The Chemistry of Wine event was a bit disappointing. There was a component tasting table which we probably should have visited, but didn't. It was tucked away back in a corner. The catered food consisted of stuffed raw veggies (little tomatoes and celery) which ran out before we made it over to the food table. That was also disappointing. I had been under the impression that the food would be paired for the wines. One of the vendors had a table of food to "cleanse your palate." Ironically, it had garlicky hummus and artichoke dip with pieces of bread. There was also an assortment of dark chocolate. Not exactly what I'd choose to create a blank slate for tasting the next wine, (especially with the artichoke which is notoriously impossible to pair with wine). After the tasting, we headed to Crush where we did a bit of supplementing in both the food and wine departments.
I had much better luck on Wednesday when I attended a Kenwood Winemaker's dinner at Kinley's.
We started out with a nice 2009 Pinot Gris to begin the evening. It was fairly straightforward, but enjoyable, which says a lot since I'm generally not a huge fan of white wines. It was followed by the first course, a white asparags salad with chevre, chopped egg, sauteed bread crumbs and lemon vinaigrette. This was paired with a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. I wasn't a fan. The wine was pretty lemony and the whole thing was a bit too intense for me. The sulfur from the egg added to the abrasiveness of the dish and the texture combination of cold white asparagus and chopped egg was less than appealing. Needless to say, I don't like Sauv Blanc and I don't like lemon, so I'm probably fairly biased here. I will say that the goat cheese was very tasty. I would have paired that wine with something to balance the acidity, maybe something buttery, like seared scallops. The second course was fantastic. It was a spicy black bean and shredded pork Napolean topped with a sugar snap pea and cabbage slaw, drizzled with chili syrup, paired with a 2007 Zinfandel. The Zin was loaded with raspberries and it played well off the savory spiciness of the dish. I'll have to remember that combination next time I make a pork and black bean chili. The third course was a petite filet mignon on a caramelized apple demi glace, parsnip and potato puree and a slice of warmed Cambozola. This was paired with a 2006 Merlot. The combination was wonderful. I loved the parsnip and potato puree. The demi glace was pretty sweet, it reminded me of a caramel apple. The cheese was pretty overpowering. All of the flavors ended up balancing each other out. I really enjoyed this dish and the pairing. The fourth course was a grilled rack of lamb on a roasted shallot and mushroom risotto with bordelaise sauce and friend artichoke hearts. It was paired with a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfortunately, this course was pretty disappointing. The lamb was overpowered with pepper. The artichoke heart (singular) was cold and no longer crispy. The risotto also had a lot of black pepper in it, and the rice was undercooked. The tanins in the Cab ended up amplifying the pepper and I found it all to be overwhelming. Thankfully the last course was very pleasant. They served mango white Stilton with freshly sliced papaya, topped with a ginger reduction. I loved it! The course was paired with a 2008 Gewurztraminer. Normally I'm not very enthusiastic when it comes to Gewertz or Reisling, but I think they can be nice when paired properly. This was paired properly. The wine was sweet enough to hold it's own against the fruit, but not so sweet as to be candy-like. The creaminess of the Stilton tied it all together nicely. The table next to us apparently hated it though, exclaiming in horror that the gelato tasted "weird." Shocked, I leaned over and told them it was a Stilton, (just like the menu said), and they just looked at me in silence. It was an uncomfortable situation all around. I'm still coping with the fact that people that were willing to pay $85 for a wine maker's dinner couldn't tell the difference between STILTON and GELATO. *Sigh*
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