When wine enthusiasts gather for an evening out the wine and food pairings are most likely to be gastronomic delights. Such was the case when this Spaswinefood enthusiast joined the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine (KOV), Lake Tahoe Chapter for a wine and food pairing event at Napa-Sonoma Plumgate, Reno, Nevada. The event began with an introduction to our host for the evening, Claire "Sudsy" Torbeck.
 |
| Knights of the Vine Evening Out © Spaswinefood |
Our host introduced six wines paired with six dishes (small plates).
 |
| Wine Lineup, Napa-Sonoma Plumgate © Spaswinefood |
We were walked through each wine and food pairing by Claire, who drew from her extensive background, as an enologist.
 |
| Claire Introducing Pairings © Spaswinefood |
One very important thing to note about the wines shared, they ranged in price from about $11 to $28 a bottle. Let's take a look at the wine and food pairings:
1. Rosé wine with food pairing
Espirit Gassier, Côtes De Provence 2017
 |
| Espirit Gassier, Côtes De Provence 2017 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Espirit Gassier, Côtes De Provence 2017 © Spaswinefood |
This Côtes De Provence rosé wine is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Vermentino. It was paired with Grilled Organic White Peach Compote Bruschetta, Meyer Lemon, Whipped Burrata Cheese, and Fresh Intensity Micro Greens.
Grilled Organic White Peach Compote Bruschetta, Meyer Lemon, Whipped Burrata Cheese, and Fresh Intensity Micro Greens
 |
| Peach Bruschetta, Whipped Burrata Cheese, and Micro Greens © Spaswinefood |
Right from the first bite, it was a great pairing with the rosé wine selected.
2. Beaujolais wine with food pairing
A common mistake when you hear Beaujolais, is to think of Beaujolais Nouveau. Both Beaujolais Nouveau and the Beaujolais crus are made from the same Gamay grape. Beaujolais Nouveau is vinified in just a few weeks, being released soon after harvest, on the third Thursday of November. The Gamay wine we tasted has undergone a longer vinification. The more serious wines from Beaujolais are released later than the Beaujolais Nouveau. They usually undergo at least 1-2 years of aging before release. The best Beaujolais wines come from one of the 10 named crus. These are 10 villages that are stand-alone appellations (Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, and St.-Amour). You can easily tell the difference from the bottle. The crus do not say “Nouveau.”
Domaine de Roche-Gillion, Beaujolais-Villages 2016
 |
| Domaine de Roche-Gillion, Beaujolais-Villages 2016 © Spaswinefood |
The particular Beaujolais we tasted came from a five-generation family vineyard near Fleurie.
 |
| Domaine de Roche-Gillion, Beaujolais-Villages Pairing © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Fried Goat Cheese, Black Currents, & Beaujolais Fig Reduction © Spaswinefood |
The Beaujolais wine was paired with Fried Goat Cheese, Black Currents, and Beaujolais Fig Reduction.
 |
| Beaujolais and Small Plate Pairing © Spaswinefood |
I enjoyed this pairing.
 |
Wine & Food Pairings 1 & 2 © Spaswinefood
|
3. Chianti wine with food pairing
The third pairing was a Chianti Classico Sangiovese wine.
Villa da Filicaja, Chianti Superiore DOCG 2015
 |
| Villa da Filicaja, Chianti Superiore DOCG 2015 © Spaswinefood |
The wine was paired with Smoked Chicken, Roasted Eggplant Caponata, and Grilled Cheese Bites
 |
Chianti with Chicken, Eggplant & Cheese Bites © Spaswinefood
|
 |
| Smoked Chicken, Roasted Eggplant Caponata, & Grilled Cheese Bites © Spaswinefood |
The vegetarian option was Grilled Tofu, Roasted Eggplant Caponata, & Grilled Cheese Bites.
 |
Grilled Tofu, Roasted Eggplant Caponata, & Grilled Cheese Bites © Spaswinefood
|
This wine paired well with the vegetarian plate I had.
There was plenty of time for conversations about the pairings.
 |
| Discussing Wine & Food © Spaswinefood |
4. Tempranillo wine with food pairing
The Tempranillo wine was from Rioja, and it just happened to come from a winery that I have visited.
