Remy's 1st Tuesday Tasting December
6th, 2005: Cal-Ital (Italian
varietals produced in California)
I'll be honest w/ you, even after
my culinary training I still have a
lot to learn about matching food w/
wine. I'm still a novice at identifying
aromas and flavors in wine, which
is crucial in bridging food and wine
together. What I have learned is if
you find a wine w/ basic elements that
match or enhance the basic elements in
the food you're serving, you have the
foundations for a good pairing.
Chef Lisa Slay and Sommelier Phil Peimann
did a fantastic job w/ this. Lisa's
creations meshed beautifully w/
Phil's wine selections. I don't know
if they built the menu around the wine or
vice versa, but the end product had me
and my friends salivating like
Pavlov's dog as each course was presented
to us!
We started w/ duck and leek
ravioli w/ browned almond butter. These
were large squares of spinach pasta
stuffed w/ leek and tender pieces of
duck. The browned almond sauce added a
delicate essence. This was paired w/
Flora Springs Sangiovese '03 Napa Valley.
If Duane hadn't been so hungry we
would have had a photo of the ravioli!
The next course
was "Drunken Porkloin" w/ sauteed
carrots and capers. The meat was so
tender you could cut it w/ a fork!
The capers added a nice tartness to
the mix. Paired w/ Rabbit Ridge
Brunelllo '01 Paso Robles. Phil
pointed out that Brunello is also
made w/ sangiovese grapes, however
the name varies depending on the
region in Italy the wine is produced.
Lastly,
we sampled braised short ribs
w/ sweet potato puree and gremolata.
What an awesome dish! A nice riff
on osso buco. The meat was braised
to perfection - it was tender and
falling off the bones.
The sweet potato puree went
beautifully w/ the short ribs
and the gremolata provided a nice
citrus finish. This was surrounded
by a pool of intensely flavored
braising liquid which Phil found
so delicious he said he could drink it
by the glass! I concur!! This dish was
paired w/ Renwood Barbera '00
Amador County - a region in the
Sierra Foothills known for it's
Zins. Out of the 3 wines
we sampled, this one won
by a unanimous vote!
Bruno&Phil
discussing wine
I finished the evening w/ a
delicious caramel apple ice cream
and a glass of petite champagne
cognac. Bravo Lisa and Phil!!
Bruno"The Mayor" Photos by Duane
