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The Bounty of Auburn is Right at Your Table |
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Written by Gary Moffat
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It’s not often that I write about what goes on in my building in Old Town, but last Saturday evening something important happened there, and I thought you might be interested in hearing about it.
If you’ve ever been there, you know that my joint—Carpe Vino, a restaurant, wine shop and wine bar—is crammed into three small storefronts and seats just 32 people in the dining room. Add up to 24 more in the Wine Mine (an ancient stone building in the rear not visible from the street), 12 patrons seated at the bar, and that is as large a group as we can accommodate.
Well Saturday, the place was jammed to the gills for a very special winemaker dinner called “Think Auburn First,” an event designed to showcase the bounty of Placer County, staying as close to home in Auburn as possible. At the same time, as a director of the fledging “Think Auburn First” operating team of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, I wanted to use the opportunity to raise desperately needed operating funds. (We’re planning a “Think Auburn First Day,” for Nov. 8, and working hard to promote the event and enlist as many locally owned, locally managed businesses as we can.)
For my money, it was one of the best evenings of my eight years living in this community. Maybe the best, because I was surrounded by many colleagues, personal friends and complete strangers, all anticipating a fabulous meal. Everyone was relaxed, even before the first sip of the six Placer County wines paired with the dinner.
I wish you could have been there, too, to sit at a table among friends and neighbors to experience the stunning depth of foodstuffs produced right at the doorstep of our hometown. Just about everything for the five-course dinner, except salt and pepper, was sourced from local farmers, ranchers and purveyors. While my restaurant has been a long-time advocate of PlacerGrown, and our menu always features in-season, locally grown produce and meat, our chefs — Courtney Macdonald and Eric Alexander — welcomed the foraging support of Famers Market Manager Carol Arnold, who attended the dinner with her husband and daughter.
All told, the dinner was composed of elements from 11 different farms and ranches in the County, from heirloom tomatoes to pork belly from Coffee Pot Ranch to rack of lamb from Highland Farm. The bread served with dinner was baked in the ovens of Susan Copeland’s Flour Garden Bakery; luscious plum pies—tart and sweet in the same mouthful—were prepared by Joanne Neft’s Persimmon Café in Lincoln.
And the wine, oh, the wine. What a joy to know that truly world class wines are being vinted right in our own backyard. We started the evening with a beautiful rosé from Dono dal Cielo Winery in Newcastle, followed by a sauvignon blanc from Fawnridge Winery, a viognier from Lone Buffalo, a syrah from Ophir Winery and a tempranillo from Vina Castellano on Bell Rd. Dessert was paired with a beautiful and tasty syrah port from Mt. Vernon Winery.
I decided to seat the winemakers (most of whom were accompanied by their spouses) at the Carpe Vino bar so that I could keep an eye on them. They were in an especially celebratory frame of mind thanks to the recent passage of a formal winery ordinance for Placer County, more than two years in the making. Now that the rules are codified, there is reason to be optimistic that a wine industry will flourish here.
Because I was the host for the evening, requiring me to float between four different dining areas, I did not get to pull up a bar stool with my wine colleagues. Nonetheless, they had what appeared to be a glorious time, and it was gratifying to have gathered them under one roof where they could enjoy the camaraderie of their own company and individually share their stories with the other guests when their wine was presented during the meal. I love them all—truly, I do—but nothing pleased me more than introducing my great friend, Jim Taylor, who over the last decade built Mt. Vernon Winery with his wife, Lynda, and his son, Ryan. Mt. Vernon, which is easily the anchor of our nascent wine industry, opened its doors within just a couple of weeks of the launch of Carpe Vino, so I feel a special kinship and bond. We struggled together for years, and though both of our enterprises have achieved traction, we still rub our worry beads.
Thanks to 100-degree temperatures during the day and a 150-year-old building stuffed with people in party mode, the place was stifling. It did not seem to matter, though, because I can’t recall seeing a happier, more satisfied group. People talked to new acquaintances like old friends; the building was enveloped in laughter; the vibe was all love and harmony. No kidding.
When it was time to auction off 12 mostly wine items (tastings at wineries, limited wine verticals, dinner at Carpe Vino), the crowd stepped up. Just shy of $4,000 was raised, with every penny going to “Think Auburn First.”
We’ve staged more than 30 winemaker dinners at Carpe Vino, but this one was a challenge because of all the moving parts involved ... from herding six wineries, to selling out the event, to collecting all of the auction items. But when it was over, I wished it wasn’t. It was as good as it gets, and I know—I am completely certain—that everyone was sated beyond all expectation.
After the last person left, I sat outside with a few close friends on our tiny patio and lit a cigar. It was so good to relax, to savor the moment, and to understand that the bounty of Auburn is all around us.
Gary Moffat is a journalist and owner of Carpe Vino in Old Town Auburn. He can be reached at
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