Oct 3 – Food, Beer & Wine!

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First up is George R. Elder of Elderslie Sawmill & Fine Woodworks.  But more importantly Elderslie Farm to Table Dinners. George Says:

“Our Farm to Table Dinners are designed to make the best possible use of the ingredients on and near the farm. The evening includes a very high-quality multi-course dinner for 36 guests with paired wines and locally-crafted cheese. We are located at 3501 E 101st Street, Valley Center, KS  67147”

 

The dinners are sold out for this year and they will be closed in November for remodeling.  However there is a standby list and you can also schedule a private dinner.  I really enjoyed this splendid dinning experience and look forward to my next visit…even if it’s not until next Spring. www.eldersliefarm.com

Beerfest2015_logo_jpegThen we will be talking about Saturday afternoons 15th Annual Midwest Beerfest at Century-II.  New times this year: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Not only is it the best beer event in the Midwest, the craft beers represented and available for tasting are bigger and better than over.

Some many beers, so little time!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2012 Mount Veeder Winery Napa Valley Cabernet

Deep ruby color. Deep cherry, plum, and vanilla intertwine with beautiful hints of anise and caramel. Additional notes of dark chocolate and cassis linger on the nose. Dark cherry and berry pie flavors combine with hints of rosemary and bay, perfectly complementing complex notes of allspice and vanilla. A smooth, seamlessly integrated palate with rich structure and mountain personality.

Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc.  Tasting Panel 90 of 100 points

 

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Sep 26 – Beer & Wine

Beerfest2015_logo_jpeg

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Up first it’s all about the Breckenridge Brewery Beer Dinner October 2nd at the Wichita Marriott East.  This is one of the three Midwest Beerfest Dinner that Friday and they are all GREAT and selling out fast.  You can learn more about all three dinners at www.midwestbeerfest.com 

Melissa Field joined Breckenridge Brewery in January of 2015 having previously worked in the restaurant industry and later at Western Beverage Distributing Company in Denver. Melissa’s experience during her 10 years in the beer business has included Restaurant Marketing  and Key Account Management.

Midwest Beerfest 2015 – Beer Dinners*
Friday October 2 • 7 p.m.
Various locations
Cost: $55    (316) 682-5502**  Seating limited

Breckenridge Brewery
Celebrity Guest Melissa Field, Breckenridge Brewery, Sales Manager, KS, MO
Marriott Wichita – 9100 Corporate Hills Drive
Presented by Standard Beverage Corporation & AIWF-Wichita

Winemaker Bob Cabral

In the second half World Renowned winemaker Bob Cabral joins us to talk about his journey in wine, the many outstanding wineries he has worked with and his latest “Three Sticks” winery in Sonoma, another great producer of Bob’s favorite wines…Pinot Noir & Chardonnay.

There is very good reason Bob Cabral’s name is synonymous with great Pinot Noir. With decades of experience in Sonoma County, Bob’s passion, experience and following for his work with the varietal is second to none.  From 1998 to 2014 Bob was winemaker for Williams Selyem. There, he led the winery into a new era, overseeing an expansion of new vineyard sources and bottlings for the brand, along with the construction of a state-of the art winery.

Bob’s winemaking philosophy has remained constant throughout his career—to source and farm the best fruit possible, with minimal intervention in the cellar. He was awarded the 2011 Wine Star Award from the Wine Enthusiast as “Winemaker of the Year.”

He joined Three Sticks in 2015, with fervent enthusiasm. Bob lives in the Russian River Valley where and is a devoted husband and father to his wife and daughter.

We don’t have Three Sticks wines available in Kansas YET, but be checking the shelves and bugging your wine merchant.  You can always learn more, join the wine club and order on-line at: www.threestickswines.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2012 Catena Cabernet Sauvignon –  High Mountain Vines

This Argentinean beauty shows a dark ruby color with violet tones. On the nose, it offers intense aromas of ripe raspberries and cassis with notes of pepper, clove, and a touch of cedar. On the palate, it is full-bodied and rich and displays layers of black currant and black raspberry with notes of cedar and oregano. This Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant wine with silky tannins that provide structure and a long and persistent finish.

