We attended the recent Vino BYOB event with the crowd of usual "Wine Crazies". Chuck actually held the tasting to one table this time around. Though the Mrs worked this whole weekend, she couldn't pass on Mary's Organic Chicken (other than Vino, it's found only at Whole Foods) which was red wine braised instead of roasted. Since Chuck's wine pairing suggestions for the Shrimp and Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and the Red Wine Braised Mary's Organic Chicken with Fresh Papardelle were for lighter, ethereal wines I couldn't empty the storage (most of my wines are full bodied, knock-you-out wines). And since the Mrs worked the very next day, I was a bit restrained and only brought 3 bottles with me (I also brought a 1999 Charles Ellner Brut champagne as an apperitif or meal finisher - we had it after dinner).
We started with a plethora of whites (my personal choice was a 2007 Abraxas from Robert Sinskey which is a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Riesling):
Since this BYOB was attended mainly by "regulars", we skipped the "blinded" format of the tasting and sampled the wines then tried it with the anointed dish. It can get a bit overwhelming trying 10 different wines with one course so sampling the wines beforehand made that a little easier.
A salad was then served between the appetizer and entree courses:
We then progressed to the entree course which required red wines (my personal choice was a 2008 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir from New Zealand):
The braised chicken was fallin-offa-da-bone tender and a reduction of red wine as a braising liquid is ALWAYS a good thing whether it's poultry or beef.
My favorite pairing for the evening were the Champalou Vouvray, Abraxas and Langhe Bianco with the Shrimp and Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and the Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir, Gramenon and the E's Mom's Jim Morrison inspired Merlot with the Braised Organic Chicken. Of course, all the wines were exceptional - I could listen to two sets of Coltrane with a bottle or two of the Punta Crena Mataossu. Looking foward to the next Vino BYOB event...
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