The Quintessentials: Issue 6

WINE TASTING 101

Wine is one of life’s purest pleasures and should not be reserved exclusively for collectors and connoisseurs. So our culinary team is sharing eight simple tips to help even the most casual sippers relax and enjoy their wine tasting experience.

1. Right From The Start
Refrain from eating any spicy dishes or other robust flavors prior to and during your tasting. They could affect how you experience the wines being served.

2. Take Your Sweet Time
If you’re entirely new to the world of wine, it’s best to start by sampling light-bodied whites or rosés before ramping up to reds, which are heavier and bolder. You should also begin with varietals on the drier end of the scale (think: Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon) before moving on to sweeter wines (such as Moscato and Port). The reason? Sweetness tends to overpower other tastes.

3. Chill Out
Although stemless glasses have become a popular trend, holding a glass by its “bowl” actually warms the wine, altering your perception. Trust the experts to serve your tastings in proper stemmed glassware that has been designed to enhance your enjoyment of the particular varietal you’re sipping. (And be sure to only handle your glass by its stem!)

4. Color Your World

You will engage more than your sense of taste. This experience is also a feast for your eyes. Tilt your glass against a white backdrop and note the wine’s particular hue. You’ll be amazed by just how many shades of red you can observe across different varietals.

5. Swirl & Sniff

Next, bring in your sense of smell. Begin by swirling your glass to release the wine’s bouquet. Then, simply breathe it in. As you become more adept at this skill, you may be able to identify the aromas of specific fruits, florals or spices.

6. Sip & Savor

You don’t want to mindlessly consume your wine. Take a first sip and move the wine throughout your mouth. Then repeat the process but ensure the wine coats your palate and tantalizes your taste buds for at least three seconds before swallowing. You should be guided through what qualities to explore in these sips – including sweetness, tannins, acidity and how long the flavor lingers.

7. Jot It Down

Whether in a notebook or on a phone app, make sure you log the details (including the year) of the wines you loved from your tasting. We all think we’ll remember, but we don’t!

8. Have Fun

Remember, this is a tasting – not a testing. Everyone has different preferences and perspectives, and they’re all valid. The important thing is to immerse yourself in the experience and simply enjoy. Cheers!

Ready to put these tips to work? Lansdowne Resort is hosting a wine dinner on April 25, 2024 featuring estate-grown varietals from Elk Cove Vineyards expertly paired with five exquisitely prepared courses from our talented culinary team.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GOLFERS

Each summer, the Lansdowne Golf Academy hosts our popular Swing & Serve Camp. This is a golden opportunity for your mini-me (ages 7 – 12) to learn the essentials of golf – the short game, full swing and putting. This four-day program (with an option for a fifth day) also includes daily games, contests, tennis, swimming, fun and fitness too. Let’s look at a day in the life of a camper!

8:45 – 9:00 AM: Drop-off/Check-in

9:15 – 11:00 AM: Golf instruction: Can include a visit to the 9-hole Sharkbite Course

11:15 – 11:45 AM: Lunch at Piedmont’s

12:00 – 1:45 PM: Tennis time: The emphasis here is on fun, fundamentals and fitness

2:00 – 3:40 PM: Swimming: Campers can take a plunge in the resort’s outdoor pool complex

3:40 – 4:00 PM: Pickup

That leaves the grown-ups all day to enjoy the resort at their own pace before regrouping with their junior player to hear about their camp capers over dinner. This season’s Swing & Serve sessions will be held between June 17 through August 15, 2024. Explore more details and register your camper here.

BEST FACE FORWARD

A glowing complexion helps instill unshakable self-confidence, a big step toward putting your best face forward. So we’re going more than skin-deep to share how Hydrafacial treatments outperform traditional facials to deliver superior skincare benefits.

Triple Threat

Every Hydrafacial utilizes a specialized device that consistently provides exceptional exfoliation, deep cleansing and matchless extraction. This triple threat allows for improved absorption of the treatment’s healing serums.

Prettily Plumped

With “hydra” in the name, it’s no surprise these treatments are refreshingly hydrating. Count on Hydrafacial’s skin-reviving serums containing hyaluronic acid, antioxidants and peptides to deliver hyper-targeted hydration.

Personalized Pampering

Your aesthetician will customize your Hydrafacial to address your specific skincare concerns. So, if you plan a spa day with your friends, you could both pamper yourselves with Hydrafacials that achieve your individual beauty goals – from reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to minimizing pores to creating a more even skin tone.

