Need wine help for dinner party

[Daniel]

Hi,

I am planning another dinner and would love everyone's help.. Here is a list of the menu. We will be making this for Friday night.. Thank you again..

Daniel

I. House Cured Pork Crostini

With this we are serving the heavily star anise cure pork with a sweet potato bacon mixture.. From the Frank Stitt Book

**Wine Pairing TBD**

II. Puree of Asparagus Soup with a Scallop Lemon Cream

Asparagus cream soup served with a grilled scallop tossed in a lemon cream..

**Wine Pairing TBD**

III. Roasted Quail with Sweet Apples & Pecans on Satur Farm Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD** The greens are going to have a balsamci reduction

IV. Sweet Potato Ravioli with Country Ham & Mustard Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD**Butter bacon sauce..

V. 72 Hour Shortrib on Southern Polenta

The short rib will be cooked in a red wine.. Basic things, carrots, bay, shallots,celery,veal stock..

Desserts VI.

Mulled Apple Cider Granite

Burnt Caramel Pot De Creme with Roasted Banana Ice Cream

**Wine Pairing TBD**

[bethala]

i've got some ideas. budget? save me a plate?

[Daniel]

Budget is nothing too crazy.. Anywhere from 10 bucks to about 30 or 40. These people arent real wine drinkers and am not trying to impress anyone with spending loot.. Looking for appropriate matches...

Thanks again.

[Rebel Rose]

Wow, what a menu. I kept thinking pinot, pinot, pinot. There are a range of pinot styles, from tight, sexy acidity to fuller voluptuously licorice styles. It might be interesting to select a range of pinots from a variety of regions, and demonstrate how the various styles pair well with different flavors.

The dessert will undoubtedly inspire suggestions of dessert wines with corresponding caramel flavors, but I suggest going with something lighter or it will be a caramel-flavor overload. Not a riesling, but perhaps a dessert viognier?

[bethala]

I. House Cured Pork Crostini

With this we are serving the heavily star anise cure pork with a sweet potato bacon mixture.. From the Frank Stitt Book

**Wine Pairing TBD**

←

pinon vouvray pétillant OR albert mann gewurtztraminer or crémant d'alsace.

II. Puree of Asparagus Soup with a Scallop Lemon Cream

Asparagus cream soup served with a grilled scallop tossed in a lemon cream..

**Wine Pairing TBD**

←

francois chidaine montlouis sur loire or clos baudoin vouvray (available at moore brothers), château de chamboureau savennières cuvée d'avant, or château de la roulerie anjou blanc -- basically a good, rich chenin blanc.

III. Roasted Quail with Sweet Apples & Pecans on Satur Farm Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD** The greens are going to have a balsamci reduction

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high acidity cabernet sauvignon (i'll let someone else weigh in here; this is not a strong area for me, but maybe an old bottle of grange des pères would work).

I. House Cured Pork Crostini

IV. Sweet Potato Ravioli with Country Ham & Mustard Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD**Butter bacon sauce..

←

assuming the sweet potatoes won't be too sweet, edmunds st. john zinfandel peay vineyard '01 (good, restrained, balanced zinfandel).

V. 72 Hour Shortrib on Southern Polenta

The short rib will be cooked in a red wine.. Basic things, carrots, bay, shallots,celery,veal stock..

←

big cornas or big grenache-heavy chateauneuf du pape, e.g., galet des papes.

Desserts VI.

Mulled Apple Cider Granite

Burnt Caramel Pot De Creme with Roasted Banana Ice Cream

**Wine Pairing TBD**

←

my preference is to not do dessert wine with dessert, so i'd say coffee, and then maybe some monbazillac. if you'd like to go a bit off the path after dessert, i'd recommend some eric bordelet poiré "granit", which will be nicely cleansing after quite a rich meal.

ok, can you tell i'm a francophile? a lot of these suggestions are likely to be available at some of my favorite manhattan wine shops: chambers street wines, moore brothers, and nancy's wines for food, where you'll also be able to have enthusiastic staff help you with your pairings.

this is my first wine post. hope the suggestions are helpful.

bon appétit!

beth

Edited October 10, 2006 by bethala (log)

[Daniel]

Wow, what a menu.  I kept thinking pinot, pinot, pinot.  There are a range of pinot styles, from tight, sexy acidity to fuller voluptuously licorice styles.  It might be interesting to select a range of pinots from a variety of regions, and demonstrate how the various styles pair well with different flavors.

