I didn't take notes during the dinner (Oct. 20) but conversed with others at my table instead. I will give you the menu pairings and brief impressions of the wines. It was a very enjoyable meal. Vintages were not listed on the menu. Palm Bay International repre-sentative Ian Ribowsky, based in New York state, introduced the wines.
Portobello & herbed polenta Napoleon with apple-currant drizzle and fresh chives paired with
FERRARI BRUT NV, TRENTINO. Okay but a little more yeasty than I prefer my sparkling wine to be.
FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO FALANGHINA, CAMPANIA was paired with Caprese salad. Melon flavor and citrusy acids to cut through the fat of the mozzarella cheese. A couple ladies at my table liked the way the wine paired with the peppery arugula in the salad also. I really enjoyed this white wine as did others at my table. One lady who generally only drinks red wines said she liked this one. An inexpensive wine (only about $11-$15 on wine-searcher.com) that represents very good QPR.
2007 or 2009 FONTANAFREDDA BAROLO. PIEDMONT with orecchiette, roasted fennel and Italian sausage and shaved Parmesan cheese.
The wine was poured before the pasta dish came out and one of the ladies asked me what I thought of it. I said I thought it was too young and tannic and that Barolo often needs ten to fifteen years to mellow out but that it might be better with the food as the sausage might pick it up a bit. The mother and daughter agreed with me that it was a bit harsh on its own but improved somewhat with the sausage. Hard for me to judge its future potential. With this one they did bring an empty bottle to the table so I could see the vintage but I didn't write it down at the time. I know it was in the 2007-2009 range.
2009 (?) BERTANI AMARONE "VILLA ARVEDI" VALPOLICELLA, VENETO (70% Corvina Veronese; 30% Rondinello grapes). Paired with filet mignon with cherry peppers, butter and parsley and side dishes of green beans with roasted garlic and rosemary roasted baby golden potatoes. This wine proved to be a favorite at my table. My WOTN. I picked up cherries and chocolate as mentioned in the introduction to the wine but did not find it to be "raisiny." I think it paired better with the steak than it would have had it been more raisiny. I liked it well enough to pick up a bottle at Taylor's Wine Shop the next day (at close to $60 it was more expensive in North Carolina than in other locations).
With a yummy Sicilian almond cake with vanilla bean whipped cream and toasted almonds and a sliced strawberry we had a pour of Alexander Bottega Limoncino. Several of us found the heavy alcohol of the grappa with the sweetness of the drink unappealing and didn't finish it. It is a lemon-based liqueur (like limoncello) and is considered a digestive. (My favorite form of limoncello is in a limoncello mousse cake available for dessert at Luigi's in Fayetteville, NC.) The young woman sitting to my right is part Italian and said her grandmother makes a layered almond cake which is considered a wedding cake in parts of Italy. The almond cake we had at the Sunday dinner was different but very tasty. I will probably try to make something like that soon.