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Sep 19 – Chili Cookoff & more…

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First up is The Wagon Masters Downtown Chili Cook-Off.  We’ll tell you all about this fun event taking place next week;
Saturday September 26, 2015, On Douglas between the railroad tracks and St. Francis, public tasting starts at Noon.  It’s only $5 for a tasting kit and great family fun.  Click here for more info!

 

Then it will be a blast from the past!
Can’t tell you much about this week, it’s a secret, but it should be great FUN and a look at the early days of The Good Life radio show.  I and a special guest will tell you all about the early days and how “The Good Life” came about 🙂

 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2013 B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet
This Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon reflects a blending of grapes grown from select North Coast vineyards. This combination offers full, rich flavors of berry, cassis and black cherry with hints of vanilla in the background. Aging with French oak adds complexity and depth, resulting in a high quality Cabernet Sauvignon with great value.

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Sep 12 – Boulevard Brewing

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This show is all about the 15 Annual Midwest Beerfest  www.midwestbeerfest.com

Joining me first is John McDonald founder and driving force behind what has become one of the earliest and most successful Craft breweries in the USA.

John McDonald

John McDonald

The Boulevard story begins in 1988, when founder John McDonald started construction of the brewery in a turn-of-the-century brick building on Kansas City’s historic Southwest Boulevard. A vintage Bavarian brewhouse was installed, and the first batches of beer were produced in the fall of 1989. That November, the first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was delivered—in the back of John’s pickup truck—to a restaurant just a few blocks away.

In 2006, a major expansion adjacent to the original brewery raised Boulevard’s brewing capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per year—a sizable increase from the 6,000 barrels contemplated in John’s original business plan. The new brewing and packaging facility is a model of sustainable urban architecture and engineering; a three-story, 70,000 square foot building housing a new, state-of-the-art 150-barrel brewhouse, packaging lines, administrative offices, and hospitality rooms.

boulevard-brewingBoulevard Brewing Company has grown to be the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest, with full or partial distribution currently in 31 states and Washington DC. Since 1989 our brewery has remained dedicated to the craft of producing fresh, flavorful beers using traditional ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques. Our selection of fine ales and lagers include the Midwest’s best-selling craft beer, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer, our flagship Boulevard Pale Ale, and The Smokestack Series line of artisanal beers. We are proud to be Kansas City’s Beer.  www.boulevard.com

One of three Beer Dinners at this years Midwest Beerfest will feature an array of fine brews from Boulevard paired with a great multi-course meal in the private dinning room at YaYa’s.  Well tell you all about the beers, the menu and more.

Beerfest2015_logo_jpeg2015 Midwest Beerfest is right around the corner.  The Famous Beer Dinners are on October 2 and the Grand Tasting at Century-II is October 3…new time this year:  4-7:00 p.m.  So many new and innovative things to do and see.  Back again is the Midwest Wingfest with some great competitors.  The beers are once again organized by region and we’ve added the highly prized import section back this year.  New this year is the Food Truck Roundup…some great beer friendly food readily available.

You’ll be hearing more about the Beerfest in the next few weeks leading up to this FUN event!

In the second half I’ll be talking to Jon Cressler about The Wichita Wine Opener October 1st.

WHAT IS THE WINE OPENER / A TOAST TO WICHITA’S FINEST?

The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation honors a select group of men and women from cities or regions across the country that are committed to professional growth through a guided fundraising and awareness 8 week campaign. These honorees exemplify strong leadership qualities, are active in their community and excel in their personal and professional lives. The honorees will enjoy many benefits throughout the campaign, primarily the knowledge that they are helping to better the lives of children and adults living with cystic fibrosis.
The Finest campaign begins with a kick off reception where the nominees will be introduced to other nominees, mentors, staff and special guests. Throughout the campaign, Finest honorees will have the opportunity to network at various Foundation events. The Wine Opener will be held on October 1st with over 15 tasting and 20 wine tasting stations, many auction items secured by our candidates, along with great music. The campaign will culminate with the Finest finale celebration one week later where we will announce the Finest Title Winner at a private luncheon among their peers. This honors the honorees accomplishments as a CF Foundation ambassador.  Learn more, donate or purchase tickets here!

