See below for what happened.........

Stews with Matched Wines

Three skilled AWS Chefs have prepared delightful stews matched to wines that are guaranteed to tickle your taste buds and warm your bodies as we say goodbye to another winter season!

Aperitif
Cristalino Brut Rose
 

Cioppino - Seafood Stew
Pinot Evil- Pinot Noir, France and Oops Sauvignon Blanc/Carmenere – Chile

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Whole Wheat Couscous
2005 Oak Grove Reserve Petite Syrah. and 2006 McManis Family Vineyard Viognier

Roasted Italian Sausage & White Bean Stew
2005 Vola Chianti Classico Reserva-Italy and Pacific Rim Dry Riesling-California

Coffee and cookies will follow the tasting. Please bring two of your own glasses in order to sample both selections with their complemented stew.  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 30.

Reservation deadline is Wednesday, March 18, 2009.

Members  $21.00            Guests   $25.00

What Happened.........

This tasting could have been called a Mediterranean Stew Tasting as there was one from the seashore of southern France, one from Morocco and one from Italy. It was organized and presented by Jackie and Frank Carson, Georgette and Dan Willoughby, and Nancy and Tom Bundorf. Thirty five were in attendance at this popular event.

The Spanish Sparkler was a nice starter.

Our habit for such tastings is to try to have both a red and a white wine with each dish.  It is good to do so as many people have preferences for one or the other, and it adds to the challenge of matching.

The first stew, a Cioppino, was loaded with seafood flavor.  It was accompanied by a French Vin de Pays Pinot Noir and an 85% Sauvignon Blanc 15% Carmenere Blend from Chile.  The Pinot Noir was voted best with this tomato based dish.

The second was a lamb stew with many flavors, made from a complex recipe.  While lamb is often associated with Bordeaux and tannic red wines, that was not appropriate here, and the chosen wines were a Viognier and a Petite Syrah. The Viognier was preferred.

The last stew was simple Italian with robust sausages and hearty flavor. The obvious wine, and best liked, was Sangiovese represented by a Chianti Classico Reserva.  For a white, a Dry Riesling was chosen.

All the wines were well liked, and a great many tasters did not vote with the majority in respect to which was the better.  Also, it was notable that for the most part the cooks chose the lighter food friendly wines, a light Pinot Noir and a Petite Syrah for the reds and the increasingly popular Voignier and Dry Riesling for whites.

The tasting closed with coffee, accompanied by biscotti, a dessert bread, and cookies.  Everyone enjoyed the stews and wine and we found it to be a most interesting wine and food matching experience, thanks to our excellent chefs.  Links to the stew recipes appear below, and we invite you to give them a try.

Cioppino - Seafood Stew  (View)

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Whole Wheat Couscous  (View)

Roasted Italian Sausage & White Bean Stew  (View)