Last Sunday we did something here at Freedom Run that we've never done before -- we hosted a five course wine pairing dinner for some 40 guests. Oh, we've hosted parties and gatherings here several times with guests bringing their own catered food, and we also threw a huge grand opening celebration last summer where guests could hang out at the winery and eat fresh BBQ. But this? This was something different altogether: we hosted a sit-down, five-course pairing menu which featured three of our new red wines to complement each dish, all carefully prepared by Alex Sigeti, and up-and-coming young chef who got to flex his culinary muscle with a menu written just for our wines.
Pulling off a first time event with forty guests and wine pairings was indeed an ambitious task, but we were relieved that it all went well, with both the food and wine receiving many compliments. A definite highlight was getting to introduce our new wines in such a relaxed atmosphere and most importantly, paired with dishes that would only make them better.
One of the more interesting pairings we came up with was our new 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon served with Alex's amuse bouche, a heavenly little bite of phyllo pastry, tomato chutney and seared yellowfin tuna served atop lightly dressed mesclun. The acidity and fruit of the cab seemed to work well with the dish. It was a no brainer to pair the peppercorn-crusted beef tenderloin (served atop parmesan risotto and strewn with sauteed mushrooms and drizzled with a rich sauce). This Meritage was made using the best barrels of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and shows big bold fruit flavor as well as elegant oak influenced aromas of anise and chocolate. It has firm young tannins, standing up well to the rich beef tenderloin.
Hungry yet? If you missed the dinner, never fear. We are about to begin planning another pairing dinner, where we are looking at sourcing all local ingredients for the menu. Perhaps a summer or fall "harvest" dinner if you will. In the meantime we are preparing to release these new red wines in our tasting room so everyone can taste our second vintage wines for themselves -- milk chocolate panna cotta or not!
This was a wonderful experience and I can't wait until you have another one. We travel a lot to California and have experienced events in Napa and Temecula and I want to say that you met our expectations to the fullest.
Our compliments to the wonderful chef who is a graduate of NCCC, where my husband is employed and I was for many years.
Posted by: Janet Schultz | July 17, 2008 at 01:28 PM