Vivanco, Selección de Familia Crianza, Rioja DOCa 2010
 |
| Vivanco, Selección de Familia Crianza, Rioja DOCa 2010 © Spaswinefood |
The Vivanco Crianza was paired with Colorado Lamb Meatballs, Fine Grain Corn Polenta, and Smoke Gouda Béchamel.
 |
| Colorado Lamb Meatballs, Polenta, & Smoke Gouda Béchamel © Spaswinefood |
Vegetarian version was Fine Grain Corn Polenta, and Smoke Gouda Béchamel.
 |
| Polenta, & Smoke Gouda Béchamel © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Rioja Crianza with Polenta, & Smoke Gouda Béchamel © Spaswinefood |
Again, I so enjoyed the Tempranillo paired with the vegetarian food.
 |
| Wine & Food Pairings 3 & 4 © Spaswinefood |
5. Italian Blend with food pairing
Obviously, there are many possibilities for Italian blends. The particular one selected was to emphasize Italy's IGT classification.
Tenuta il Palagio, Message in a Bottle, Toscana IGT 2011
 |
| Tenuta il Palagio, Message in a Bottle, Toscana IGT 2011 © Spaswinefood |
IGT is one of four wine classifications recognized by the Italian government. It was created to recognize the Super Tuscans, a high quality of wines from Tuscany, that did not meet the DOC or DOCG requirements. IGT wines are labeled with the locality of their creation.
Occasionally at an event when a bottle is opened it has a fault which calls for a substitute. In this case, a faulty bottle occurred at our table. A substitute was served at our table. It was a Sicilian IGT.
 |
| Cristo Di Campobello C'D'C' Rosso, Sicilian IGT 2013 © Spaswinefood |
This red wine is a blend of Nero d'Avola, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I must admit that I am very fond of Nero d'Avola wines. This Nero d'Avola blend certainly hit the mark for me. The IGT wine was paired with Veal Saltimbocca, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, and Frangelio Steam Kale.
 |
| Veal Saltimbocca, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, & Frangelio Steam Kale © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Veal Saltimbocca, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, & Frangelio Steam Kale © Spaswinefood |
Vegetarian option was Veg Sausage, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, and Frangelio Steam Kale.
 |
| Veg Sausage, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, & Frangelio Steam Kale © Spaswinefood |
The IGT wine paired well with the Veg Sausage, Heirloom Tomato Concassé, and Frangelio Steam Kale.
6. Malbec wine with food pairing
An Argentine Malbec was paired with a desert. This proved to be an very interesting pairing.
Clos de Los Siete, Malbec Argentina 2013
 |
| Clos de Los Siete (by Michel Rolland), Argentina 2013 © Spaswinefood |
The red wine blend, by Michel Rolland, included Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. It paired well with the Salted Caramel Cream Puffs, Amaretto Gelato, Candied Walnuts, and Chocolate Ganache.
 |
Malbec with Cream Puffs, Gelato, Walnuts, & Chocolate Ganache © Spaswinefood
|
 |
| Cream Puffs, Amaretto Gelato, Candied Walnuts, and Chocolate Ganache © Spaswinefood |
Since I previously had this wine with various dishes at home, I was excited to try this pairing with a desert. Everyone at the table thought the pairing was fabulous. I certainly enhanced my opinion of this wine from the previous times that I tried it.
 |
| Gathered for Wine & Food © Spaswinefood |
These six wine and food pairings worked magic. Overall, we agreed that they were good pairings. I for one took home some new insights for future wine and food pairings from this dinner. It reinforced my previous understanding that you do not need expensive wines to enjoy wine with food. Above all, the right wine pairing with the right food, is really what makes it special. Now, you may improve pairings with more deluxe wines. However, because a wine is expensive, does not mean it will pair well with any dish. Without a doubt the wines serve that evening had good QPR's (Quality Price Ratios). Chef Rene came out at the end to meet us and to share his insights. If you are looking for suggestions on basic guidelines for wine and food pairings checkout Wine Folly's article. The wines served during the KOV are available at the Napa-Sonoma wine store.
 |
| Wine & Food Pairings 5 & 6 © Spaswinefood |
For me it is always a pleasure to meet up with Stephanie, who works magic in planning KOV events.
 |
| Sipping Wine © Spaswinefood |
I could not help but notice at the end of a fabulous evening the wine glasses on the counter. Yes, there sat the wine glasses.
 |
| After the Tasting, Napa-Sonoma Plumgate © Spaswinefood |
It was indeed a delightful evening out at Napa-Sonoma Plumgate with the Knights of the Vine (KOV). I would especially like to thank Claire "Sudsy" Torbeck for sharing her enological insights, Chef Rene for his culinary preparations, and Stephanie of her organizational leadership. I look forward to sharing more stories about my vine-filled adventures. I invite you to join me in my travels in Nevada, and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
 |
| Wine & Food Pairing Menu © Spaswinefood |
No comments:
Post a Comment