The Extravaganza: Wine Dinner 2008

All the blogging, all the recipes, all the cooking, all the drinking (ok...maybe not all) that I do culminates in a once-yearly multi-course meal with wine pairings. The event started about ten years ago. I was in a great wine club and got three bottles of wonderful wine each month. As a single guy in a small apartment not suited to a lot of entertaining, the good bottles would pile up. My family (parents and siblings who all lived in the area) benefited greatly...I would open several bottles in one evening at a grand dinner. My pairing skills steadily improved, and the food I made to accompany the wines got more and more exotic.

Eventually, I joined other wine clubs and continued to learn more and more about food and wine pairing. As the years progressed, I fixed a wine dinner for some friends and hosted a "pot luck" wine dinner with others. My parents even paid me to create one for some of THEIR friends. But the tradition with my family continues. A decade later, despite the fact that my brother had moved across the country with his own family, we still get together for a night of decadence.

Sometimes the dinners have a "theme"...the one featuring all Spanish wines and foods was a showstopper. And sometimes they feature a surprise pairing...Columbia Crest Grand Estates merlot with a bacon and tomato sandwich anyone? But they are always educational...and exhiliratingly exhausting for the chef/sommelier.

The 2008 dinner was the week of Christmas with all in attendance. There was no real theme this year...other than the fact that I tried to serve wines that we haven't had very often. Prosecco instead of Champagne. French Chardonnay instead of California. You get the drift.

I'll post the menu and pairings in two parts. First comes summary of impressions and thoughts. The recipes themselves will follow over the next several weeks. Hope you enjoy dining and drinking with us..even if only vicariously. And try a dinner like this yourself. it doesn't have to be this involved. try three courses...an appetizer, main and dessert. Your guests will love you for it. And your culinary skills will get a great test in juggling the preparation of several courses at once.

Hors d'oeuvre: Bagel Chips with Ricotta, Chive Puree and Prosciutto
I passed this as everyone arrived. It's really yummy. Lots of layers of flavor: creamy ricotta, toastiness from the bagel chip and almonds in the chive oil, and bracing tang from chives and prosciutto. It was paired with Zardetto Prosecco. A great start.

First Course: A Trio of Appetizers
We all sat down to the table laden with glasses. (Bless my other half for his handwashing abilities the day after!) Topped off our Zardetto Prosecco (I love carrying wines over from one course to another to highlight how they pair with a variety of foods.) and dug in to three wonderful appetizers. I always like to show off the different qualities of sparkling wine...toasty, citrusy, fresh. And the Prosecco had an off-dry (just barely on the sweet side) quality that also made for some interesting flavor combinations.


A spanikopita cup (say that five times fast) combined flaky puff pastry, sweet spinach and tangy feta. Tiny phyllo shells were filled with a light and delicious mousse of goat cheese and Parmesan with a hint of black pepper. And jumbo shrimp were coated in Parmesan, parsley and lemon-laced breadcrumbs and then baked until crispy. A sip of Prosecco brought something different to each one.


Second Course: Beet and Goat Cheese "Ravioli" with Pistachios, Microgreens and Orange Balsamic Drizzle
Beets and goat cheese are wonderfully wine-friendly...both separately and especially together. And Sauvignon Blanc provides just the right acidity and fruitiness to play off the earthiness of the beets and the chalky minerality of the goat cheese. I combined several recipes I had found to create this showpiece. The original plan was to serve it with a French Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre. However, after tasting the Chateau St. Jean Fumé Blanc recently, it was the wine of choice. It's so deliciously layered with flavor that it's joined out house wine list...quite an accomplishment since Sauvignon Blanc is not one of our favorite varietals.

Third Course: Lemon Shallot Scallops with Couscous
You can probably detect a trend. As most folks do when serving several wines, I build the wines from lightest to heavier. So it was time for a white wine with a little more heft. But no California Chardonnays for us this year...although we've had some wonderful ones at past gatherings. I chose a French Chardonnay from the Saint Veran region of Burgundy. (Pouilly Fuisse is an enclave within Saint Veran for you oenophiles out there.) The wine had a decent backbone of minerality, and it was an additional blast of lemony acidity when sipped with the scallops.

Fourth Course: Fennel, Orange and Parmesan Salad
I really wanted to serve a rosé as a part of our progression. And why not serve one from an unexpected region? Texas. Yeehah. The Mcpherson Rosé of Syrah is wonderful. A great bridge from white to red. It has undertones of strawberry and cranberry. It had just enough acidity to pair with the layers of flavor in this light salad.

Do I have your attention? Stay tuned...the remainder of the menu, including an easy-to-assemble main course and a decadent dessert, will be posted within the week.