Wine Notes: JBF Dinner
By Victoria Poull
Photo by the author
For the reading pleasure of wine lovers and pairing experts, our team made its way through the tables on October 25th to gage guests’ wine reactions throughout the evening. Several favorites and pairings were nominated, preferences varied across the board, but a common denominator for all wines was the story and culture behind each producer. Vicky Poull reports on the technical tidbits behind some of highlighted wine and food pairings.
We have chosen to highlight a few of the dishes and wines on the menu to give readers an idea of what wine prep was like for our JBF Saturday Oct 25 dinner event, and how much thought and preparation goes into the menu in order to harmonize flavors and make the night unforgettable. The wine sponsors highlighted on the menu were Mazzei, Capannelle, and Santa Cristina.
The first dish we served for Antipasto was a baccalà (salt cod) fritter with fresh lemon conserve, canded Pachino tomato and sautéed vegetables. It was served with a Belguardo Vermentino 2013, of Mazzei, Vermentino di Toscana I.G.T, which uses 100% Vermentino grapes. The Vermentino grapes grow in soil comprised of sandstone and limestone which can give the wine minerality, in other words a salty taste in the mouth that makes your mouth water. The minerality of the wine pair well with the saltiness of the fried baccalà, Vermentino in fact pairs well with fish and seafood in general. The fresh acidity of the wine also paired well with the acidity of the lemon conserve, and the notes of peach brought out the sweetness of the candied tomato and sautéed vegetables. The other Mazzei wine presented during the evening was the 2008 Philip paired with the ribollita, a 100% Cab whose intense flavors and innovative concept are found in its namesake, Mazzei ancestor Philip Mazzei who played a big role in the American Revolution after striking up friendships in the New World with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
The second primo we presented was a Maltagliati buckwheat pasta tossed with a traditional duck ragu that had been braised for many hours with juniper berries, bay leaves, and cloves. The wine paired wine was a Chianti Classico Riserva 2011, Capanelle Rosso D.O.C.G which uses the Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo Tuscan grape varieties and pairs well with stewed and braised meat. If left to aerate, aromas of moss, juniper, and wild fennel develop. Guests often commented on the smoothness and mature finish of this particular wine. The juniper berry flavor in the dish helped intensify the same aromas in the wine. Capannelle also produced the 2006 Solare made from Sangiovese and Malvasia Nera, a pert and mineral red that offset the fattier flavors of the beef cheek secondo.
Lastly we served a sweet wine, a 2008 Vin Santo made by Santa Cristina. Santa Cristina opened and closed the evening, thanks to the Cipresseto rosé and the Le Maestrelle red served at the garden reception followed by the dessert wine at the meal’s conclusion. The Vin Santo is a Valdichiana D.O.C., and uses Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia that have been dried on racks for 4 months to concentrate the sugar in the grapes. The wine has notes of toasted hazelnuts, honey, and dried fruit, well-balanced matches for the “Light Brown” dessert featuring milk chocolate mousse, caramel, and praline. The nuttiness coming from the hazelnut notes brought out the praline flavors and aromas, and the caramel notes intensified the caramel flavors in the dessert. Both the wine and the dessert have silkiness to them, which finished the evening on a sweet note (literally).