The dessert will undoubtedly inspire suggestions of dessert wines with corresponding caramel flavors, but I suggest going with something lighter or it will be a caramel-flavor overload.  Not a riesling, but perhaps a dessert viognier?

←

Thanks that an interesting idea with the Pinots.. In terms of the desserts, I just purchased a dessert maple whiskey from Canada.. I might have to toss that in there. However, I would prefer to have it for myself.. So I might try the Viognier..

[Daniel]

Wow Bethala,

Thanks for your suggestionsl. I will have to go over this with my girl.. This might call for an early trip to the wine shop to "test" some of your suggestions..

[bethala]

In terms of the desserts, I just purchased a dessert maple whiskey from Canada.. I might have to toss that in there.

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Florence Fabricant recently wrote up a cooking calvados, called Reserve du Chef, that you might want to toss into the apple cider granite.

[Rebel Rose]

Great wine suggestions, bethala! You might give our resident food pairing expert, Katie Loeb, a run for the money!

[DTBarton]

Hi,

I am planning another dinner and would love everyone's help.. Here is a list of the menu. We will be making this for Friday night.. Thank you again..

Daniel

I. House Cured Pork Crostini

With this we are serving the heavily star anise cure pork with a sweet potato bacon mixture.. From the Frank Stitt Book

**Wine Pairing TBD**

I'd go with an Alsace Riesling

II. Puree of Asparagus Soup with a Scallop Lemon Cream

Asparagus cream soup served with a grilled scallop tossed in a lemon cream..

**Wine Pairing TBD**

New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

III. Roasted Quail with Sweet Apples & Pecans on Satur Farm Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD** The greens are going to have a balsamci reduction

As stated above, pinot, pinot, pinot!

IV. Sweet Potato Ravioli with Country Ham & Mustard Greens

**Wine Pairing TBD**Butter bacon sauce..

I think a nice Spanish Rioja

V. 72 Hour Shortrib on Southern Polenta

The short rib will be cooked in a red wine.. Basic things, carrots, bay, shallots,celery,veal stock..

Second the Chateau-neuf de Pape idea

Desserts VI.

Mulled Apple Cider Granite

Burnt Caramel Pot De Creme with Roasted Banana Ice Cream

**Wine Pairing TBD**

Not wine, but I'd probably be thinking irish coffee!

←

[KatieLoeb]

Great wine suggestions, bethala!  You might give our resident food pairing expert, Katie Loeb, a run for the money!

←

I'd hardly consider myself the resident expert, just someone that enjoys it both as the advice-giver and as an occasional participant in the festivities.

Thanks for the props though!

And yes bethala - fabulous suggestions! Both the Chidaine Montlouis and the Clos Boudoin are personal favorites. Good of you to toss my former employers at Moore Brothers a recommendation too! I love those guys...

[bethala]

thanks! it's a pleasure enjoying other people's meals vicariously and thinking about what wines to put with them. i love getting everyone's take on it, too.

daniel, this meal sounds fab, and you can take it many ways with the wines, from playing around with pinot noirs, which are so food friendly, to highlighting the sweet aspects of some of the dishes with wines from alsace and the loire valley, and germany, too. i think the key here is going to be keeping the wines lively and acidic enough to stand up to the sweet and fatty components of this lovely fall meal.

um, we'll talk about you saving me a plate later.

[Daniel]

Hey thank you again for your suggestions.. I am pretty excited to get into fall and winter cooking.. This is my favorite time of year. I really appreciate your help, as I try my hardest to appreciate wine. I am sorry to say, I know what I like, but dont understand the finer points.. G-d knows I drank enough wine to understand it by now..

I will be posting my dinner in the dinner thread and will definitely give you guys a heads up when I post Friday's Meal..

[Daniel]

Just called Moore Brothers they are very cool.. I actually read them the menu and your suggestions! Every bottle of wine is between 15-20 bucks.. She said all the choices were perfect!!! She also told me that she was checking to see with the owner if there might be a better wine with the asparagus.. Thanks again for your suggestions..

