I cannot believe today was our last day of the wine tour. It was an outstanding day and couldn't have ended the trip any better. This morning we woke up early and headed to Bouchon Bakery which is owned by Thomas Keller. He also owns and operates The French Laundry if you are familiar with that. We enjoy fresh croissants and freshly brewed coffee. Chef Matthew showed us around their tiny property and also gave us a kitchen tour of The French Laundry. Also while we were in Yountville, we were able to tour The French Laundry's garden. Yes, this restaurant is so prestige it needs it's own garden. This garden was massive and everything is grown organic. They make a list of availability of items the night before and the chef changes the menu daily based on the availability of items. In the morning, the gardener harvests the crops and walks across the street for the kitchen to beginning cooking for 70 tables.
After our visit at the fabulous bakery, we headed to Domaine Carneros. This winery is owned by Tattinger in France. Tattinger (as most of you know) is a famous champagne company. One cool thing I learned this week is that the only difference between champagne and sparkling wine is the name. The only reason it is called sparkling wine is because of the treaty in the 1930's that prohibited the US from naming their sparkling wine champagne. This wine was unlike anything we had had all week because it was sparkling. Everything we've enjoyed has been stilled. The interesting thing about sparkling wine is that the fermentation process happens within the bottle to build carbon dioxide. The bottles are stored sideways and the cage they are located in shakes once every three to four hours and then turns the cage upside down.
After Domaine Carneros, we were finally able to relax and enjoy an all american lunch. We had lunch at a place called Gatto's Roadside. This place is famous for the hamburgers and milkshakes. I did not get a milkshake but their hamburger was absolutely delicious. And of course I got a side order of french fries and man were they delicious. They also offered garlic fries and after I got my lunch figured I probably should have ordered those for my Mom's sake. This meal could not have come at a better time in this trip because I was craving some usual (typical) food.
Leaving the fabulous burger joint, we headed over to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Today was graduation and instead of graduation caps, they throw their chef's hat. Pretty cute. Their gift shop was amazing and we learned about classes they have that specialize just in Beverages and Wine. These classes are very serious but help with catapulting your career to the next level.
From 3:00pm to 9:40pm, we spent our last night at Trinchero. This family and estate were so welcoming and taught us all soo much. We learned how to pair food and wine and how to smell different aromas. We enjoyed a short reception and then chowed down on the delicious dinner. After dinner, every student stood up and said what the trip meant to them and thanked all the people involved. I honestly didn't think I would become emotional but man it was a tear jerker.
This trip has seriously changed me more than anyone will every know. I have this opportunistic look on life. I honestly feel my horizon has been expanded and I can see that there is so much this world has to offer. There is no point in doing anything in life if you do not have a passion for it. Without the passion and education you have nothing to fulfill your life. Living life to the fullest is definitely my mentality now. There is no reason to be miserable in something that you easily have control over. I'm taking away from this trip so many valuable lessons and one of them is the importance of giving back. We talked a lot about this tonight at dinner but I can only hope I'll be well enough off that I am able to donate to this program and give students the exact same opportunity these donors gave us.
So blessed,
Kayla
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