Bentley’s Grill Wine Steward Mark Jacklich is continuing his studies with the Court of Master Sommeliers through 2012. In addition, he plans to spend a lot of time working with Jim Bernau’s team at Willamette Valley Vineyardsand learn more about the process from grapes to wine full circle. Mark is eager to share his knowledge with you in an educational series we call: Wine Notes with Mark. Enjoy!
Letting wine breathe, decant, or aerate is simply allowing your wine to be exposed to the surrounding air. By allowing wine to mix and mingle with the air, the wine will “open up” and the wine’s aroma will be more present. The flavor profile will soften and mellow, and the overall flavor characteristics should improve.
Red wines benefit more than whites from this however there are a few whites that can evolve when allowed to open up (mainly Chardonnay). As a good rule of thumb, most wines need a good 15 minutes to let them show their character. With a young wine that has a high level of tannins such as Cabernet and Merlot, it could be upwards of 30-45 before it starts giving you it’s best.
A lot of times in the restaurant an experienced patron will order a white wine as a starter and a big bodied Cabernet at the same time. While the guests are enjoying the light, refreshing starter, the other will be opened, decanted, and ready by the time dinner is served. Some believe that simply pulling the cork on a bottle is enough, but with the limited amount of wine-surface to air, a decanter can be your best friend.
A decanters main purpose is to allow a wine to have more contact with air. It’s other purpose is reducing the amounts of sediment that make it into a glass by usually having a long tapered neck that leaves the sediment in the decanter.
If you’re at home, a juice pitcher will work just as well. There are small “use as you go” decanting tools such as a decanting pour spout or a table top decanter that you pour the wine through and into the glass.
These achieve similar effects by allowing the wine to swirl and breathe before even hitting the glass. There is a type of glass on the market now that has an aerator directly in the middle of the glass that you pour your wine into and (if you have good aim) will get your wine opened nicely.
Ahhh..Mother’s Day. A day we set aside to honor the special women who enrich our lives in every way! Fortunately for us, there is no shortage of ways to treat Mom or that special lady in your life this Mother’s Day.
We hope you will join us for an elegant Mother’s Day dinner in a relaxing atmosphere featuring dinner specials prepared by Chef Derek Ridgway from 3pm-9pm on Sunday May 13, 2012.
Dinner selections include choice steaks, pastas, fresh seafood and more.
Here are some more ideas to treat Mom on Mother’s Day from some of our favorite local places:
Schreiner’s Iris Gardens: Free Bouquet of Iris for Mother’s Day Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 9:00am – 6:00pm. Bring your mother to Schreiner’s Iris Gardens on Mother’s Day. All mothers will receive a FREE cut stem of Iris. Free admission. www.schreinersgardens.com
Annual Historic Deepwood Estate Mother’s Day Tea Sunday May 13, 2012. Two seatings offered: 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. This event fills quickly, so make your reservations today! $30.00 per person Reservations required. 503-363-1825
Mother’s Day Birding and Wildflower Festival at Silver Falls State Park May 12-13, 2012 www.oregonstateparks.org
Mother’s Day at the Bush House Museum Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 1:30pm – 4:00pm. Enjoy a relaxing Mother’s Day afternoon with your Mom in Bush’s Pasture Park! Light refreshments will be served and Moms will receive a free Bush House Museum tour ticket with another paid admission. www.salemart.org
Adelman Peony Gardens- Bring Mom to enjoy the peony fields and garden and we will give her a free gift! May 12th & 13th www.peonyparadise.com
Mother’s Day in the Country French Prairie Gardens Saturday, May 12, 2012 – 10:00am – Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 5:00pm. Free admission. www.fpgardens.com
Mother’s Day Brunch at Willamette Valley Vineyards Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 10:00am – 2:00pm. www.wvv.com
Mother’s Day Sunday Brunch at Eola Hills Wine Cellars Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 9:30am – 2:00pm www.EolaHillsWinery.com
A group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.
Everyone is invited! Here is a quick lesson on the Macarena! See you later today! Oh, and please, pass it on- invite your friends. The more people we have, the better! It will be your good deed for the day (think about how many people you will bring a smile to). Any questions email soraida@bentleysgrill.com
What an exciting week! We have been practicing hard for our Flash Mob Macarena coming up Wednesday (May 2) at 5pm in Salem Conference Center Courtyard; AND- the results of the Statesman Journal 2012 Best of the Mid-Valley poll are in! More than 613,000 votes were tallied in the three-week balloting period and the results are……..
