Savannah Bee Event!

Cheese Anyone?

Through my passion for wines and my obsession to offer the finest in our area, a new love emerged...CHEESE.  Admittedly, it was a natural progression and has proving to be satisfying beyond my wildest dreams.

It is so much fun to expose our guests to cheese and encourage them to taste the differences, understand that like wine, it reflects the terroir.

Am I getting off the chain here?  Can't help it.  I just completed my second cheese class at the Institut du Fromage and it has me on fire.  I want to taste and talk cheese nonstop.

The Institut is a two day intensive of tasting, grading, smelling, touching and talking cheese with the actual cheese makers, chemists, president of the American Cheese Society and other mongers around the country. 

Thankfully, there is plenty more for me to study, taste and learn but for now I look forward to sharing what I know with you,


Let's taste some cheese!


Salut!

ITALIAN ELEGANCE

Look up Italian in the dictionary and it must say "style and romance".  Our hand forged iron pieces molded around marble and glass continue to fly out the door.  It is just hard not to notice or need pieces that lend so much to your entertaining as well as your living space.  It speaks volumes about you and your family... and guests notice.  Whether it is the three bowl "twig" or the revolving wine bottle holder (nine bottles) they all work, and they all WOW!     Ciao!

ROXIE WATSON RETURNS

SAVE THE DATE!   MARK YOUR CALENDARS!   CALL FOR TIX

Back by popular demand with a slew of new tunes as well as all the ones you already know and love...
Roxie Watson will be performing April 23rd , 7:30 PM at the Blue Ridge Community Theater!
The poster says it all, but any questions....call Out of the Blue!  706-258-2750
This show will sell out almost instantly and it is the first in what we hope will be a series!  Tweet That!

Honey...It's good!

Things move sort of slow after the holidays in Blue Ridge so Linda and I, along with our three cats headed for Lake Mystic...my family's vacation get away for nearly 70 years.  Nothing to do there but canoe, walk, rollerblade, read and eat!  Oh yes--and sleep...the cats insisted we sleep!

J.M. Duggar--Bee Keeper

While we were there, we paid a visit to an old neighbor across the Lake who happens to produce Linda's favorite honey on the planet.  Only producing Tupelo honey, which he calls "tupela"...Mr. Duggar has it down to an art...after 50+ years of bee keeping.  So you see where my story is going...We now carry "tupela" honey from Mr. Duggar at Out of the Blue.  Delicious and nutrious, we sampled it last Saturday on some fresh chevre with roasted Georgia Pecans.

Stop in--this is too sweet to miss!

Autumn at Out of the Blue

The air is crisp, the sky so blue
What's a gourmet fan to do?

Buy Wine!

Sarah's wine picks for fall 2010

Starting from the left:

Buccella Merlot 2007 Napa: There are only 330 six-bottle cases of this fruit-forward merlot, dominated by cherries, figs, plums and mocha, in the world. Buccella has a rich palette; concentrated and dense with huge mouth-coating fruit. "This merlot drinks like a cab. It is perhaps the best merlot in all of California." -Sarah Auman

Merry Edwards 2007 Pinot Noir: "Beautiful bright raspberry flavors with hints of cedar swirl on the palate coursing over nice smooth, faint tannins that are balanced with excellent acidity." -Snooth.com

PreVail West Face 2005: The grapes for West Face are hand-harvested, and upon entering the winery, hand-sorted and then gravity fed directly into oak tanks for seven days of cold soaking. After primary fermentation, the wine is gravity fed to barrel for malolactic fermentation and aged in the wine caves for 22 months, with an additional 14 months aging in bottle prior to release. - the Winemaker's notes  

Suggested food pairings: West Face pairs well with braised, roasted or barbequed meats such as chicken, red meat, fish lamb or pork. Pastas, stews or well-aged medium and strong-flavored cheeses such as Tellagio also pair nicely.

Hallek Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir:Much tighter than the flamboyant 2005 Farm bottling, this one should prove bigger as well, and for the time being its aromas of floral-accented strawberry, dry rose and dried orange peel lag slightly behind its 
rich vanilla, smoke and earth notes. It is round, rich and firmly structured on the palate, showing polish and style, but plenty of tannin and strength as well. The finish is long and dense, with emerging cherry, boysenberry, vanilla and earth notes. This 
is a very fine and obviously ageworthy bottling, but it may take a year or two to become as forthcoming as last years version. - Don Gillette at Napa Valley Wine Exchange




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Dress Up Your Home with Autumn Colors

The store is overflowing with new offerings to help you celebrate fall in style. New French linens from Couleur Nature charm in 90" circles of Burnt Orange, Kiwi, Rouge and Dijon. Hemp-stitched edging adds an elegant touch as well as the companion 22" square napkins.

Start a conversation at dinner with Revol Collection "Froisses"

Hey! Who smashed my cup?

These are the hippest new kids on the block. The crumpled and stackable tumblers in Revol's Froisses Collection are designed for hot beverages, appetizers, tapas, French fries and desserts. Revol porcelain is the cream of the crop of culinary-grade porcelain, containing neither cadmium nor lead. It is fired at an ultra-high temperature (2408 F), making it nonporous and 100 percent hygienic. Revol porcelain will not absorb fats, odors or bacteria. The exceptionally hard material of Revol porcelain is resistant to chipping and thermal shock. The fine art of Revol porcelain is also a science, perfected and practiced as a family-run company in Saint-Uze, France since 1789. Playful, contemporary Froisses porcelain is oven, freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Imported from France.

August Wine Tasting

Did you miss the Wine Tasting last month during the Blue Ridge Downtown Block Party? Not to worry, here's a SHORT video that's *almost* as good as the real thing.