Food & Wine Pairing Dinner
The local chapter of the AWS held their annual Food & Wine Pairing Dinner last week and it was my first opportunity to attend this event.
With hors’d oeuvres of Salmon Bacon Wrapped Scallops (didn’t try – allergic to scallops), Beef Satay with Coconut & Hoisin Sauce and Crab Rangoon (I liked the two latter, even though I’m not a big coconut fan) 2004 Trimbach CEW Riesling (Alsace) – Initial whiff of SO2 that blew away quickly, bone dry, long finish – excellent Riesling! Also served 2005 Torres “San Valentin” White (Spain) - made from the Parellada grape, a new one for me, and it may also be my first ever white from Spain. Slightly off-dry, but intense fruit and medium long finish. At the risk of sounding like a heathen to all you vineferaphiles, it tasted similar to my home made Cayuga.
The Salad Course of Smoked Turkey-Mixed Greens Salad with a Pecan-Buttered Vinaigrette was accompanied with 2005 Domaine Ott “Les Domaines” Cotes du Provence Rose (Provence) – Made from a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah. Very nice, bone dry Rose with a medium length finish. Paired up nicely with the salad, even though I’m not a big turkey fan.
With the seafood course of Pan-Seared Grouper braised in a Fennel-Pistachio Meuniere they served 2004 Chanson Peres Fils Mersault (Burgundy). The fish was very nice and went well with the fennel and pistachio. The Mersault was my WOTN, and I bought a bottle to take home with me ($31). Both the menu and the wine description sheet they passed out at the beginning listed this as an ’03. When I tasted the acidity and vibrant fruit with the slight buttery and oak undertones, the ’03 designation had me confused. I didn’t discover it was really an ’04 until after the dinner when I went to purchase a bottle. (Now if I could make Chardonnay like this….)
After an intermezzo of Apple Sorbet serves in an apple cup garnished with mint, the Entrée was Cornbread stuffed Pork Tenderloin finished with Rosemary-Orange Pesto was served with 2001 Ceretto “Zonchera” Barolo (Piedmont). Perhaps I was served an end piece, but my pork was overdone, tough and stringy. The wine, however, was very nice – cherries, acidity, still young tannnins and a med-long finish. I enjoyed this wine.
Dessert was Poached Pear drizzled with a Vanilla and Chocolate Crème Anglaise, which was pretty good. However the dessert wine was 2003 Eloquence Late-Harvest Chardonnay (Napa Valley). While it had Chardonnay fruit on the nose, that was about all it had going for it. In the mouth there was nothing but sweet – no acidity, no anything. Others at the dinner liked this, but I would have much preferred a BA, TBA, Ice Wine or Sauternes. I've never heard of Chardonnay being used as a dessert wine and now I think I know why.