A FOOD AND WINE PAIRING EVENT

At this event we will pair small portions of foods with appropriate wines for an interesting and tasty experience in food and wine matching.

Apéritif:

   2002 Allram Gruner Veltliner Qualitatswein Trocken Kamptal Strassertaler (WSR 87)

First Pairing:

Pasta Shell with Spinach, Ricotta and Pignoli Stuffing in a Marinara Sauce with Italian Blended Cheeses (Vegetarian)

2000 Zenato Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripassa (WSR 88)

2002 Villa Maria Marlborough New Zealand Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc (WSR 89)       

Second Pairing:

Pork Loin with Portobello Mushroom Stuffing Sauced with a Zinfandel Reduction

   2001 Elk Cove Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir (WSR 88)

   2002 Zenato Lugana San Benedetto Trebbiano (WSR 86)

 

Dessert Pairing:

 Mini Mocha Toffee Cheesecake in Phyllo Cup

Orange Mousse in Mini Chocolate Cup

Toasted Coconut Sticks

     Fonseca Bin 27 Finest Reserve Porto    (Wine Spectator Rating Not Available)

     2003 St. Supery Moscato Canelli California   (Wine Spectator Rating Not Available)

The first and second dishes prepared by Chef Georgette Heron-Willoughby and Dan Willoughby.  Dessert prepared by Nancy Bundorf.   Wines selected by Tom Bundorf.  A red and a white wine will be served with each course. Please bring at least two wine glasses.

If your diet does not permit pork, please let us know on your reservation and an alternate dish will be prepared.  No smoking or strong fragrances--please.  Attendees recognize they will consume alcohol and assume responsibility of having done so. Attendance will be limited to the first 32.  Reservation deadline is Monday, April 12, 2004. Phone reservations can not be accepted.

Members $22.00

Non-members  $26.00

What Happened.........

We began with the aperitif, which was very well received. Gruner Veltliner is becoming so popular, it is getting the nickname,”Groovy”.

Then followed an excellent experience in food and wine matching. The wines, although having been carefully selected in pre-event testing, still provided everyone with an opportunity to choose. (We use both a red and a white as many people either prefer or must use either one or the other.)

The foods were delicious and matched with the wines as follows:

First Pairing- Valpolicella was favored with the pasta dish. (While the Sauvignon Blanc was very good, it is difficult to surpass a good valpolicella with pasta.)

Second Pairing- Trebbiano was favored as the best matching wine with the pork dish. But the Pinot Noir was considered best if drunk alone. This demonstrated that one can’t easily predict what will be best with a dish and the proof is in the actual tasting.

Desserts- Both were favored. Although the Porto was selected to match the toffee cheesecake and the Muscat to match the Orange Mousse, our group did not differentiate.

The overall best wine was the Valpolicella.

The Sauvignon Blanc was considered the best white wine overall.

We learned that food and wine matching is a fascinating and sometimes surprising experience.