February Wine Pairing Dinner at Secrets Wine Dinner

Last month's Wine Pairing Dinner was a Gourmet Festival. Chef Joe always surprises us with his culinary skills. The food was straight off a French Bistro's Menu paired some unique wines from around the world.

First Course

Champalou Vouvray Sec 2007

Bouquet and Palate: A fetching nose of quince, orange, lime, narcissus, freesia, sweet corn, and green tea ushers in a luscious yet remarkably delicate palate, with a perfectly judged hint of sweetness (this is what locals call sec tendre) supporting pear, quince, and citrus. Savory salinity, a hint of caramel, chalk, and citrus zest as well as a suggestion of vanilla cream inform an ear-to-ear finish of lift and refinement.

Rating: Wine Advocate 90 points

Food Pairing: Lobster & Artichoke Bisque with Black Truffle Pate Choux Crisps: Classic Lobster Bisque  with fresh lobster and artichoke garnish

Second Course

Domaine De Reuilly Pinot Noir 2007

Bouquet and Palate: Crimson color, with an entry that is soft and racy. The wine shows delicate tannins, without being the least aggressive style Pinot Noir. It is a wine which is easy to drink and complements a wide variety of food.

Winery: Domaine de Reuilly is situated in AOC Reuilly, a 170 hectare vineyard in the centre of France, close to appellation Sancerre. The vineyard of Domaine de Reuilly extends across 15 hectares comprising the following grape varieties: 10 ha of Sauvignon, 4 ha of Pinot Noir and 1 ha of Pinot Gris.

Food Pairing: Partridge Cassoulet: A classic south of France white bean stew prepared with sausage, chicken, and fresh vegetables

Third Course

De Martino Legado Carmenere 2007

Bouquet and Palate: Legado Carmenère has an intense aroma of ripe red fruit and black pepper. On the palate the wine is full withwell-integrated tannins, balanced acidity, and a pleasant touch of oak.

Winemaking: De Martino was the first winery in Chile to bottle Carmenère as a single varietal. The fruit comes from their estate vineyards in Isla de Maipo. Here the soil is rich in sand, clay, and gravel providing excellent drainage and poor fertility. The struggle of the vines naturally controls the growth and gives the wine good intensity. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks followed by 12 months of aging in French oak barrels.

Food Pairing: Steak Tartare with Gaufrette Potatoes: Diced Raw Filet Mignon with Dijon capers and red onions. Accompanied with fresh cute waffle fries
 

Fourth Course

Some Young Punks "Drink & Stick 2007" (Matero & Syrah Blend)

Bouquet and Palate: Red scarlet color and earthy aromas, with cherry and plum, a tad spice, cinammon, pepper and sangria. A frolic of toothsome dark berries on the animated palate, strawberry and black currant, refreshed by light and exhilarating acids. This is a complex wine with full integration between vibrant fruit and subdued oak, immediately ready to enjoy and immensely suited to good food.
Winemaking: A slightly larger proportion of Mourvedre grown to good vineyards on the Fleurieu Peninsula with Shiraz from the McLaren Vale, a limited production of 1723 cases.

Food Pairing: Asparagus Risotto with Duck Confit & Taragon Nage: Slow-roasted duck over a creamy, classic Asparagus Risotto with a delicious Taragon Nage

Fifth Course

Brix Sweet Pinot Grigio

Bouquet and Palate: Brix is a term used to describe the level of residual sugar in a wine. This California Pinot Grigio has a high Brix content that makes the style much sweeter than your typical Pinot Grigio. It is a great substitute for higher priced dessert wines.

 

 

 

Food Pairing: Creme Brulee & Linzertorte

Wine Dinners

Another element to this blog, is something that is a really big part of our life: Wine Dinners. Justin has two to three wine dinners a month. These wine dinners help promote wines in the Opici Wine Portofolio and gain public exposure. He works with various restuarants picking wines to complement the dishes prepared. Justin is truly passionate about wine and gives a wide range of wine knowledge to the guests of these dinners.

