Sunset in July Farm-to-Table Wine Dinner at Sunset Meadow Vineyards
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011Sunset Meadow Vineyards could very well be the most sustainable vineyard in the state of Connecticut. Last year I chose Sunset Meadow as the featured wine producer at the Dirt film screening I co-sponsored and organized with Audubon Greenwich and owner George Motel was gracious enough to donate the wines. It was important to showcase local-sustainable producers at an event which underscored the importance of building up rather than depleting our soil.
George Motel shared that evening that they were considering applying for USDA organic certifications for some of their wines. Well that’s surely a deviation from most fruit growers in the state who, faced with the challenges of protecting fruit from pests and disease, choose conventional agriculture. Many times, they explain, it’s the difference between saving a losing a crop. We know that’s serious business.
I was very impressed with Sunset Meadow’s wines and so were the guests! What a surprise for us to discover such high quality and award-winning local wines made from native varietals like Vidal Blanc, Cayuga White and St. Croix as well as vitis vinifera varietals including Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay. Sunset Meadow Vineyards has also been recognized as a 2010 Editors’ Choice in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England. This designation is awarded by Yankee’s editors and contributors, who name select restaurants, lodgings, and attractions in New England to the exclusive list.
As you plan your summer weekends and staycations, consider heading to Litchfield Hills and attending one of the farm-to-table dinner events organized by The Litchfield Saltwater Grille. The first dinner in the series will be held on Friday, July 8th at Sunset Meadow Vineyards and will feature fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from Litchfield County Farms prepared by Chef Albert Clugston III of The Litchfield Saltwater Grille. According to the website “Some items such as a very special Muskmelon, Green Zebra Tomatoes, Rhubarb, Eggplant, and Squash Blossoms come from the Chef’s very own garden. The July menu includes grass-feed beef from Litchfield’s Laurel Ridge Farm as well as dairy products from the highly acclaimed Arethusa Cow Farm (Litchfield). East Coast Shellfish is always incorporated into the menu because there is such an abundant amount of fresh local oysters, scallops, clams, and fish to draw from.”
Sunset Meadow Vineyards and The Litchfield Saltwater Grille Restaurant present
“Sunset in July Farm-to-Table Wine Dinner”
Enjoy an evening of local New England cuisine paired with Connecticut’s Sunset Meadow Vineyard’s Wines
Friday July 8, 2011 Starting at 6PM
at Sunset Meadow Vineyards in Goshen, CT
$95 (includes tax and gratuity)
Call for reservations 860.567.4900 (The Litchfield Saltwater Grille) 860.201.4654 (SMV)
Menu
East Coast Raw Bar
Walk up to our iced down, Chilled Raw Bar, and enjoy as much as you like of our local shellfish display.
Fill your plate with Baltimore Style Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Enjoy fresh shucked Oysters (CT
Blue Points and Stonington, CT). Along with Rhode Island Little Neck Clams and a Scungilli Salad.
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
New England Lobster Salad Sliders and Laurel Ridge Mini Burger Sliders with a Shallot Scape Aioli
Dinner Antipasto Bar Style
Chilled Wild Maine Mussels, Beets, Radishes, Fresh Herbs
Caprese Salad, Yellow, Red, and Zebra Heirloom Tomatoes, Italian Mozzarella, EVOO, Artichokes
Prosciutto Muskmelon Carpaccio, Fresh Mozzarella, Balsamic Peach Vinaigrette
Sweet Corn Succotash, Shallots
SWG Tri Color Purple Fingerling Potato Salad, Apple wood Smoked Bacon, Farm Eggs
Sun One Grilled Assorted Squashes
Pesto, Fennel, and Sausage Fussili Pasta Salad, Local Peppers, Mixed Herbs and Garlic Scapes
Live Chef Attended Grill Station
Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak with an Arethusa Farm Green Goddess Dressing
Grilled Rare Tuna Skewers, Ponzu, Lime, Cilantro Vinaigrette
Dessert Cups of Strawberries with Warm Anglaise, Mint Garnish
Featured Farms Sun One Organic Farm, (Bethlehem) Skilton Farm,
(Morris) March Farms (Bethlehem) Laurel Ridge Grass Fed Beef, (Litchfield)
In order to bring you the freshest local ingredients possibly the menu is subject to change based on seasonal availability. Products will be sourced mainly from Chef Albert Clugston III’s own garden as well as March Farms (Bethlehem), Skilton Farm (Morris), Laurel Ridge Farm (Litchfield), and Sun One Organic Farm (Bethlehem). Products from other local farms will be used as well.
To register online for the event, please visit: http://www.sunsetmeadowvineyards.com/events.php
More Info Call: 860.567.4900
Sunset Meadow Vineyards
599 Old Middle Street
Goshen, CT 06756
