California Wine Month Peaks with Grand Tasting in San Francisco

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovWhat would we do without our Governor’s decision to proclaim September a California Wine Month? We would probably think that months January through December are as good for drinking wine in California, but the beginning of Fall obviously holds its own as ripe time for harvests and new releases. Mid-September, The Wine Institute and California Association of Winegrape Growers put together an educational event, Unexpected Grapes from Unexpected Places, featuring over 100 California wines from Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lake, Livermore Valley, Lodi, Madera, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma. The grand testing of diverse local wines ended up with a food and wine pairing seminar “Daring Pairings” led by Evan Goldstein and named after his popular book, at Hotel Vitale, San Francisco.In a classroom-like setting, Master Sommelier shared some of his enormous knowledge and experience in the art of selecting the right wine for the right dish, and – who knew that education can be so much fun! After being greeted at the door with a glass of Anderson Valley 2006 Handley Cellars Brut Rose, the seminar participants were invited to thoughtfully taste six selected CA wines paired with specially prepared bites, good to be served at room temperature and nuanced enough to suit a couple of different varietals. For those who can’t wait to try it at home, here’s a detailed report of the daring pairings by Mr. Goldstein:
1. Sonoma County 2009 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc (which is the same as Sauvignon Blanc, as he kindly explained) and Santa Barbara County 2009 Tensley “Camp 4 Vineyard” Blanc (four different grapes, a lot of aromatics) paired with halibut crudo with shaved radish, [mysterious] sea bean, and lemon.
2. Russian River Valley 2009 Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir (leader in the pinot category of the region; a “silver bullet” for any table, nicely paired with fish, chicken, lamb, etc…) and Paso Robles 2008 Denner Vineyards Grenache (textured, smooth, and creamy) paired with duck roulade with fresh figs.
3. Napa Valley 2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (tannic and rich) and Livermore 2006 Concannon Vineyard Reserve Petite Sirah (deep and full-bodied) paired with short rib bruschetta on toast with conserved tomatoes.
Throughout his presentation, Mr. Goldstein emphasized the importance of California, which produces 9 out 10 bottles of wine in the U.S., and explained the five building blocks for wine – acidity, oak, tannin, alcohol, and sugar. He encouraged everyone to be daring and experiment more: “With experience, wine and food pairing becomes intuitive, just like learning a foreign language,” and concluded with the most important lesson: “Wine is personal, trust your own taste.” The book: Evan Goldstein, Daring Pairings. 2010 University of California Press. More information at: www.wineinstitute.org.