Despite the many California wine makers over the past decade who have tried to create beverages that can stand alone, wine is really meant to complement and be complemented by food. When the mix is right, there is no marriage on earth more perfect, transitory as it may be. And there is no simpler way of proving the hypothesis than a wine maker’s dinner.
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What’s nice about these dinners, apart from getting to sample a lot of wine in an optimal setting, is that they keep things relatively simple: a bit about the grape, its harvest, and its aging without all the voodoo linguistics about aging temperatures, fermentation processes, and flavor that come at formal swish-and-spit tastings. You can ask questions from the audience–or, if you want to know something but don’t want to display your ignorance, the vintner makes the rounds and lets you ask privately. Of course, just like at other tastings, you have to put up with the occasional convoluted question designed more to draw attention to the asker’s knowledge than to elicit information. Dozens of restaurants are holding wine maker’s dinners these days, so it’s always worth asking at your favorite. What follows is only a sampling of recent dinners.
Forthcoming dinners at Bella Vista are November 4, Terrabianca wineries of Sienna, Italy, with Roberto and Maya Guldener; January 11, Geyser Peak of Alexander Valley, California, with Dennis Pasquenni; February 7, Steele wineries of Russian River, California, with Jed Steele; and March 14, Dievole of Tuscany with Mario Schwenn. The dinners usually feature five wines and six courses; they’re $45-$50 plus tax and tip. Call 404-0111.
Yoshi’s Cafe, the great Franco-Japanese restaurant in Lakeview (3257 N. Halsted) teamed up with a Japanese winery, Mercian, which also owns vineyards in California and Bordeaux and has won prizes in Europe. The pink and white wines made with the koshu grape were nothing to write home about–pale, almost watery, with no balance to their sweetness; however Yoshi’s superb assortment of kaiseki appetizers, including scallop mousse, foie gras in puff pastry, and tuna sushi, would be delicious even accompanied by tap water. On the other hand, Mercian’s 1988 cabernet, matched with a splendid grilled tuna in zinfandel sauce, could hold its own on any table. So could the impressive 1985 merlot, paired with venison loin in ginger sauce.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Loren Santow.
