Porktastic Dinner!

The Stay At Home Winos were fortunate to participate in the "Devine Swine Grilling Event" last Friday evening, sponsored by the O'Fallon Parks and Recreation Department!  It was a beautiful cool evening in the park where Chef Brian Taborski and his Sous Chef Brady grilled a fantastic menu and the Winos paired the dishes with three great wines for about 30 guests.  The food was generously donated by various vendors, as was the Chefs' and Stay At Home Winos' time.  The Regency and Hilton Garden Inn offered a wonderful wait staff as well as the serving items.

There are few people who don't enjoy pork in some form or fashion.  Until Friday evening, I had no idea how many different ways pork can be served, not to mention prepared on a grill!  Further, I was pleasantly surprised at how so many diverse wines crossed traditional lines to pair with each dish!

Chefs Brian and Brady demonstrated grilling techniques to the guests and fielded questions about such things as proper grilling temperatures and the reasons wet wood chips are used when grilling. Participants were able to put the information to the test when they grilled their own maple glazed, pecan wood wrapped pork tenderloin medallions.  While the Chefs imparted their knowledge, a suckling pig "Norman" was being prepared in another area.

The following was the delicious menu:
   
     Butternut squash soup with cinnamon creme fraiche
     Maple glazed pecan wood wrapped pork tenderloin medallion
     Pecan wood smoked apple and cherry stuffed pork loin
     Roasted honey glazed root vegetables (red and gold beets, turnips, parsnips, carrots)
     Sweet potato and chorizo hash (very spicy!)
     Cherry Clafouti (Almost like a soufflé)

The Stay At Home Winos were able to taste the meal in advance and picked three delicious wines to pair with the menu.  The following are the three wines:

     Chateau St. Michelle Gewürztraminer - ($14.99) - A fan favorite, the Gewurztraminer is an 
     enjoyable wine with an exuberant fruit and clove spice.  This is a lush style of Gewurztraminer with 
     a lot of floral character, yet it still maintains the grape’s natural crisp character.  Try this with Thai 
     food or any cuisine with a little “bite” to it.  Serving temperature: 45 to 50 degrees. 
   
     Cloudline Pinot Noir ($14.48) - On the nose, there is an immediate burst of bright, fresh red fruits, 
     including strawberry and raspberry, followed by an earthy quality. On the palate, the wine has fine
     texture, soft tannins, good acidity and a strong core of fruit. It is a wine that offers immediate 
     pleasure, on its own, or better yet,in the company of a delicious meal.  Serving temperature: 58 to 63 
     degrees.    
 
     Cline Ancient Vine Zinfandel ($14.99) - To taste the depth and complexity of flavor of an ancient 
     vine grape just before it is harvested is to understand why the wine made from them is so special. 
     Ancient Vines Zinfandel has flavors of dark berries, coffee and chocolate with great vanilla oak 
     character and a long lingering finish. This wine has it roots in the Cline family’s 80 to 100-year old 
     vines in Oakley. From these historic holdings the wine has grown to include grapes sourced from
     California’s finest zinfandel regions.  Serving temperature: 60 to 67 degrees.

The Gewürztraminer definitely stole the show, as guests truly saw how this wine with the "hard to pronounce name" really paired well with the pork and spicy food.  Having said that, the Pinot Noir and Zinfandel were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, as well.

We are so excited when we are able to help people who enjoy wine break out of their shells and try wines they would not normally try.  We Winos have made it our own mission to try wines that fall outside of our norm.  We find there are so many preconceived notions about types of wines and people don't realize how much is out there!  For example, most guests were used to "white zinfandel" and were pleasantly surprised to try the Ancient Vine Zinfandel by Cline Cellars.  

Overall, it was a glorious evening of fine food, fine wine, and fine folks!  This was the second such event the O'Fallon Parks and Recreation Department has offered and I can speak for the Stay At Home Winos when I say how much we are looking forward to the next event!  

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week

 

Yield:  a measurement of a vineyard's production. In general lower yields are associated with a higher quality wine. Ancient Vine Zinfandel wines generally have a lower yield than a newer Zinfandel vineyard.

  

Carignane-An Unexpected Surprise!

I enjoy wandering through a wine shop looking at all the wines available, some familiar and some not so familiar. Lately I’ve been exploring Italian wines, learning about unfamiliar grapes and regions and trying to find new wines to taste.

 

What a pleasant surprise I had recently when I discovered a new wine, not from Italy, but from a familiar source much closer to home, Cline Cellars, at one of my favorite wine shops, Fezziwig’s Marketplace. The wine:  Cline Ancient Vine Carignane.

 

Carignane (Karen-yawn) is a widely planted grape in Southern France, especially Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence regions. It is grown mainly as a grape to blend with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvédre and as a table wine in France. The French began widespread planting of this grape after Algeria became an independent nation and France lost its inexpensive source for Carignane. In Spain the grape is known as Mazuelo (mah-zoo-eh-loh) and is grown in the Rioja region for blending with Tempranillo in the production of Reserva and Grans Reserva Riojas. In Italy Carignane is known as Carignano and grows best in the Southwest corner of Sardinia. Carignane is also grown in Algeria and California.

The Carignane grape is bluish-black in color with large round, thick skins. It is not usually known for its aroma. This variety is known to mutate like the Pinot Noir grape. France recognizes 25 clones of the Carignane grape. It is naturally high in acidity and tannins which adds to its value as a blending grape. It is known for high yields and requires a long, warm growing season.

So you may be wondering what possessed me to write about a grape that is mainly used as a work horse blending grape. The answer to that question is ancient vines! Ancient Vine Carignane is believed to have stronger aromas with notes of black plum and vegetal aromas. And they naturally have lower yields which elevate the tasting experience. I found this to be the case when I had my first bottle of Carignane.




When I first opened the 2010 Cline Ancient Vine Carignane I found the nose to be an explosion of chocolate, dark fruits, and cloves. I so much enjoyed the nose on this wine that I couldn’t wait to try it! I was not disappointed. This wine has wonderful dark berry flavors with a nice touch of spice. Just think Zinfandel, but bigger and bolder. I found it to be nicely balanced, and would pair well with firm cheeses, pizza, grilled meats, and dark chocolate. Or even better yet at only $18 a bottle, share with some friends around a fire, on a cool, fall night.

Cheers!

Beth


                                                      WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

Length: When we call wines long or short, we're not referring to the size of the bottle or how quickly we empty it. Length is a word used to describe a wine that gives an impression of going all the way on the palate--you can taste it across the full length of your tongue--instead of stopping short halfway through your tasting of it.  Many wines today are very upfront on the palate--they make a big impression as soon as you taste them--but they don't go the distance in your mouth; they're short.  Generally, high alcohol or excess tannin is to blame.  Length is a sure sign of high quality!