura Vineyards,