Comfort & Care

While traditional facials sometimes leave your complexion red and irritated, Hydrafacials take a gentler, more soothing approach to skincare. You walk out of the spa ready to take on the world after a single treatment session.

Ready to put your best face forward? Explore the complete collection of Hydrafacials at Spa Minérale and reserve your preferred treatment. Better yet, transform this 50 to 80-minute self-care session into an immersive spa getaway when you book one of our exclusive stay packages.

COOK LIKE CHRIS: POTATO GNOCCHI

Inspired by spring travel to Italy, Chef Chris Ferrier is whipping up this hearty international dish in his kitchen at home. He promises the prep is quick and the cooking is easy – just like pasta in well-seasoned boiling water. But he also warns, “This recipe serves about eight or, if you’re like my family, just three.”

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, not peeled, cleaned
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting and to prevent sticking
• 3 large egg yolks

For Serving

• Sauce of your choice (I like to sauté in brown butter with sage)
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano for grating on the finished dish

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a deep pot with cold water. Make sure water is completely covering the potatoes and they are not crowded.  Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Partially cover pot and boil until the potatoes are fully tender, about 25-30 minutes. (Prepare your preferred sauce while the potatoes are cooking.)
2. Drain and peel: Drain in a colander set in the sink. Release the steam and moisture in the potatoes by slicing into them with a paring knife. Let rest until cool enough to handle (but not cold) – about 15 minutes.
3. Rice the potatoes: Sprinkle a small amount of the flour onto a clean work surface. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Pass them through a potato ricer or food mill, onto the flour-dusted surface. Make a well in the center of the riced potatoes. Let the potatoes cool until they are just slightly warm.
4. Incorporate the yolk and flour: Sprinkle the one scant cup of flour around the perimeter of the potatoes. Slide the egg yolk into the well; then add the salt. Using a fork, beat the egg and begin to incorporate the potatoes. Keep mixing with a light hand, eventually incorporating some of the flour around the perimeter. Switch to a dough scraper and begin cutting the flour into the potatoes until you have a crumbly mass.
5. Rest: Switch to your hands and very lightly press and pat the mixture into a soft ball. It should feel soft and pliant, slightly tacky and “shaggy” or rough rather than smooth. If the dough is very soft and sticky, incorporate another tablespoon or two of flour. Do not overwork the dough or add too much flour. Cover the dough with a bowl or clean towel and let it rest for a few minutes – no more than 10. Scrape away any stuck bits from the work surface.
6. Separate: Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel and dust with semolina or all-purpose flour. Have a gnocchi board or a fork at the ready. Sprinkle a little flour onto your work surface and have a bowl with more flour nearby. Slice off a piece of dough about the size of a tangerine (about ¼ of the dough). ** A gnocchi board is not necessarily needed, so the tines of a fork work just fine.  The ridges in traditional gnocchi help sauces adhere to the potato.    
7. Roll out: Dust your hands with flour and, using your palms, roll out the dough into a rope about the thickness of your finger (¾-inch). Roll the other three pieces of dough into ropes. Lightly flour the ropes and use a knife or the dough scraper to cut them into ¾-inch nuggets. Roll the nuggets, one at a time, down the gnocchi board or the tines of the fork. Use your thumb to propel them downward. This creates ridges on one side of the nugget and a groove on the other. As you shape them, transfer your gnocchi to the baking sheet without allowing them to touch. Flour your workspace and your fingers as needed to prevent the gnocchi from sticking. Continue until you have cut and shaped all the gnocchi.
8. Another rest: Let the gnocchi air dry for 30 minutes. While they are resting, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season with salt. Have your sauce heated and ready before you cook the gnocchi.
9. Cook: In a large pot with plenty of salted boiling water, carefully drop in the gnocchi. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Within 30 to 45 seconds, the gnocchi will begin to float to the surface. Taste one; it should be light and tender but cooked throughout, with no raw flour taste. Using a large skimmer, transfer the gnocchi to the serving bowl and gently toss with the sauce of your choice. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi, adding them to the bowl and tossing with more sauce as necessary.
10. Serve: Divide the gnocchi among your serving bowls. Spoon more sauce on top and season with freshly grated cheese if using. Enjoy!

SUMMER LOVING

Some of our favorite three-day weekends are on the horizon! Starting with Memorial Day – summer’s unofficial kickoff. And who can resist the ooh-aah of a festive fireworks display for the Fourth of July? Quintessential Tip: Our holiday celebrations have become a tradition for many, so watch our website for announcements and make your room reservations as early as possible.