Dubost Winery: Paella in the Vineyard

 

Ed and I were thrilled when his mom told us she was booking us tickets for a special event at a local winery. While we've been told that Arizona also has "wine country," we've been a bit skeptical, and were happy to be back among wine we knew :). 

 

The event was through Sabine's newcomer's club (one of her many clubs),  and was full of her friends (some whom we recognized from her birthday party).

 

It was certainly a warm, sunny day (though Ed and I were so relieved to be away from the Arizona sun, we couldn't complain). 

 

The even began with some yummy appetizers, including (if I recall correctly) boar meatballs with homemade mustard (from wild, local mustard seeds).  Along with each course, there was paired one of their wines.

 

After the snacks, the winery owner came out and told us the history of their family's winery, why "dry farming" was important to them, and about the delicious food we were about to enjoy. 

We started with a yummy salad, full of pecans and slices of grapefruits. It was very refreshing on this summer day. We also had homemade bread that was super tasty.

 

It was fun getting to chat with some of Sabine's friends.

 

And of course, we greatly enjoyed our next "course" of wines. 

 

Finally, it was time for the Paella!

There was some talk beforehand about a previous year where they'd run out of food, and there was definite concern at our table. A concern that was thankfully totally unfounded this year. We all had more than enough! I tried the seafood, while Ed had the meat one (which we thought was a little more flavorful).

 

And of course, we needed dessert. It doesn't look like much, but it's actually three different kinds of brownie: a "mexican" brownie, with a bit of cayenne and cinnamon, a lavender brownie, and a Kahlua brownie. All very tasty.

 

Before we left, Ed and I headed to the store to pick up some of the wine we liked, plus some red wine jelly - super yummy and perfect for appetizers with bread and cheese. 

What a lovely,  perfect day in Central Coast wine country.