Last week we had a great time at the Taste of Terroir hosted by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association. There were sixteen different restaurants and wineries working together to create the best pairing of food and wine. The competition was to see who could do it best, and the results were delicious!
Most of the food was small and bite size, and the wine was poured in small amounts, so we weren’t completely overwhelmed by the quantity of food from so many great pairings. I was doing well — until they announced that the dessert room was open! This included tables of different desserts and an assortment of ports, all of which put the whole experience over the top.
The wineries and restaurants were competing for the people’s choice award, which was bestowed by the participants voting for their favorite pairing. The vote was done by casting your cork (provided by the event organizers) into a “ballot box”. The pairing with the most corks won. There was also a panel of professional judges who bestowed their own awards. Honestly, I can’t remember who won, but in the end it was more about the fun of the event than the competition.
Among the food and wines we tasted, here are a few highlights:
– The Eagle Ridge Vineyard 2009 Zinfandel was delicious. I’m not ready to say it was the best wine, but it was certainly an unexpected surprise. Hard to believe it came from a vineyard that was only two years old at harvest!
– McGrail Vineyards creates consistently good wines, and their 2009 Cabernet Reserve was outstanding.
– D’Aun enjoyed the 2009 Tempranillo from Longevity Wines, and it was especially good when paired with the baked lobster from The Winemaker’s Pourhouse.
– Wente Vineyards is doing an excellent job with their Nth Degree line of wines, and their 2009 Merlot was very smooth. Loved it with the lamb sausage created by Wente Restaurant.
– Probably the finest wine of the night was the 2009 Premier Cabernet Sauvignon poured by The Steven Kent Winery. It is one of the best wines from Livermore that I’ve ever had.
– My favorite pairing was the 2009 Cabiovese (a blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese) from Rodrigue Molyneaux Winery and the incredible wild game burgers (buffalo and lamb) from Castlewood Country Club. The wine was good, but it was great with the food.
Finally, a shout out to my Sunol heritage: they are creating some good port at Little Valley Winery, and serving it in small chocolate cups makes it all the better!
Looking forward to this same event next year. Buy your tickets early because it sells out fast!