Winemaker's dinners are a great way to get an introduction to new wines. It was a delightful June evening when we attended a winemaker's dinner at Il Fornaio, San José. They were showcasing the Casali Maniago Winery from Friuli Wine Region of Italy. The Casali Maniago Winery, a 110 hectare estate in Bruttrio, has been growing grapes since February 15, 1585. Also associated with this Italian wine estate is Palazzo di Attimis-Maniago, a hotel and restaurant. Casali Maniago Winery is represented in the Bay Area by Siena Imports, an importer of fine Italian wines from the 20 regions of Italy. We were fortunate to have two representatives from Siena Imports, one the owners and a staff member were present at the dinner. At the end of dinner one of the lucky guests won a three litre bottle (or Jeroboam, a.k.a. double magnum) of Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Raccolto 2004 Cabernet.
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Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Raccolto 2008 Cabernet, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood
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Winemaker's Dinner
Let me now share a little about the Casali Maniago DOC wines that we had during dinner. The winemaker's dinner at Il Fornaio was a five course dinner that began with appetizers and a Prosecco. The Prosecco featured was a Carpene Malvolti, Prosecco, Veneto. After appetizers here are some of the Casali Maniago wines that we sampled:
Casali Maniago Sauvignon, Friuli
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| Casali Maniago Sauvignon, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood |
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| Casali Maniago Sauvignon, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood |
The wine was paired with Insalata di Rucola e Radicchio.
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| Insalata di Rucola e Radicchio © Spaswinefood |
Casali Maniago Refosco, Fuili was the Primo (first course) wine.
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| Casali Maniago Refosco, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood |
The wine was paired with Malloreddus alla Gallurese.
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| Malloreddus alla Gallurese © Spaswinefood |
Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Chardonnay was the Secondi (second course) white wine and the red wine was Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Pinot Nero.
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| Casali Maniago Chardonnay, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood |
The Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Chardonnay was paired with Branzino alla Vernaccia.
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| Branzino alla Vernaccia © Spaswinefood |
The Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Pinot Nero was paired with Tagliata di Manzo.
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| Casali Maniago Sauvignon, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood |
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| Tagliata di Manzo © Spaswinefood |
Dolci or the desert course was a Gnocchi di Ricotta.
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| Gnocchi di Ricotta © Spaswinefood |
Desert was paired with Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Verduzzo.
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Conte d'Attimis-Maniago Verduzzo, Friuli Italy © Spaswinefood
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Yes, a winemaker's dinner is a enjoyable way to be introduced to new wines. We were happy to visit with friends over dinner. Overall the food and wine at the winemaker's dinner was outstanding. The bottom line is if you are looking for great food and wine an Il Fornaio's winemaker dinner is a great dinning experience. The dynamic team at Il Fornaio includes Dave Fera (Managing-Partner), Claudio Zorloni (Chef) and Dean Aaron (Senior Sous Chef). You can check reviews of Il Fornaio at Citysearch, Opentable, Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon and Yelp. Based on this Spaswinefood visit and others I would highly recommend Il Fornaio winemaker dinners. It is a great opportunity to get to know more about the featured winery and enjoy some great Italian food. You can not beat the price. Check it out.
Check out my travels in California and elsewhere at Spaswinefood, or visit my travel column at the Examiner.
Sharon
June 2012
June 2012
San José, California
© Spaswinefood
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It was agreat dinner, and the wines were fantastic. I won the bottle of wine.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!
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