The crowd excitedly gathered , willingly casting aside their silver stakes and ropes of garlic in exchange for wine glasses from which to taste the tantalizing wines of Vampire Vineyards. As the sun was setting and the darkness of night loomed, the October networking/tasting event of I’ll Drink to That! was visited by Michael Machat, owner of Vampire Vineyards and Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine Distributors. Together they took eager tasters on a tasting frenzy of 9 wines, mostly made from grapes from the Paso Robles region of the Central Coast of California.
Tasting lineup....
Michael showed his “coffin” wine boxes he had originally designed in the early years of the brand, and dropped the names of some of his first victims, I mean clients, such as Alice Cooper and the Anne Rice Fan Club.
Michael casts his spell on Debbie Miller of Logo Woman
Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine
Anthony also brought two special vodkas to show our now satiated group of tasters. He explained, (we did not taste the vodka at this event), how the red Vampyre Vodka was the perfect vodka for making the ultimate “Bloody Mary”. He also brought along Blavod Black Vodka, which I had tasted at another event mixed into a cocktail called “The Black Dahlia”. This is one delicious cocktail – perfect for greeting your guests when they come visiting on All Hallows Eve.
Ingredients for "The Black Dahlia" cocktail
Recipe:
For each cocktail, stir together in cocktail shaker or pitcher filled with crushed ice, 3 oz Blavod Black Vodka, 1/2 oz Chambord black raspberry liqueur, 1/2 oz Kahlua and a twist of orange peel. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.
Artisan created a sumptuous array of “finger foods” including these crostini with roasted pumpkin, roasted shallots and pepita garnish.
Melody Dosch, owner of Artisan Cheese Gallery
Vampire t-shirts were given as door prizes, but the big winner of the day was Debbie Miller of Logo Woman who won a basket of 5 bottles of Vampire wines.
The evening concluded with the IDTT Wine Swap, allowing guests the opportunity to do some networking and take home a new wine to try.
Wine Swap Networking
HAPPY HALLOWEEN !
I’LL DRINK TO THAT !
Vampire Vineyards – Dracula Syrah – Paso Robles – 2005 – $17.99
The bottle reads, “reminiscent of the Master’s true love, this wine is exquisite. 
This Syrah has black cherry and dark chocolate flavors that launch into an intense, dark, rich and flavorful wine. Its texture and balance of spices set up a silky texture and balanced jammy finish.”
I paired this wine with slices of rosemary roasted pork loin with a crust of onions, bread crumbs and parmesan along with fresh corn and pancetta bread pudding and haricots vert with thyme. Bloody good pairing.
