Dinner - Clyde's Willow Creek Farm

My mom and I trying our food and wine at the bar in Clyde's.

I've been going to the Clyde's Willow Creek Farm my whole life. It's a beautiful local restaurant built out of restored barn with great charm and character to match the community. However, I've never been able to fully appreciate all the wondrous things that Clyde's had to offer, particularly all their amazing wines and delicious foods to pair them with. My mom and I decided to take on my first wine and dine experiences here at Clyde's, taking a seat at one of the three bars around the restaurant.

Our food included a crab and artichoke dip, a trio of apples salad, and ravioli pasta dish. Our wines to pair with them were a Preudo Pinot Grigio, an Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and a Pinot Patch Pinot Noir.

Crab artichoke dip and Pinot Grigio.

The first pairing we had was the crab and artichoke dip with the Preudo Pinot Grigio. This is a 2014 Italian Pinto Grigio from the Tramin region with 12.5% alcohol. This golden yellow wine had lovely citrus and herb scents on the nose that continued in the taste. It was extremely fresh, crisp and was a very easy drink with a dry aftertaste. The dip was rich and creamy with a perfect balance of salt from the crab. The artichokes were a very subtle flavor in the dip. The dip brought the herbacous flavors in the wine to a forefront in a wonderful way. The pairing itself was excellent as the crisp, cleaness of the wine balanced the saltiness of the crab and the rich, creaminess of the food balanced the dry aspect of the wine.

Trio of apples salad and Sauvignon Blanc.

Our second pairing was by far my favorite. For this pairing we had the trio of apples salad and the Esk Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This wine 2014 came from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and had 13% alcohol. I knew I was going to love this wine just from the nose. The nose was extremely floral, particularly a daisy scent with fresh hints of apple. The taste made me feel as though I was drinking in a meadow. This wine had wonderful fresh and crisp grass flavors, mingling with the daisy and apple notes. The trio of apples salad was a wonderful mix of sweet and nutty flavors. There were three kinds of apples, one sautéed in cinnamon and toasted walnuts all with a creamy apple puree and a bed of lettuce. The salad brought out more of the earthy sharper tones of the wine. It also pulled out even more of the herbaceous tones of the wine.

Ravioli and Pinot Noir.

Our final pairing was the ravioli with Pinot Patch Pinot Noir. As someone who doesn't typically enjoy red wines this was an especially wonderful surprise. This 2013 wine came from California and had 13.5% alcohol. The wine had a stunning ruby red color and strong legs with deep, dark fruit flavors on the nose. A wonderful mix of blackberries, plums, and red cherries all mingled with a clove kick. These flavors carried over into the taste with the sweet blackberries being the star of the show. The ravioli was wonderfully rich with creamy cheeses and a stunning ricotta texture. The tomato sauce was so fresh and was topped with a sharp parmesan cheese and the clean fresh bite of basil leaves. The raviolis brought out more of the clove and pepper flavors in the wine. The pairing also worked extremely well together balancing and complimenting the other.

Overall, it was a throughly enjoyable meal with so many surprises. I've also found a few wines that I will be sure to add to my collection.