Since the Mrs' vacation was coming to a close, we decided to visit Vino for their Wine & Food Table. A little like their Communal Table concept with a table for 12 with courses served family style with or without wine. However the Wine & Food Table strayed a little from the original concept with 2 ounce portions of two different wines served per course. That way diners could determine which wine style paired with food. When we called, Cheryle stated the only 4 diners reserved seats for the meal but that Chef Keith made a little extra so we could add ourselves to the table of four or sit at our own table. When we arrived, the party of 4 already were seated and into their meal so we sat on our own (I brought 2 wines I thought would also pair with the meal) so it was their loss.
The first course was actually a trio of appetizers: Onion Arugula Fritatta, Homemade Burrata with Tomato Compote and Roasted Hamakua Mushrooms with Nalo Farms Baby Arugula.
Chuck paired the starter with an old world wine, Elvio Tintero Grangia (3.5/5) from Italy and a Whitcraft Kick On Vineyard Chardonnay (3.75/5) from California. The Grangia had equal parts of mineral and citrus on the nose with a touch of frizzante on the palate and a pleasing light finish. The Chardonnay was big, oaky and buttery on the nose and very concentrated on the palate with a long finish.
When paired with the food, that's when flavor profiles changed. The Grangia helped refresh the palate between bite of burrata, the Chardonnay held up to the rich cheese but if not for the tomato compote, the palate would have been overwhelmed with richness.
With the frittata, the Grangia once again cleansed the palate between bites while the Chardonnay was left with a slightly bitter edge after sampling the frittata.
Finally, the Grangia sung with the mushrooms. Loads of fruit jumped foward as the earthiness from the mushroom and mineral in the wine were subdued and let the fruit sing. The best pairing IMHO. With the Chardonnay, it didn't have enough eartiness to accomplish the same and simply tasted like it did on its own.
The next course was Joanne's Chicken Cacciatore with House Made Trofie Pasta. This was paired with a Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d'Alba (3.75/5) from Italy and a Peter Paul Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (3.5/5) from California. Chuck also convinced me to uncork the bottle of 2005 La Spinetta Il Gentile di Casanova (3.75/5) made from Prugnolo Gentile or the same Sangiovese clone as Vin Nobile di Montepulciano. the Barbera had dark plum and mineral on the nose with medium concentration and a good palate flow and medium finsh while the Cabernet had light currant and dark red fruit on the nose and very concentrated on the palate with a long finish. The La Spinetta had loads of ripe red fruit on the nose with mineral on the back end with medium concentration on the palate and a medium finish.
With the cacciatore, the fruit really jumped out to the forefront with the Barbera while the Cabernet seemed to turn into a bigger, brooding wine. However, the best pairing was with the La Spinetta which seemed to have its rougher edges balanced with the tomato sauce and it didn't overwhelm the chicken (sorry Chuck).
Dessert was an Apple Tarte with Vanilla Ice Cream which is always good.
The Wine & Food Table was a success IMHO even if we sat at our own table. It's always great to see how food and wine influence each other...
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