Ahhh a WHIRLWIND weekend followed by a WHIRLWIND week! As much as I LOVE being busy on the weekends, it sure makes them go by too quickly. Also true for the work week, but I am NOT complaining about that one 
What I had been most looking forward to over the weekend was the Wineries of Old Mission (WOMP!!) Paella in the Park.
Seven wineries and seven local chefs teamed up to pair local wines with seven unique spanish paellas. In case you have never had paella (GASP!!!), it is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck), land snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and sometimes beans.
So, for $36 a person, you got 3 paella samplings, 5 wine pours and music by Blues Traveler….yes, THAT Blues Traveler!
The event was held in the beautiful Clinch Park Marina open space, right on West Bay in Traverse City.
We got there right at 5- I couldn’t believe how long the line already was!
Once inside, we received our wine glasses with our tasting tickets, a plate & fork for the paellas (you only got ONE paper plate- if you dropped it/threw it away, they would not give you another…didn’t like this very much, as the paper plates got super soggy…) and you traded your wine corks for paella samples.
Our first stop was at Brys Estate Winery.
I had the Pinot Grigio, which was really great- citrusy, crisp and a slightly sweet finish. Brys was partnered with TraVino Wine and Grille, who had three different paella preparations available- a summer vegetable, chicken, and chicken seafood mixed.
We sampled the mixed. It was a good one to start off with. Mild, nice chunks of shrimp…the grilled chicken really stood out- smokey and tender. I LOVED the lemon squeeze and green onion garnish. It tied everything in with the wine. Yum. I was ready for MORE!
2 Lads was next for a palate cleansing glass of wine.
Pinot grigio for me. Pinots were at every winery! It was fun comparing different wines produced from the same grape grown in the same climate. Each wine was truly unique. 2 Lads was less citrusy than the Brys Estate vintage- more full with apple and pear notes, and a soft lingering finish.
Brys vs. 2 Lads: Winner 2 lads.
Next paella came from The Cooks House. I knew this was going to be good after my last run in with their food, but I had no idea just HOW GOOD it would be.
Holy YUM!! The rice was perfect- slightly chewy, not clumpy. Seasoned exceptionally, with chunks of juicy pulled pork running throughout. I literally wanted to lick my plate clean after this one. Ahhhhh. Eating at The Cooks House is now #1 on my MUST DO list.
As much as I wanted to keep going back for more from there, I knew I had to be objective and press on 
The curious foodie in me likes to try a little bit of everything, what can I say!
The Mission Table & Peninsula Cellars.
Well you know this one had my heart right away with the gigantic bottle of sriracha out!! This was a FANTASTIC veggie paella- huge fresh shelled peas, corn, squash, spinach. Creamy, spicy from the sriracha, not mushy at all. The veggies were nice and crisp. Second favorite thus far.
At Peninsula Cellars, I had a….shocker…pinot grigio!! Super light, tart, floral, with a sweet citrus finish. Showdown 2 Lads vs Peninsula Cellars: Winner Peninsula. I could sip this baby all night!
Bowers Harbor Vineyard & The Boathouse
Seafood mixed paella & ……..don’t make me say it………Pinot Grigio! I guess I was just on a roll!
The paella was good…not great..but good. The seafood was cooked well, but the rice was mushy and soggy. Probably the most pronounced saffron flavors of all the paellas we sampled. This pinot grigio was unlike the others I had tried- tropical fruit flavors, not as soft as the others. More tart!
Peninsula Cellars still wins.
Are you getting tired of seeing food & wine yet? No? Great!
Chateau Chantal & Hanna Bistro
Umm…..UGH!!!! The worst of the evening. Mushy mushy rice, tasted like DIRT, none of the clams or mussels even opened. We took 2 bites each and ditched it. Very sad to end on this note.
The wine, however, was just fine. I had the Celebrate- a sparkling rose. Sort of sweet, soft fizziness, perfect to sip on for the Blues Traveler concert.
They were pretty good! After a while, each song all started to sound alike…some singing, a long break in the middle where the guitarists jammed and John Popper chain smoked cigarettes ON STAGE (not cool!), then he would wail on his harmonica, and maybe sing again. Not particularly my type of music….but I will say they sounded good and he has a really awesome voice (especially considering how much he smoked!).
Overall, I thought it was a fun idea for an event. I think they WAY oversold the venue- we waited upwards of 30 minutes for a 2 oz wine pour!!! Ridiculous! But the location was beautiful, the wine was great, some of the food was amazing, and how could you leave anything but ecstatic with a view like this?
