0911 landing

During the 2011 Food & Wine Entertaining Showcase we attended in Chicago, we tasted foods from some of the best restaurants in Chicago, including:  

Next (Grant Achatz and Dave Beran)
Avec (Koren Grieveson) 
Girl & The Goat (Stephanie Izard), 
The Bristol (Chris Pandel)
Hot Chocolate (Mindy Segal) 
Blackbird (David Posey and Paul Kahan)

Not only did we eat, but we drank! Tastings were provided and supported by Castello Banfi, FIJI water, Joel Gott Wines, Kim Crawford, Patron Tequila, Robert Mondavi, Stella Artois and Tito’s Handmade Vodka were some of the drinks served throughout the night.

One of the main activities was a Wine Seminar for 50 participants took place in the Kanter Room of the Museum of Contemporary Art hosted by Robert Mondavi Winery. During an hour, Mark Eberwein guided us through an informative and delicious pairing. Discover these amazing wines, which I’m sure would be perfect for your holiday table.

“An Expression of Terroir” with Robert Mondavi Winery
Presented by Mark Eberwein, a Food & Wine Top Sommerlier of 2011 and Director of Food and Beverage at the St. Regis Deer Valley. 

2009 Robert Mondavi Winery; To Kalon Vineyard Fume Blanc Reserve
Made up of 98% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Semillon, this wine had citrusy aromas, specifically of grapefruit and some audience members picked up cardadmom and ginger.

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Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleon; Snapper Ceviche Shooter

2005 Robert Mondavi Winery; To Kalon Vineyard Fume Blanc Reserve

made up of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon, this wine opened up so much more than the first, changing the citrus aromas to slightly sweet (peach) aromas and toasty oak.  It has 15% alcohol by volume.

2001 Robert Mondavi Winery; To Kalon Vineyard Fume Blanc Reserve
My favorite of the whites, this wine has 14.5% alcohol and Robert Mondavi Winery attributes its rich texture to the barrel fermentation and aging. Made up of 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon. Notes of minerality and spices can be found in this wine.

2008 Robert Mondavi Winery; Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, this was pure berry heaven! Filled with notes of blueberry and dark cherries, the combined tartness and sweetness made this wine a definite win for me. Some participants detected dark chocolate, yum!

2007 Robert Mondavi Winery; Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
One of the wines that had the highest alcohol levels, at 15.9%, this Cabernet Sauvignon would pair perfectly with any dish based on sweet potatoes or squash. I’m thinking a dessert pairing of Pumpkin Pie and a glass of this. Made up of 90 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.

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1998 Robert Mondavi Winery; Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

For this wine, I’m copying the winemaker’s notes exactly as is, because it’s almost wine poetry the way Robert Mondavi Winery describes this wine: 
“Rich layers of cassis, boysenberry and black cherry slowly unfold in out Robert Mondavi 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Intriguing nuances of spice, cedar forest and licorice heighten the wine’s complexity. The excellent structure, with broad, muscular tannins and a long, velvety finish, promises even greater development with bottle aging for 15 or more years. Our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is made from several highly acclaimed Napa Valley vineyards, primarily from the Oakville District, that we have chosen as having the most expressive fruit character and finest balance of vintage. Extended maceration, a long malolactic fermentation and aging in new French oak barrels, captured and enhanced the wine’s expression of vineyard terroir.“

It was an incredible night, filled with delicious bites of food from the best chefs and restaurants in Chicago and we were lucky to be guests in this event, being able to taste and drink from every display. Stay tuned for my next post with a few Patron Tequila recipes, as well as photos of what we ate that night!
Disclaimer: American Express provided me with two complimentary tickets to the event but did not ask me to write this post and all opinions here are my own, as always.

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5 Comments

  1. i miss drinking wine! i hope one day soon i can start wine sampling!

    Reply

  2. This sounds amazing! Love wine pairings and how the different wines can affect the different foods.

    Reply

  3. I love how the food was served, that wooden fork looks so beautiful! It really does look like you had an amazing trip! Hugs, Terra

    Reply