The Life of Vines

 

 

Thanks to wine.com for sending along this infographic in honor of Earth Day! To delve further, I recommend picking up Alice Feiring’s book Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally
 

 

 

Thursday April 5th marked the 20th Anniversary of the Waltham Food and Wine Festival. Held at the Westin Waltham, this event benefited the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation and provided a great showcase for local restaurants spread around the room. Portions were generous and cheerfully doled out. Definitely a fun way to spend an evening!

 

Solea showcased two paella options – vegan and gluten free on one side and a more traditional version with seafood and chorizo on the other. That’s a lot of paella!

 

 

Habenero’s Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, located on Moody Street, served a Maine lobster and shrimp ceviche with an poblano pepper and tequila sauce.

 

Other notable bites included Tempo American Bistro’s Philly Steak and Cheese Spring Rolls – flaky dough stuffed with tender steak and melted cheese – and Seventy@3rd’s Pan seared rainbow trout with wilted spinach and citrus beurre blanc drizzle. This is not an event you will leave hungry!

 

Throughout the evening, a silent auction took place in the lobby with many things to bid on such as gym memberships and local excursions. This one donated by Prospect Hill Forge was the most unusual one – I’d be impressed by anyone who could make, or use, this corkscrew!

 

Entertainment throughout the evening included live music by the Waltham Philharmonic Chamber Players and Pianist David Salstein. Live cooking demonstrations included Chef Patricia Estorino of Gustazo Cuban Cafe, Chef German Lam of Glam Foods LLC, and Chef Jose Duarte of Taranta.

 

Jose is Massachusetts 2011 Chef of the Year and is extremely dedicated to the community. He is a staple in the charity circuit, sharing his passion for food with everyone he meets. After providing information on sustainable seafood, he gave a demonstration with Miss Massachusetts Natalie Pietrzak on how to make ceviche. If you haven’t been to Taranta in the North End, check it out – where else can you have Peruvian-Italian?

 

 

 

Rick Gordon of Gordon’s Fine Wine & Liquors personally selected the wines for the event. After being recognized for this great support of the community, Rick received a personal Happy Birthday from the attendees.

 

The wines were crowd pleasers such as A to Z Pinot Noir, Chateau St Michele Riesling, 14 hands Merlot, and Clos Du Val Chardonnay and Cabernet. Most wines served were US wines, with a few Italian, Spanish, and French thrown in. I was happy to see a Famille Perrin Cote du Rhone among the offerings.

 

I was able to find a thoroughly enjoyable Greek wine, elios. Perhaps not expecting an adventurous crowd, the server described this as a Cabernet and Syrah mix, even though the primary grape is Agiorgitiko. Although the wine selection was nicely varied and paired well with the food provided, it may have been nice to have a few less usual choices among the staples.

 

Finishing off the night with something sweet was easy to do, with options from Taranta, Waltham High School Culinary Arts, and Edible Arrangments. I just love those chocolate covered strawberries!

 

I attended this event on a press pass provided by BT Industrials, Inc.

 

Earlier this week I participated in a tasting of five 2010 Beaujolais Crus received as samples from Gwendolyn Osborn of wine.com. Yann Bourigault, Export Director for Georges Duboeuf, was on video stream to walk us through the tastings and answer questions.

 

 

Beaujolais Cru, coming from 10 specific villages, are food friendly wines that provide an excellent value for the price. Often described as white wine masquerading as red, these wines can provide a good transition for those white wine lovers looking to expand. Yann and Gwendolyn recommended trying the wines with black wine tasting glasses (which obscure the color of the wine) to see whether folks can tell if these wines are red or white. Sounds fun to me!

 

The number one thing Jann has learned working with Duboeuf ? “It’s all about the wine.” Mr Duboeuf still tastes 300-400 wines a day – this at almost 80 years old! I guess that’s how you hang onto your title as the king of Beaujolais.

 

One of the questions I had for Yann was regarding the ageability of these wines. Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Villages are meant to be consumed pretty much right away, but how do the Cru hold up? According to Yann, a lot depends on which Cru it is and also how you like your Beaujolais. The Brouilly will hold for 4 or 5 years while a  Moulin-A-Vent from a good vintage can age for 20 years.

 

Jann noted that if you prefer your Beaujolais fruity, then aging is probably not the best option. Over time, Beaujolais will lose the fruit and develop more complex aromatic profiles such as cinnamon, cigar box, and black truffles. I have personally never tried an aged Beaujolais but would love to hear from others who have what they think.

 

Here are the wines tasted and my thoughts:

 

2010 Brouilly ($14.99): My least favorite of the night, fruity but not overwhelmingly so. A little flat in comparison to the others. Wouldn’t seek out.

2010 Fleurie Domaine des Quatre Vents ($18.99): Most taking part in the tasting liked this one the best. Well balanced, almost pinot noir like with a nice spiciness on the finish. Would buy.

2010 Morgon Jean Descombes ($15.99): The deepest in color of all the wines tried. At first I found this one too fruity and almost effervescent. Over time, it calmed down but I wouldn’t rush out to buy.

2010 Moulin-a-Vent ($15.99): My favorite of the night. Full bodied, nice balance of spice and fruit. Would buy.

2010 Julienas Chateau des Capitans ($18.99): Always enjoyable. Read more about it here.

 

Jann’s recommended food pairings included dishes such as Beef bourguignon and sausages cooked in wine. For vegetarians, he recommended mushroom based dishes such as risotto. I paired these wines with a panzanella salad and pasta with red sauce and mussels. Both worked well!

 

Thanks to Gwen, Yann, and all those who participated in the tasting – very informative!