October's Harvest
a dedication to my Grandparents and the style of food and wine they loved so deeply
           I had every intention of sending this newsletter on Tuesday morning 10/26, but Monday evening 10/25 came with sad news of the unexpected passing of my beloved Grandpa Ray. He was and will always be one of my biggest supporters and encouragers. He loved my love for food and my choice to get a degree and then pursue something entirely different, because it was my passion. My Grandpa passed away just 3 ½ months after my Grandma Bonnie, whom I credit with my natural ability to cook and my obsession with collecting cookbooks. Together my grandparents shaped a huge part of who I am. They allowed me to visit them and party like crazy, with friends in tow, every spring break in Miami. They offered me and my dog Louie a bedroom in their home when I decided to move back to Chicago after college. Our relationship is something I will forever cherish and encourage in my own child, because learning from the wisdom of your grandparents, as you grow from child to adult, is priceless. Cheers (with something better than Costco Sauv Blanc) to my grandparents and thank you for making me a DesRosiers.
Every year, when summer turns to fall, I have this reoccurring thought – Am I living in a location I want to reside in for years to come? I think this thought stems from the natural end of one chapter and the beginning of another or it is just the rhythm my life has followed since I was 18 years old and heading off to college. I am, by nature, a perpetual nomad and it’s something that has deeply shaped who I am as an adult. I love learning about new places and immersing myself in the communities that exist there. This season change has been especially awakening because going into it, I already knew that the home we reside in, is not the place we will remain in for much longer. I’ve often wondered what it is like to be from a family that lives on one property for generations – your own community, constantly caring for a place so that future generations can exist there as well. The thought of hanging a piece of art on the wall and knowing it can and will remain in that exact location for decades or planting a tree and watching it turn from seedling to canopy cover over the course of your own life feels so special and yet so unknown to me. When I visited Paris a few years ago and walked down Rue des Rosiers, my eyes were filled with tears because the history and family stories of my ancestors existed on that cobble stone street. I’d never felt such a deep connection to a place before and yet I had never been there until that moment.
When I think of storied histories many subjects come to mind, but one such community holds an important connection to the land and the fall season change happens to be one of the most vital times on their calendar. I am referring to wine making families. These passionate, often generational groups live off ancient lands handed down from great great grandparents and cared for with pride and love like the land itself is a member of family. In the northern hemisphere the month of October signifies the grape harvest. In France this time is known as Vendange, in Italy it is Vendemmia, Vintage in English. It signifies the harvest from which a grape moves from the vine to the barrel and becomes a wine from that generation (vintage). The bottles of wine from a vintage tell the story of that growing season. A truly nuanced palate could detect if the grape lived through drought, was clinging to a windy hillside by the sea or grew in soils changed by wildfire the year before. These embedded characteristics don’t just apply to grapes, they apply to all life. The dwindling relationship to the land we live on is part societal change and part lost love for the planet we reside on. But to love food and wine is to, in some small way, love the Earth. Of the 500 or so people that open this newsletter every month I know that a large portion of you feel deeply passionate about the world and what it has to offer us. I won’t wax poetic about human life and climate change, this is a food newsletter after all, but I will say that our connection to this Earth is so much more than the home we reside in. We should all make a habit of pausing to appreciate the beauty and history around us, because it is rapidly changing.
Aaron and I had the unique opportunity to enjoy a week at a vineyard in Castiglione del Lago, Umbria Italy. The estate has been linked to the Morami family since the 1600’s. There was a brief period where the land was sold to another family, only to be bought back by the current generation and reestablished as their vineyard. The farmhouse had been outfitted with several guest apartments. It was a traditional Italian estate with orange bricks and terra cotta tiles on the roof. The land grew San Marzano tomatoes, apples, pears and of course grapes. Each year during harvest the workers spend most of the day in the grape vines and return to the farmhouse each afternoon for a feast of seasonal ingredients. This practice holds true across the globe and some pretty incredible food and wine is enjoyed by hard working people in picturesque, ancient settings.
 For this menu, instead of focusing on one cuisine, I thought it would be fun to pull a few rustic dishes from prominent wine making locations. There are so many incredible countries that make wine but to keep up the fall vibes, that I love so much, I’ve chosen regions on a similar longitude - Italy, France, and The Pacific Northwest. These dishes can all go together for a super fun potluck-style dinner, or you can make them as staples to their own meals. Per the usual, wine is paramount to this menu. The selections are merely suggestions, as there are so many great bottles that go with fall foods. I chose Lambrusco for Italy because traditionally it is a young wine, saved for the farmers and enjoyed on the property it was grown. The other selections are just tasty bottles from our highlighted regions that I’ve had the good fortune to visit. Enjoy and I hope your dinner conversation will include a small bit of marvel for the planet we are on and the beauty and bounty it provides us.
The Menu:
Pork Sugo and Rustic Ricotta Gnocchi – Italy Crispy Potato Gratin and Cornish Hens – France Herb Roasted Wild Mushrooms and Shallot Crema – Oregon Pear Tarte Tatin – Washington and France
The Wines:
Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara Vecchia Modena 2019 - Italy Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone La Redonne Blanc 2016 - France Zero Point Zero Sangiovese Swick Wines 2020 - Oregon Treveri Cellars Sparkling Gewurztraminer - Washington
The Playlist:
What a wonderful read! And now Sunday's dinner! Thanks for both