Best Creative cocktails (3rd Year in a Row) Bentley’s Grill
Best Appetizers Bentley’s Grill
Best Business Lunch Bentley’s Grill
Best Romantic Dinner Bentley’s Grill (Silver)
Best Happy Hour Bentley’s Grill (Bronze)
Best Hotel The Grand Hotel
Thank you thank you thank you for stepping up and voting for us again! Congrats to all of the local businesses and individuals who took top honors in their categories!
This event is a big deal for us because our very own Soraida Cross and Kayla Stauch will team up to compete in the first ever “Battle of the Bartenders” to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion & Polk Counties.
“The Boys and Girls Club is local and near and dear to my heart,” says Bentley’s Grill Head Bartender & Manager Soraida Cross. “I am really excited to see so many local bartenders coming together to support a great organization.”
10+ local bartenders (including Soraida & Kayla) will be facing off in a popularity contest to see who can collect the most tickets from Cinco de Micro guests. The prize package includes bragging rights, a night’s stay in Portland with a $100 gift card, and a Battle of the Bartenders trophy!
So come support our Salem Block team (and benefit an outstanding organization). Party goers will also enjoy local and northwest brews, food from local eateries (including catering services at Salem Conference Center) and vineyards and musical entertainment. For non-beer drinkers and designated drivers, Dutch Bros. will be serving up your favorite coffee beverages.
When: Saturday, May 5th, 2012 from 2pm until 10pm Where: Salem Conference Center Tickets: $10 -includes 2 tastes and a mug. VIP Entrance tickets are $25 and includes 4 tastes, a mug and exclusive access to VIP tent and VIP lines. Designated Driver Entrance Tickets is $5
Every once in a while you get a bottle of wine that just isn’t up to par, be it a bottle you haven’t tried before or one that you drink regularly. If it is one that you are familiar with, then the flaw might be easier to put your finger on. With that being said there are several ways a wine can go bad.
1) If the bottle employs a natural cork it is very possible for the cork to be the culprit. Bad cork often leads to oxidation and a wet card board smell or as I say, “it smells like how metal tastes”.
2) Another indicator would be a sense of bubbles or effervescence on the tongue. With young whites this is often left over CO2 from the initial fermentation, usually done intentionally and most times refreshing. However, with red wines this is a winemakers mistake and a sign of a secondary fermentation that has taken place in the bottle.
3) Your best bet for “sniffing” out a bad wine is with no surprise, your nose. To nose for any spoilage, you will be looking out for odd odors such as rotten eggs or garlic (Hydrogen Sulfide), band aid, barnyard or horse stable (Brettanomyces), moldy or musty (cork taint), nail polish or vinegar (high volatile acidity). Most of these are a result of poor wine-making techniques or barrel storage conditions.
With the serving of wine so steeped in tradition and habit, the days of determining a bad wine by its cork have somewhat gone. Back before fancy labeling all wineries had was their cork to brand their wine, thus signifying the standard that they had established. Nowadays with synthetic corks and screw-caps it is difficult to deem a wine bad by simply sniffing the cork. However when you are served a glass your first line of defense is your nose. If one of the above indicators is present I recommend not subjecting your taste-buds and palate to the same abuse your nose just took!
It’s that time of year again! The Statesman Journal is asking readers to vote for their favorite people, businesses and things to do in Marion and Polk counties in their annual Best of the Mid-Valley Poll .
Last year more than 819,000 votes were tallied in the 2011 Statesman Journal Best of the Mid-Valley Polland The Grand Hotel in Salem was voted “Best Hotel ” while Bentley’s Grill won first place in “Best Creative Cocktails” and “Best Business Lunch” for the second year in a row.
Bentley’s Grill Wine Steward Mark Jacklich is continuing his studies with the Court of Master Sommeliers through 2012. In addition, he plans to spend a lot of time working with Jim Bernau’s team at Willamette Valley Vineyardsand learn more about the process from grapes to wine full circle. Mark is eager to share his knowledge with you in an educational series we call: Wine Notes with Mark. Enjoy!
Poppin Bottles is a slang term that relates to the act of taking Champagne bottles, shaking them up, popping them violently and shooting the cork across the room. This is accompanied by a fountain of foam and the danger of a cork traveling around 50mph. While this can look “fun”, this is not the ideal way to open a champagne bottle. Shaking the bottle causes excessive bubbles, leaving the wine flat. Also, you can lose anywhere from 1/4 to more than 1/2 of the bottle in the foam that shoots out.
