The Sacramento Natural Food Co-op was having another one of
their wonderful wine and food pairing dinners. This night it
was Dancing Coyote wines paired with the dinner created by chef Dionisoio (Dio) Esparas. The wine maker for Dancing Coyote is Chad, who explained about each wine as they were presented with each course.
Dancing Coyote is a family run business that has it's vineyards in the delta's Clarksburg area. I love this legend of the coyote that I found on their website, "Legend has it that each year at the beginning of the growing season,a band of coyotes from the nearby foothills,sneak into our vineyards,and for no apparent reason other than treachery,chew on our irrigation lines with wild abandon. Following these scandalous acts,they have been known on occasion to join paws, and dance around howling at the moon in celebration."
This pretty much sums up their wines..fun, delicious, making you want to dance around in celebration. Particularly for me, we had a lot of white wines this evening. I'm not a particular fan of white wine, but I have to say their whites are the type I like. They are clean, crisp, bright, not too heavy. I will definitely be buying their wines, which the co-op carries.
Now for the food/wine pairing. The first course was Marinated Shrimp and Feta with Oregano and Olive oil on Cucumber. Paired with a 2009 Albarino,Clarksburg. This is a clean crisp white wine with the aromas of passion fruit,citrus,honey and peaches.
Second course was the Cherry Tomato,Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Skewers with Pesto Dipping Sauce paired with the 2009 Gruner Veltliner,Clarksburg. The Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian grape that produces a medium bodied wine with citrus and peach flavors. For me this had the somewhat buttery mouth feel of a Chardonay.
The third course was the Artisan Cheese Station, a trio of cheeses served with fig jam and a cookie paired with a 2009 Gewurztraminer, Clarksburg.The cheeses served were a 6 month aged Machego, Irish Cheddar,and Camembert with fig jam and a ferro olive oil cookie. The Gewurztraminer is a medium bodied wine with a touch of sweetness. The wine has an aroma of roses and honeysuckle.
Fourth course was Grilled Thai Chicken Satay with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Sauce with a side of Black Rice paired with 2009 Vedelho, Clarksburg. The Vedelho is a grape native to Portugal. It is the grape used to make Madeira. The Vedelho has the hint of pear, citrus, pineapple.
Fifth Course was Pulled Ancho Chile BBQ Pork Sliders with Cilantro Cole Slaw paired with a 2008 Petite Sirah, Clarksburg. This was the one and only red wine served this evening. It is big and bold with hints of blackberries and some spice.
And what is dinner without desert? Dio made a fabulous Orange Tea Cake with Orange Oil Drizzle and Simple Syrup paired with an Orange Muscat. The cake was moist with a really nice texture. The orange muscat was luscious. It could have been desert on it's own. Sweet, smooth and rich. A perfect end to a delicious dinner.
We had a great time as usual and as usual the food was outstanding. Chef Dio and the other chef's who present these wine and food pairings always do an excellent job. As you can see there is never a shortage of food either. I loved the wines, I loved the food, I think this was one of my favorite food and wine classes that I've been to. The Co-op is adding more of these lately to their schedule of classes since they have proven to be so successful so next time they are having one go sign up, you won't be disappointed.
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