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.