On January 23, 2010, Secrets Piano Bar & Grill at The Windsor Garden Hotel had their most recent monthly wine dinner. Chef Joe Angelucci, F&B Director Kyle Pinterelli, and Justin work closely together to develop these dinners into outstanding events. These wine dinners were rated #1 Best Monthly Event in Palm Beach County by the Palm Beach Post. Chef Joe outdid himself on this dinner. It was the perfect combination of "street food" and funky wines.

First Course

Kanu Chenin Blanc

Bouquet and Palate: This crisp, crowd-pleasing white from Mulderbosch’s sister winery displays fresh peach, melon, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors, with hints of almond and delicate floral and spice notes. A versatile and refreshing alternative to boring Pinot Grigio.

Winemaking: This Chenin Blanc was hand picked from low yielding bush vines with an average age of 31 years. The grapes were lightly crushed and the juice was left in contact with the skins for 2 – 4 hours, after which the free run and press juices were separated. The barrel and tank components were both aged on their lees for 5 months. Small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and late harvest Chenin Blanc (5%) were blended in for added richness and complexity.
Ratings: 89 points Wine Enthusiast “Best Buy”; 87 points Wine Spectator “Best Value”

Food Pairing: Char Grilled Madras Chicken Skewers paired with an Edamame Hummus

Second Course

White Knight Viognier

Bouquet and Palate: This pale straw colored wine bears a slight glint of steely blue. Intense aromas of jasmine and clove unfold with hints of apricot and peach. The palate has a luscious, nectar like texture, abundant with apricot grit and sweet white peach flavors, and a finish of star anise, vanilla and juicy Bartlett pear.

Winemaking: This viognier was aged and lees for about 3 months, it saw a bit of neutral oak but, most of the wine was fermented in stainless steel, with about 50% going through malolatic fermentation. 8,500 cases produced.

Ratings: The 2007 received 89 points from the Wine Enthusiast, and was a best buy.

Food Pairing: Singapore Street Noodles with Marinated Rock Shrimp, topped with Wasabi Pea & Roasted Almond Gremolata, Infused with Kaffir Lime Leaves

Third Course

Squids Fist “Sangiovese / Shiraz” Blend

Bouquet and Palate: Don't let the funky label and screwcap “stelvin enclosure” fool you: this is a serious wine, with a deep, almost inky red color. The nose is floral and the dark fruit is quite pronounced. Great flavors of currant/cassis, dark cherry, and tart apple. The tannins are firm yet well balanced with a nice amount of acid to round out the wine.

Winemaking: Neutral older French oak, with skin contact up to 23 days, only 750 cases produced

Food Pairing: Trio of Dim Sum: Vegetable, Scallop Mousse and Korean Short Rib

Fourth Course

Mulderbosch Faith Hound “Bordeaux Blend”

Bouquet and Palate: This supple Bordeaux blend was created by the legendary Mike Dobrovic as a tribute to Boes, the loyal dog who kept watch over Mulderbosch farm for nearly three years after his owner’s death, waiting beneath an oak tree for the return of his beloved master. Enticing aromas of blackcurrant, mulberry, coffee, and spice lead to intense flavors of ripe plum, blackberry, and licorice enhanced by signature Bordeaux notes of tobacco, forest floor and graphite.

Winemaking: The grapes were handpicked and crushed into stainless steel fermenters, and the must was cold soaked overnight. Fermentation began naturally, and the must was then inoculated with selected yeasts and fermented until dry. After pressing, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank and

was then blended and racked to barrels for maturation. It was lightly fined and filtered before bottling. The wine was aged 18 months in French Oak 42% new and 58% 2nd fill.

Ratings: The Mulderbosch 2005 Faithful Hound received 90 points from the Wine Spectator, the 2006 has yet to be rated.

Food Pairing: Greek Souvlaki with Tahini Lemon Falafal

Fifth Course

Meletti Cioccolato “Liqour”

The Meletti family, through skillful blending, has created a delicious cocoa based liqueur. Meletti Cioccolato

was created by Silvio Meletti as a winter drink. Meletti Cioccolato is a richly flavored and smoothly textured liqueur that can best be described as “Cocoa for Adults”.

Food Pairing: Homemade "Moon Pie" with a Meletti Chocolate Egg Cream

Check out Secrets Piano Bar & Grill: 11360 U.S. Highway One, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; 561-844-8448; http://www.wghotel.net/