The Omaha Metro
SEPT 2026
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Momento Mori Winery Visits Omaha Event Report: A Midsummer Night Backyard BBQ & Clean out the Cellar Dinner
Branch News
“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.” -Dennis Wholey
Momento Mori Winery Visits Omaha Story by Tom Murnan
I had the pleasure of meeting Aristotle Smith who was in Omaha as one of the wineries pouring for the Lutheran Family Services’ Angel’s Share Vintners Dinner, a benefit for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care. The name caught my eye. Momento Mori (MM) in Latin means Remember You Must Die, or Remember Death. The phrase originated in the Roman Empire. After a great military victory, the heroes were paraded through the streets on chariots, but also in those chariots, alongside the hero, a person would whisper “Look behind. Remember you are mortal and must die.” Intrigued by the name I engaged in conversation. Aristotle told me the three founders of MM, inspired by serious health scares and family tragedies during their friendship, nonetheless wanted to craft sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon wines, from the very best sites, of tremendous balance, profundity and honesty. These are terroir driven wines that come from the top small vineyards like Oakville Ranch, Weitz, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedra and Vine Hill Ranch. The result is terroir-driven wine that tells the story of Napa Valley. These were tremendous wines to taste, approachable young, but still in great balance and harmony, exhibiting the essence of Cabernet Sauvignon flavor. The wines are only sold off their mailing list, and there is a wait to get on that list. Typically, there is about a 13% attrition rate annually, which is why they promote their wine. The interesting thing to me was that their philosophy is the obverse of the doom filled Latin phrase in their name about the inevitability of death, and instead embraces a mantra that says, “Remember to Live.” Life is too short not to make the best wine possible from the best sites available. MM is worthy of searching out and cellaring their high-end bottles in your wine cave.
Event Report: A Midsummer Night Backyard BBQ & Clean out the Cellar Dinner Story by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan
It was a hot, sultry and miserable day in Omaha on July 25th, the temperature having climbed to 102° was mercifully dropping, if not the humidity. But that didn’t stop us from invading the Goldstein home, whose basement had recently been remodeled by Mike Wilke’s MW Construction. Everyone was impressed with the improvements: a bar and TV room separated by a wine cellar. Marshall Wallman was the architect and decorator. He specified a tamber wall for the TV room. Tambers look like dowels cut in half lengthwise. Besides all this, the pool received a new liner, a waterfall was installed as was a firepit. It was all very nice. This was a very casual event, which suited everyone because of the hot weather. All the food except for the dessert was laid out at the same time, as were the wines. Our job was to finish off the endof-bin remnants from the Branch cellar. Everyone came and went to the bar and food counter at will. Conversation was rampant and it got a bit noisy until a group of ladies went poolside outside to converse. Patrick Gaughan, a good Irishman and Chef, prepared our dinner. He works for Catering Creations as luck would have it, was available for our event. I spoke to Patrick about our smorgasbord of food. My favorite was the Grilled Elotes Corn Salad, which was delicious with a touch of tang and spice. Elotes is Spanish for corn on the cob. It is a popular Mexican street food and I can see why. Two kinds of corn were used, one grown by Patrick and the other from a friend. The corn is lightly grilled. Then a sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, and Spanish
spices called Tajin (pronounced ta-heen). Tajín seasoning contains chili peppers, sea salt, and dehydrated lime juice, which gives the corn dish a zippy flavor. The Filipino Grilled Chicken skewers is a favorite of Chef Patrick. Major ingredients are lime juice and zest, ginger, and lemon incorporated in a banana ketchup. I’ve never heard of banana ketchup before, but it is available or you can make your own. Another Chef’s favorite recipe was for the Orange Tarragon Pork Sliders. The pork is marinated in orange zest and tarragon then roasted in the oven. This led to a discussion of tarragon. There are three varietals of tarragon: Russian, English and French, only one of them has any flavor, the French. The other two are ornamental. To know whether you have the good kind, taste a leaf to see if it tastes of licorice or “pet the herb” by rubbing a leaf on your finger. Finally, Chef Gaughan’s piéce de rèsistance is Summer Peach Crisp. Made with fresh summer market peaches in a large cast iron skillet, the peaches are peeled, poached in their own juice, cut up into a cobbler style mixture with the juice becoming its own syrup with added cinnamon. Many thanks to the Goldsteins for opening their house to show us their great basement improvements. Chef Gaughan did a great job with the food. Thanks as well to our bartender, Ish (short for Ishmael) who usually works for Happy Hollow club.
2026 UPCOMING OMAHA METRO EVENTS
SEPT
6
CLEAN OUT THE CELLAR / FOOTBALL PARTY
Producers: Brent Rasmussen & Susan Rauth
OCT
5
RAILCAR MODERN AMERICAN KITCHEN Producer: Jason Sullivan
NOV
2026
TO BE DETERMINED
DEC
INDIAN CREEK GOLF CLUB
13
Holiday Party joint event with Omaha Branch Producers: Mike & Rhonda Wilke and Joe & Jill Goldstein
HOSTING AN EVENT?
Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: iwfs.councilbluffs@yahoo.com