Daniel

[KatieLoeb]

Just called Moore Brothers they are very cool.. I actually read them the menu and your suggestions! Every bottle of wine is between 15-20 bucks.. She said all the choices were perfect!!!  She also told me that she was checking to see with the owner if there might be a better wine with the asparagus.. Thanks again for your suggestions..

Daniel

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[plattetude]

Just called Moore Brothers they are very cool.. I actually read them the menu and your suggestions! Every bottle of wine is between 15-20 bucks.. She said all the choices were perfect!!!  She also told me that she was checking to see with the owner if there might be a better wine with the asparagus.. Thanks again for your suggestions..

Daniel

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Yeah, they are certainly very cool. Figuratively AND literally. The whole shop (all three locations) are kept at a cool 56 degrees, so the retail floor is a veritable wine cellar.

And there's nothing better than walking in there with a vague budget, a vague idea of how many bottles and styles you want, and putting yourself in their hands. You'll invariably walk out with a ton of eminently drinkable (or cellarable, if that's your goal) and reasonably-priced wine, with your likes and dislikes, your cooking habits, your price point, taken fully into account as much as you can articulate them. And they're not shy to dig to help you articulate them, either.

Definitely worth a visit.

Christopher

[Daniel]

I went there early this evening to pick up my wines.. My girlfriend had worked with Jill over the phone. She picked out a total of 5 wines for us after hearing the description of the meal.. Jill, was just so helpfull.. The total bill before I arrived was 105 dollars. My girl went most expensive on the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine la Barroche 2003..$44.. Thank you Bethala. I will write the others down later with photos of the meal..

When I got there I wanted to pick up a few bottles for the next coming days. I purchased 4 different Sparkling Whites on Jills suggestion.. Ranging from 18-22 dollars. I then got a bottle of a nice table Chianti at 22 bucks Poggio Al Sole 2004?

It looks to me like the store is extremely well thought out.. The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable about there product, and it looks priced to move.. The computer system keeps a record of your choices.. I think I really like that, its very usefull..I often find myself at my local wine guy asking him to remember a bottle I drank.. Fortunately, my guy has a better memory then me, but this is very cool too. Another thing I liked is that they give you a print out description of the wines you buy.. Jill went as far as to write which course each went with.. The place is also kept at 56 degrees to perserve the wine.. For however useful it might be, its twice as gimmicky.. Which is great in my opinion.. The place is set up to sell a lot of wine. I love the boxes they give you to carry the wine with.. Great handle and I was able to carry a dozen bottles with ease.. Twelve wines for 250 bucks.. If the wine is good, which I am sure it will be, I am a happy man..Happy with a lot more money then I normally would have..

So can someone tell me how they work.. Are they strictly importers? Do they sell wines that have exclusives on? I must say, before even drinking the wine, I am very happy with the my experience.. I even drove over to get my wine, found a spot out front, though illegal, and got back uptown with no traffic.. It was one of those days

Thanks to everyone for suggestions and I will tell you more about my choices later ..

Edited October 13, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[KatieLoeb]

So can someone tell me how they work.. Are they strictly importers? Do they sell wines that have exclusives on?

Daniel:

They work closely with importers and have personal relationships with many of the winemakers whose products they carry. They maintain these relationships through annual visits to the wineries and having the winemakers come here to the US as their guests. Greg always used to say he'd rather buy the wine from the guy with dirt under his nails driving the tractor than some dude in a fancy suit with manicured hands. Many of the wines they carry are exclusive simply because there isn't enough product for national distribution. Many of the producers are small "boutique" wineries. The importer they work most closely with is Fleet Street wines. You'll see their products in the Moore Brothers stores and better restaurants in NY, NJ, PA (Philly) and DE.

Now that you're in their computer system you should be on the e-mail list to receive notices of sales, tastings, classes and visiting winemakers. Avail yourself of that and check out your online portfolio as well. It's a wonderful customer service and I think something you'll find quite useful.

[rlibkind]

Daniel, I know it's probably too late for suggestions, and the following is not for a wine, but could be quite tasty with those crostini: hard cider. A good quality apple (or even pear) cider would be a great addition. Especially a bubbly version: years ago I regularly consumed a fairly inexpected French bubbler, Pur Pom, but I haven't seen it in ages. But there are some decent American ciders, too. You just have to look for them.