There is also a technique called Sabering where you take a large blade and run it up the side of the bottle with force to the lip of the bottle. With the pressure built up in the bottle and the force of the blade to the neck, this creates a grand display with the bottle being decapitated and a portion of champagne spilling out.
To properly open a bottle of champagne,
Remove the foil and place your hand over the cage
Twist the cage free and loosen it around the neck
While still in control of the cage, slowly twist the bottle and pull out the cork (the pressure in bottle will start to help you about half-way through)
When it feels as if the cork is ready to shoot, apply pressure back towards the bottle until a small hissing sound is heard.
Though this technique is not as “celebratory”, it sure is safer. It also maintains the appropriate carbonation in the wine and prevents the loss of your precious liquid! Some choose to pull out the cork just fast enough to make a bit of a pop noise but without causing excessive foaming and loss of wine. The choice is yours, but if serving it in an elegant way is your goal, then go slow!
Don’t miss our lively celebration of all things Irish next Saturday March 17, 2012 featuring Chef Derek’s Irish inspired Lunch and Dinner Menus and a very special appearance by the Salem Fire Fighter Pipes and Drums from 7-7:15 and again from 7:45-8pm. Make your dinner reservations accordingly! If you have not made your reservations, be sure to call 503-779-1660 or book online
Here is a sneak preview of our 2012 St. Patty’s Day menu!
St. Patty’s Day 2012 Menu
Beag Platai
Shrimp Galway Served in a cast iron skillet with Irish whiskey shallot butter
Guinness Wings Crispy Chicken Wings tossed in Guinness Stout Sauce
Suipear Beili
Corned Beef and Cabbage A traditional dish of slowly cooked beef and tender braised cabbage, served with roasted potatoes, peas and carrots, stone ground mustard and soda bread
Guinness Braised Short Ribs Boneless ribs braised in Guinness and rich beef stock served over mashed potatoes with peas and carrots
Irish Stew Bentley’s version of the Irish classic, tender lamb, beef, carrots, onions and potatoes served in
a large bowl with soda bread
Green Goddess Shrimp Salad Crisp romaine, cucumber, tomato, artichoke hearts, large shrimp and avocado with green goddess dressing
Pork “Griscin” Tender Braised pork shank with Breaburn apple sauce, red cabbage with apple smoked
bacon and mashed potatoes
Bentley’s recommends a shot of Irish whisky and Guinness Stout with all of our Irish Selections-Slainte!
It’s that time of the year! Make your reservations today for the annual Bentley’s Grill Easter Sunday Brunch Buffet on April 8, 2012 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. It is a Salem tradition! From traditional breakfast dishes to luncheon entrees, Chef Derek Ridgway and his staff have prepared a buffet sure to please the senses:
The Breakfast Side
This section of our buffet will feature Mini Muffins, Danish Pastries, Cinnamon rolls and Fresh Fruit along with Tillamook Cheddar Scrambled Eggs, Crisp Bacon, Sausage Links, Eggs Benedict, Bentley’s Breakfast Potatoes and a Belgian Waffle Bar with a variety of toppings
The Lunch Side
This section of our buffet starts with a Willamette Valley Salad Bar with Field Greens and an assortment of condiments and dressings, Farfalle Pasta salad, Asian Broccoli salad, Northwest Waldorf salad, all served with a variety of fresh rolls. Our entrées will include Fresh Grilled Salmon, Chicken Florentine, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Mixed Spring Vegetables and…..
From The Carving Station
Honey Roasted Ham with Applejack sauce and Roasted New York Sirloin with Mushroom Demi-glace and Sauce Bearnaise,
The Grand Finale
No Easter Brunch Buffet would be complete with out a wide selection of desserts, and we will not fail you here! An array of freshly baked Cakes, Cheesecakes, Cookies, Brownies, Bars and much more complete a fantastic Brunch Buffet!
Reservations recommended. Call 503-779-1660. Adults $31.95 Seniors $27.95 Kids (10 years and under) $12.95
What an exciting week! We have been practicing hard for our Flash Mob Macarena coming up Wednesday (May 2) at 5pm in Salem Conference Center Courtyard; AND- the results of the 
Bentley’s Grill 
It’s that time of the year! Make your reservations today for the annual Bentley’s Grill Easter Sunday Brunch Buffet on April 8, 2012 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. It is a Salem tradition! From traditional breakfast dishes to luncheon entrees, 