The Details:

WichitaDate: October 1, 2015

VIP Time: 6:00pm

Event Start Time: 7:00pm

End Time: 9:00pm

Location: Century II Exhibition Hall Balcony

Address: 225 W. Douglas,Wichita, KS

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week…is BEER
An array of fine brews from Boulevard 🙂

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Sep 5 – Many FUN events…Little Time!

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This program is going to be a hoot!

There are so many fun food and wine events going on this time of year and I’ll be sharing not only the what, where and when but giving you the background of the events and in most cases that charitable organizations the reap the benefit.

1st up is Doug Reed, Midwest regional manager for Riedel – the World Premier wine glass maker.  If you haven’t had the chance to attend one of the many comparative tastings lately you’ll want to jump on this.

Join All Things Barbecue in welcoming Riedel, for an entertaining and educational wine tasting experience.  Doug Reed will demonstrate how choosing the appropriate stemware can enhance your wine tasting and awaken your palate.  The shape of a glass impacts not only the visual perception of a wine, but its bouquet and flavor, as well – profoundly informing overall enjoyment. Reed will show how the same wine can taste and smell completely different when served in assorted glasses.  We will be tasting selected wines along with small bites prepared by Chef Tom Jackson in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, using Riedel’s new Veritas Wine Tasting Set (a $138.00 retail value) which guests will take home as a parting gift. The four glasses included in the set include the Oak Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir. For reservations and info

Then Dave Haglund stops by to talk about the Old Cowtown Wine Mosey.  Only at Cowtown could wine tasting and stagecoach rides make such a perfect combination. The Museum is hosting its 7th Annual Wine Mosey from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20. Tickets are $50 per person, and they can be purchased online, in person at Cowtown or by phone at (316) 303-8100. The event is sponsored by Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc., and it is a fundraiser for the Museum.

Attendees may visit wine stations located inside Cowtown Buildings to taste a varied assortment of red and white wines.  Western casual attire and comfortable shoes are recommended.  Dinner will be out doors where visitors will be surrounded by the sound of live engtertainment.  Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by The Double Tree by Hilton Airport with a barbecue dinner courtesy of Cargill and the Wagonmasters.  There will be gunfight re-enactments, stagecoach rides, a show by the Dixie Lee Saloon Girls and outdoor antique bowling.  Rounding out the entertainment will be a live auction with fabulous goods and services.

Then Dan Stockemer joins us to talk about a fun event taking place at his local Prairie Hill Vineyard!
Last but not least I’ll be talking to the winner of the Oldtown Farmer’s Market Annual Iron Chef Cookoff competition.  I’ll been judging Saturday morning at the market along with Denise Neal of the Wichta Eagle, Jason Fabres of Taste & See and my wife Beth from AIWF Wichita.  The competitors this year are returning champ Chef Ben George; Intrust Bank Arena, Chef Travis Russell; Public at the Brickyard, Chef Stephanie Hand; Whole Foods Market, and Chef Paul Freimuth; Hyatt Harvest Kitchen.

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Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2013 Andrew Murray Vineyards Syrah Tous les Jours

syrahThis vintage is remarkably dark and full-bodied, and yet it has such gentle tannins. It is truly a pleasure to drink, especially at the price. Lots of fruit and spices here… no need to wax poetic about this one as it tastes just plain yummy.
  • WE93
    Wine Enthusiast – “Perhaps one of the best wines for the money available right now, Andrew Murray delivers aromas of cherry, blackberry, lavender and a white pepper wow factor on the very inviting, florally driven nose. The wine looks silky in the glass, and flavors of black cherry, anise, violet and oregano are easily accessible to a wide variety of palate preferences. Editors’ Choice”
    Grab a bottle at Jacob Liquor, tell them you heard about from Good Life Guy
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