Satisfy your senses at Domaine Chandon with amazing food and wine!

Although I have been to Domaine Chandon in Yountville quite a few times, this past Sunday was my first experience at étoile, the restaurant on the property. Seated with a unique group of authors, journalists, and wine industry folks, the lunch began with a bottle of Domaine Chandon 40^th Anniversary Cuvée Rosé ($40/bottle). This pretty pink sparkler has ripe strawberry and rose petal notes with bright acidity. It was enjoyed with lively conversation as the six of us got to know one another.

On pearl plates with a matching incandescent spoon, caviar was soon served and accompanied by fluffy blini and crème fraiche. The presentation was absolutely exquisite; the saltiness of the caviar paired impeccably with the slight sweetness of the sparkling wine.

For my main course, I enjoyed the artfully prepared arctic char, which was cooked to perfection and served over colorful beets and slivers of blood orange. This amazing dish was delicious with the bubbly!

The luncheon preceded my very first book event of 2014. Along with Lisa Mattson, author of The Exes in my iPod: A Playlist of the Men that Rocked me to Wine Country and Marketing & PR Manager at Jordan Winery; and Emily Brown, author of Stories of the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath; I participated in a book chat led by Ian White of 7x7 Magazine.

With the exception of Ian, Howard Yune of the Napa Valley Register, and Emily Brown’s boyfriend, it was an all-female crowd. This came as no surprise; all three of the featured books are women’s fiction. Somehow, Lisa convinced Ian to read them and moderate the Q&A. Regardless of the genre, Ian enjoyed reading my novel and left a 5-star review on Amazon!

Coverage of the event was featured in the Napa Valley Register, which is the first time my book has been mentioned in print (yay!!). Read Howard Yune’s article here: bit.ly/1aO4zpx

After the book signing portion of the event, I wandered into the tasting room for a sampling of more sparkling wines. (I am partial to the Etoile Brut and Etoile Brut Rosé sparklers, which are always lovely). Between the beautiful lunch, an enthusiastic attendance at my event, and the delightful wines, this was an incredible visit that has left a lasting impression on me.

The next time you’re in Napa Valley, I strongly recommend that you plan to spend a couple hours dining, drinking, and taking in the views at Domaine Chandon; it will satisfy all of your senses!

Upcoming Book Signing and Wine Tasting event at Domaine Chandon Feb. 9th

Get in the Valentine’s Day spirit with a book chat and wine tasting at one of Napa Valley's best sparkling wine producers! I am so excited to host this event with two other Wine Country female authors. The event is from 2-4 PM on Sunday, February 9th. Please RSVP on EventBrite or Facebook. Copies of our books will be available for purchase and signing. Hope to see you there!

In addition to myself, the following two authors will be attending: Sonoma’s Lisa Mattson, author of The Exes in My iPod: A Playlist of the Men Who Rocked Me to Wine Country; and Napa’s Emily Brown, author of Stories from the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath. This event will feature a lively Q&A discussion about a range of juicy topics led by Ian White, Wine Country Director of 7x7 magazine and Creative Director of Napa Valley Life’s “INK,” followed by a book signing and wine tasting.

In case this is the first you're hearing about my novel, here's what it's about: 

During a weekend of wine tasting in Napa Valley, Olivia Goldstein falls in love with the beautiful landscape, the amazing wines, the friendly locals, and one particularly attractive male tour guide. For shy and introverted Olivia who never takes chances, this wonderful weekend is enough for her to make the most spontaneous and terrifying decision of her life. She puts her lackluster job in Los Angeles on hold and enrolls in a wine education program in Wine Country. But she spends the summer learning about more than just the wine industry. As soon as Olivia arrives, she meets three wine-savvy young women who encourage her to step out of her comfort zone. As she dabbles in the Napa dating pool, her awkward and often hilarious experiences teach her to appreciate her newly acquired confidence and her supportive friends. With their help, Olivia pursues a new career path and finally discovers her dream job. This is the first novel in The Wine Country Series and it is about following your passion, learning to trust your intuition, and working your way towards happiness. http://www.authorcortney.com/novel/

Buy it on Amazon ($3.99): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FBWUJU8

Buy it on iTunes ($3.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/where-i-want-to-be/id790472568

Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorCortney 

Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorCortney

About The Exes in My iPod: When Harley Aberle got her first iPod, she created the kind of playlist every girl wants to keep on solitary lockdown. She called it The Exes—a collection of long-lost songs that instantly steamrolled her down a memory lane of men wider than a six-lane freeway. The Exes in My iPod: A Playlist of the Men Who Rocked Me to Wine Country is a no-holds-barred account of Harley’s quest to win the hearts of a motley crew of men during her twenties—that golden decade of poor judgment where college, career, alcohol and romance run a crash course. With a musical time capsule of “lucky 13” songs, Harley takes you on a rockin’ journey through laugh-out-loud heartaches and headaches, as this redneck waitress from a long line of alcoholics searches for true love and her calling in life—finding both in California wine country. Grab some earbuds, pour a glass of wine and kick back with an amusing e-book that will inspire you to create your own Exes playlist and discover the hidden beauty of all that baggage. http://exesinmyipod.com/eBooks on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Kobo ($3.99): http://exesinmyipod.com/purchase/Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/exesinmyipodFollow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lisamattsonwine

About Stories from the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath: Emily Brown was a single woman in her mid-30s living in the Midwest when a Dark Prince found her online dating profile. Fearing it was now or never, she relented to his persistent persuasion and immediately began ignoring the instinctual pulls telling her something wasn't right. Their tawdry relationship centered around guilt, shame and withholding served up by the Dark Prince until Emily put her foot down. Well, actually, she put her foot in his backpack. And that showed her all she needed to know. Emily shares the painful discovery of how the man she loved was sharing his life with other women, how she went on to befriend her "Sisterwife," and how she found herself again. “Stories from the Sisterwives” is the remarkable true story of heartbreak, friendship, love and triumph over the darkness. http://storiesfromthesisterwives.com

Amazon ($2.99): http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Sisterwives-Survived-Dating-Sociopath-ebook/dp/B00HET7WEMLike on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StoriesfromtheSisterwivesFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuddyAtwood