Please get to know about the man who stands before you in class each week. Few humans will ever reach his stature, knowledge and compassion for service. We are fortunate to learn from a man described in this article as “the brightest star of the evening”, how true those words are.
Learning about the regions Red Hook Sources grapes from.
I enjoyed today’s class immensely and found so much value in all that was expressed by students, Christopher and Prof. Dagorn, MS. Keep exploring your senses, exercising your brain and setting new goals.
The barrel is so important, learning about how it is treated pre-harvest added a great complexity to the day.
My view of students and Christopher through the de-stemmer.
Barrel tasting. May of these students did this for the very first time.
Reflection of the hat water soak.
Pre-fermentation cold soak of Pinot Noir.
Pre-fermentation cold soak to extract color and tannins differently than post-fermentation.
Team #1 Hamilton & Alecia
The Menu Item in which my group was given is, Baked Fish Filet with Tomatoes and Mushrooms.
Menu Description:
The baked fish is baked to a tenderness and the end result is flaky. The tomatoes and the mushrooms are sautéed and create a light sauce. The tomato sauce would naturally add acidity and sweetness to the dish which cuts the fat of the fish.
Three wines which I feel would pair well with this fish are :
1. Mont Redon Cotes du Rhône,2017 (33% Viognier, 33% Grenache, 33%Roussane)
2. Grand Jardin Rose, 2017( 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon)
3. Uivo Renegado ( Portuguese blend)
The wine I feel would best pair with the Baked Fish Filet with Tomatoes and Mushrooms is the Mont Redon Cotes du Rhône. The Cotes du Rhone, otherwise known as C.D.R. is a well know blend of the Rhône Varietals. This wine is from the southern Rhône Valley, France and the vintage is 2017. Typically, white wines are paired with fish, but many don’t know that we can pair grapes that make red wine in a white blend. For example, 1/3 of this blend is composed of Grenache grapes.
The climate of the Rhône Valley is typically considered to be continental with very harsh winters. This climate allows for comfortable conditions with thicker skinned grapes. The soil in the Rhône valley is dominated by small pebbles. As far as this wine is concerned, all fermentation and aging is done in steel. Therefore, there is no evidence of oak, which is not uncommon for a white C.D.R. This wine does about 6 months of aging in the bottle before it is put on the market.
This wine is a straight forward wine with aromas of fresh stone fruit (peach, pear
and quince) and ripe golden apples. This wine is a medium body wine with medium acidity. A medium body wine is perfect for this dish because anything with a fuller body would over power the dish.
Being that vintage is young, the wines acidity would best compliment the acidity of the sauce. Not only would it compliment acidity, but this wine would also coat the flakiness of the fish.
Team #3: Janice G. & Craig R.
Menu item: Broiled Salmon with Béarnaise Sauce, Pommes Natures and Sauteed Zucchini
Description: Nice seared exterior Salmon, with a juicy and tender interior, to be served with a creamy, buttery Béarnaise sauce. Lightly boiled potatoes and tender cooked zucchini covered lightly with sprinkled garlic, to be served on the side.
Wine Pairings:
2018 Groth Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
2018 Rombauer Chardonnay Napa Valley
2016 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Valley
I choose the 2018 Groth Sauvignon Blanc wine from Napa Valley to pair great with this dish. It is medium yellow in color, with clear clarity. No evidence of sediment was present and rim variation was slight, due to it being a young wine. It has a fruity smell of apples, with a smooth refreshing aroma of herbs. This wine gives off a clean scent that is soothing and calming. On the palate it feels smooth, with low intensity. The acidity level was medium and the finish was dry. Sweetness level was low and the body dry.
Groth winery is located in the Napa Valley, which is made up a very diverse wine region, which has several different climate zones. The southern part of Napa is cooler than the northern part due to the cool ocean air, coming in from the San Francisco Bay. Groth’s vineyard is situated in the Oakville AVA, which lies in the southern part of the region. They are known for its full bodied, rich and complex wines that age gracefully. Since Oakville is located on the floor of the valley, the weather there is cooler which produces a more acidic grape. This weather pattern, creates excellent soil for the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety. The soils on the floor of Napa Valley, are deep, fertile and rich in minerals. The valley floor absorbs summer heat, but also attracts the breezes of the Pacific Ocean, creating a cooling fog during early to mid morning. It is during the early morning hours, that this cooling effect allows the slow process of the ripening of the grapes. Wines produced from the fertile valley floors of Napa are generally richer and riper, with higher alcohol levels.
References:
Exploring Wine by Steven Koplan, Brian H. Smith and Michael A. Weiss
Team #6: Jia Yi Zou & Kai Yin Lee
Menu Item: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Description: Marinated grilled skirt steak served with string beans with toasted almonds, alongside golden fried potato croquettes. Accompanied by a Chimichurri sauce which is an uncooked sauced made up of chopped parsley and cilantro, minced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, oregano and red wine vinegar providing an herbaceous and citrusy sauce.
Wine pairings: Kendall-Jackson 2012 Avant Red (California)
Domaine de Triennes Méditerranée St.-Auguste 2015 Provence, France
Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
The wine I had chosen to pair with the skirt steak was the Domaine de Triennes Méditerranée St.-Auguste 2015 which contains a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Steak and red wines has always been a classic wine pairing where one of the main reasons that they pair so well together is because the tannins help to soften the fat in the meat to release its flavor where this fat then helps to mellow out the astringencies of the wine and in turn also helps to release the fruitiness of the wine. The Cabernet-Merlot-Syrah blend is known for its full-bodied mouthfeel and tannic style of wine which really help with cleansing the mouth of fat after taking a bite from the juicy steak. This specific wine has a is rich dark purple color with hints of bright ruby. The wine has a strong aroma of blackcurrant, ripe black cherries and plums with hints of vanilla, clove and nutmeg. The wine provides a medium full body and has flavors of riper black cherries, plums as well as hints of leather, coffee and a slight earthy smokiness which does well to accentuate the charred flavors of the grilled skirt steak. The wine is known for its silky tannins and also has a peppery finish with it as well.
The region of Provence is known for its dry and Mediterranean climate as well as its spicy and full-flavored red wines making up about a third of their region’s production. Within Provence is an IGP called Vin de Pays de Méditérranée where IGPs are areas known for geographical origin rather than focusing in style and tradition. Places like Bandol and Les Baux de Provence in Provence are known for their red wine blends especially with the use of Mourvèdre grape varietal.
Diamond John
Team#4
Jesus and I are group 4 of our wine project. Our menu item is Beef Jardiniere and Duchess Potatoes. This is a braised beef stew that is fatty and savory. The potatoes are creamy and smooth, and soak up the juices of the stew. This is a dish that will typically be eaten during the winter. This dish is something that is filling and warming on the palate. To balance the slight heaviness of this dish we would need to cut the fat with a slightly acidic red wine that is medium bodied. The three wines that I thought best would suit this menu item are:
2016 Paso Robles Meritage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
2011 Livermore Valley blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
2018 Napa Valley Zinfandel with a blend of Malbec
The wine that sticks out to me the most for this dish would be a Paso Robles 2016 meritage wine of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a bit of Petite Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon naturally has thicker skin and pungent acidity. To balance out this acidity, there is the benefits of adding Merlot to the blend. Merlot is a larger grape which has thinner skin and more “fruity” tendencies. This wine would be the perfect balance of acidity, fruit aromas, tannins and body. This specific wine has been aging since 2016 therefore it should have picked up some viscosity but just perfectly enough to highlight the stew. Paso Robles, Central Coast, California is southern in the state. The climate of Paso Robles would be continental. However, with climatic influences from the St. Lucia Range, the pacific ocean and the Salinas river, Paso Robles is ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon can withhold the californian sun due to it’s thick skin and, Merlot is a juicy grape that thrives off of the sun to increase the sugars. Grape blend to pair with our menu item.
Team 5, Jaei Lee & Joselyn R.
Menu Item : Grilled Lamb “Steaks” Hache with Ratatouille.
Description : Chopped grilled lamb steak topped with tomato sauce Serving with roasted oven fingerlings, ratatouille including green & yellow squash, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs and hint of sea salt.
Paring Wines :
Chosen Wine : Ken wright Cellar Pinot Noir 2016
I choose “Ken wright Cellar Pinot Noir 2016” to pair with “Grilled Lamb “Steaks” Hache with Ratatouille”because of the rich juiciness of grilled lamb, refreshingness of ratatouille, and sweet acid tomato sauce. Pinot Noir is known for its deep earthiness, with grapey aroma, but there isn’t much of fruitiness in flavor. So I thought it would be best to wine to balance with not only the steak, but ratatouille and tomato sauce.
Willamette valley AVA old volcanic and sedimentary wine region that is located in Oregon. It is known to have mild climate throughout entire year, with cool temperature. Because it is wet during winter, and warm during summer, most of the rainfall only occurs during winter. During the growing season, valley is warm during days and cool during nights, diurnal temperature grapes to develop their flavor and complexity while retaining their natural acidity. Also due to the sedimentary based soils, it is great condition for grapes to become superior quality of wine. It is just right viticulture for growing Pinot Noir.
Oregon wines are known for its excellent quality of wine. And its reputation comes from primarily Pinot Noir, and the following of Pinot Gris, Rieseling, chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer.Oregon does not allow generic labeling of wine, and wines labelled as varietal must be made from at least 90 percent of the named variety with only exception of Cabernet Sauvignon which allows the minimum of 75 percent. To get more detail about Pinot Noir, because Pinot noir skins have low tannin concentrations winemakers use the grape seeds and stems as supplementary sources of tannins. During the skin contact of red wine vinification, colour and tannins are extracted from the skins, grape seeds and stems and occur in the juice or wine. In the case of Pinot noir, traditionally skin contact methods focussed on the optimisation of such extractions
Team #3: Janice G. & Craig R.
Menu item: Broiled Salmon with Béarnaise Sauce, Pommes Natures and Sauteed Zucchini
Salmon fillet cooked and broiled until buttery and flaky with a crispy skin, served with a creamy mildly acidic Béarnaise Sauce. Gently steamed potatoes and lightly sauteed herbed zucchini on the side.
Wine Pairings:
2015 Schramsberg blanc de blanc Chardonnay Napa Valley CA
2016 Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay Columbia Valley WA
2018 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough, NZ
The sparkling blanc de blanc Schramsberg wine from Napa Valley California would pair lovely with the creamy buttery salmon dish due to its subtle acidity which can tone down the fat and creaminess found in the salmon, Béarnaise, and potatoes; while the soft toasty yeast notes can enhance the dish’s light flavor profiles found in each component.
Chardonnay, being one of the most popular grapes grown in California, is very versatile when it comes to wine. In the north coast of Napa Valley, Chardonnay, along with many other grapes, bears more intense flavors and acidity due to the cooling temperature the fog brings into the bay. Winds coming from the north and the south of the Pacific creates a layer of fog that rolls east into the bay, cooling the grapes at first, which then dissipates and warms up once the sun hits the fog. The change in temperature creates stress on the vines, allowing grapes to grow with stronger intense flavors. Vinification includes as many methods as possible, including the traditional method for sparkling wine. According to Schramsberg’s website, the wine is aged on the yeast lees for over two years, prior to disgorgement, creating some complexity in the wine while keeping its ability to maintain structure and refine finish. California has proved it’s worth in world class viticulture and vinification, being able to produce fine wine that matches those around the world, such as Schramsberg’s blanc de blanc sparkling Chardonnay to pair well with the broiled salmon and Béarnaise sauce.
N.A. (2016) Vineyards. Schramsberg. Retrieved from
When hearing about steak you automatically have thoughts of pairing with an aromatic oaky red wine. And it is the case for the grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce. The tangy, salsa Argentinian sauce complements the skirt steak to a mouth watering dish best for the summer. Chimichurri sauce is an uncooked sauce made with finely chopped parsley and garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. The prominent ingredients to flavor are parsley and garlic. Skirt steak are the most flavorful meat out all of the other steak cuts. This cut of steak can easily be grilled on high levels of heat and absorbs the flavors of sauces quite well.
The first thing that comes to mind when pairing steak with wine is that red meat goes well with red wine. Three red wine I feel that is great wine pairing are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. When you think of steak people usually go for Cabernet Sauvignon because it’s full-bodied, fruity, dry and complex wine; also the most demanding wine in the world. But for lean cuts of beef and refreshing sauce like chimichurri sauce; I feel that Merlot is the best fit because it fruity, smooth, and less acidity.
Merlot are grown in many major regions around the world, including California, USA. Merlot grown in warmer climate (like California) which means more exposure from the sun equals more sugar in the grapes will lead a higher percentage of alcohol and less acidity. Due to all the mountain ranges in California, the wind shade effect are good stressful environment (for example: water stress and dry soil) for vines to strive to survive becoming quality grapes. The appearance of Merlot is dark garnet red, light to medium intensity, can be young or aged. To the nose is smells clean, medium intensity, fruity (black cherry, raspberry and plum), oaky vanilla, grapey and usually around 12-15% alcohol. For the taste, Merlot is definitely fruitier, medium tannin and acidity, well balanced and smooth finished. Some winemakers would aged Merlot in oak barrels up to 24 months just to give more structure to the wine.
Team #6: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Listen and Learn. Karen Goodlad and Christopher Nicolson are interviewed by the Julia Child Foundation’s Todd Schulkin. Listen to the Podcast here.
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