[Daniel]

Thank you for your suggestion rlibkind.. A hard cider would have been a good choice with the pork as well..

Wow. Last night was a lot of fun.. We consumed a lot of alcohol.. In addition to wines with each course we served a maple whiskey with the Apple Reisling sorbet palate cleanser.. On top of the apple sorbet we put a toasted granola mixture.. We also drank lemoncello with coffee.. At the Moore Brothers, I purchased a Prosecco and few Champagnes that we ended up drinking when people first arrived..

Here is how dinner went with wine notes..

Pork Crostini: The pork is soaked for 48 hours.. Then taken out and cooked to 135.. There is a sweet potato brandade mixed with some double smoked bacon..

We served this with the Mubacher Roesling 2003.. This went very well because the cure was a little sweet.. So this was on the less sweet side of Reislings.. It went very well..

Asparagus Soup: Here we made asparagus soup with a grilled scallop.. The asparagus had celery leeks potatoes, chicken broth.. Pureed, strained, and then cream added.. We let it sit of a day. We added a lemon cream as well..

We served with Touraine Sauvignon La Potine Domaine Ricard 2005

Next Quail salad..Broiled the quail for 3 minutes.. Then pan cooked the other side for a little and then threw into an oven.. The quail was stuffed with cornbread, apples, pecans,celery, carrots, shallots, and cooked in veal stock..

Prior to removing the strings before serving!

Bourgogne Pinot Noir Domaine Daniel Rion 2004.. Dark quail meat went great with this wine.. Quail and pinot a nice combo..

Sweet potato ravioli. Served with prosciutto and mustard greens.. In the stuffing is sweet potato, ricotta cheese,parsley,chives, nutmeg, and a little brown sugar..

With this we had Rosso Piceno Tourquis Brunori 2004 Yah this one was a blur.. But I remember enjoying it.

Palate Cleanser:

Mulled apple cider, a cup of riesling, all spice, star anise, cinamon boiled, steeped and then frozen in a ice cream machine.. Served with toasted granola mixture.. We served Maple Whiskey from Montreal.

Short ribs.. I smoked short ribs in my indoor smoker.. Then cooked in veal stock for 48 hours.. I then added more short ribs in the afternoon.. I wanted to serve it with some of the meat completely shredded and stewed. And one large piece that would be just falling of the bone but would have a shape to it.. I then added a half a bottle of red.. This cooked unil 10 o'clock that night.. Served with polenta mixed with truffle butter..

Served with a Chateuneuf-Du-Pape or CDP as I like to call it Domaine la Barroche 2003.. This was the most expensive bottle and it was really really good.. I love this wine and dont think I have ever had it before..

I am sorry we didnt use more of the suggestions but finding the Moore Brothers and the fact that my girl purchased all the wines was unexpected.. Thanks again for your suggestions.. Careful consideration of the wine is something we are just starting to learn about.. I hope to learn from you guys..

Edited October 14, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[bethala]

daniel, great photos - wish eGullet came in smell-o-vision!

looks like moore bros did a perfect job with the pairings.

[Daniel]

Ok.. We have another dinner coming up tonight.. We are headed to Moore Brothers soon and was hoping people could tell us what type of wines would go with each course.. I really appreciated the help you gave us last time...

Here is the menu:

Lobster on Sweet Potato Crisp

This is going to be lobster meet with creme fraiche, cumin, chives, capers, placed in between layers of sweet potato chips..

Truffle Cheese Salad with Oyster and Shitake Mushrooms

**Wine - TBD**

Duck Consomme with Fennel Sambuca Duck Breast

**Wine - TBD**

Garlic Custard Shrimp with Balslamic Jam

**Wine - TBD**

Red Beet Ravioli with Poppyseed Butter

**Wine - TBD**

Mulled Apple Cider Granite

(Still from last week )

Australian Baby Lamb with Duck Gras Purple and Butter Potatoes and Greens

**Wine - TBD**

Nutella Tart with Buttermilk Ice Cream

**Wine - TBD**

Edited October 22, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[bethala]

daniel - sorry i missed this over the weekend. i'm sure moore brothers hooked you up just fine once again, though.