Wine Pairings

[dnjan]

We lurkers eagerly await your update ...

(living vicaroulsy through others' consumption)

 

[John in Covina]

Wine Pairing

My greatest wine pairing experience was on my Las Vegas birthday celebration last summer. We had dinner at the Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino restaurant which is located in the Venetian Hotel and Casino. Valentino’s is perhaps my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas, although shamefully I must admit that I have not yet visited their Santa Monica location. I have dined at their LV location some six times and every dinner was an extraordinary dining experience. With celebration in mind, four of the seven at my party selected the chef's top tasting menu on that July evening of 2007. I am glad to report that the gasps of pleasure, ohhing, ahhhing and exclamations of total culinary delight came with each course served. They brought out the wines first so you could sip it and get an idea of how the would stand alone, then the food course would come out and you then got the reaction of the food and wine pairing. The greatest surprise was the Pinot Noir which did not seem as fine a tasting example worthy of the level of dining so far, but when the duck cannelloni and the seared foie gras was tasted with the wine some type of magic occurred. The food course was superb but the very soul of the wine seemed to instantly change when tasted with the food, making it an irresistible combination! It was culinary magic at it’s best.

Valentino Chef’s Extravaganza as of July 2007 was a seven course tasting meal ($105) that was best then paired with the chef’s personal wine picks ($60) to make an astonishing meal and wine pairing that is as close as food get to intimate relations. Here are the seven course and the wine pairing listed under the dish:

Oysters on the half shell with champagne and Osetra Caviar topping.
Wine Pairing: Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Champagne

Steamed lobster salad, grapefruit dressing, crispy beets and quail eggs.
Wine: Abbazia di Novecella, Kerner

Alaskan halibut with purple potato gnocchi and mushroom broth
Wine: Peliserro Barbaresco

Duck Cannelloni with seared foie gras
Wine: Kingston Tobianno Pinot Noir

Australian Wagyu Beef Medallion with Marsala sauce and Asparagus over truffled Montasio Cheese.
Wine: Masi Contasera Amarone

Blue Cheese rolled in Pecans with pear compote
Wine: La Dauphin du Guiraud Sauternes

Chilled Maracuya and strawberry mousse with Caribbean Chocolate Sorbet
Wine: Ca Dei Mandorli, Brachetto d’Acqui

It was an exquisite experience and with out a doubt, worth every penny.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Champagne
QUOTE]

Pray, dear Sir, explain ¿where in Champagne doth Schramsberg grow vines?

 

[John in Covina]

http://www.schramsberg.com/blanc_de_blancs.html

I am writing what they talked about maybe they said a champagne like substance, the whole "it can't be champagne if it is not French thing," has been argued previously. All I know is it was as good or better than most champagne. Nobody ever said it can't be beer if it isn't German.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Champagne
QUOTE]
Pray, dear Sir, explain ¿where in Champagne doth Schramsberg grow vines?

 

[MissMissy]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this, my child has been sick. The dinner went really well, I went with a pinot noir The best part was I didn't feel so worried about my choice so again, thank you all for sharing your knowlege!

Missy

 

[MissMissy]

Ooops, I forgot to say which one. It was a Ken Wright pinot noir. Why??, cause I liked the picture on the label lol lol but also I asked the gentleman at the wine store and he said he liked it.