Sonoma Wines in January must mean Sonoma Wineries in September!

Click here for all the pictures from this event

Oh, the South Florida weather in January is challenging.  The sun shines brightly in skies that are blue with pretty white clouds.  The temperature is 78 and with the breeze chill factor it feels like 77.  It is very difficult to deal with when we know our northern neighbors are snuggling around the furnace, I mean fire and playing in the snow.  This challenging climate did not deter our brave Gulpers.  We gathered under the tiki tent and enjoyed another phenomenal pairing event. Thanks BX Beer Depot!
This month we celebrated Sonoma.  We will be visiting this gorgeous part of California in September.  For more information on the trip click on the Sonoma tab at the top of the blog.
Before the tasting Coreen gave out the personalized prizes to last month’s winners for the best pairing at the Christmas party.  Congrats to Rachel, Ryan, Deb and Getty! Those glasses are going to be put to good use I am sure.


The stage then was given to Kristina for an update on the Sonoma trip.  Holy Schnikeys kids!  This is going to be a great trip.  One day of wineries and the next breweries.  Add in the great California cuisine and the fact we will be sharing it all with great friends this could be the trip of the decade!  I can’t wait!





Coreen and LeBeau did their, now highly anticipated, excellent presentations.  Thanks Coreen and LeBeau!



I know you can’t wait to find out how the pairing went so here we go:


1st Course:  We started with bubbly.  Gloria Ferrer Va De Vi Ultra Cuvee Sparkling wine, ($18).  This wine was a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes which explained the vanilla, toasty notes in the nose and the ripe apple and lemon flavors on the tongue.  It was paired with one of the best dishes we have ever had, Thai Basil Coconut Mussels.  The mussels were beautifully prepared in a broth that had some people slurping their plates clean!   The broth mellowed the tartness of the wine and brought out more creaminess and ripe berry flavors. Andy said the wine had good flavor but a little too bubbly while Adam wanted a little more spice in the mussels.  Kelly however, thought it was all delicious.

Bryan looks pretty happy with his Kunde

2nd Course:  This course was, for me, the most successful because it brought two simple elements together and elevated them to a deliciously dramatic level.  The wine was Kunde 2008 Viogner, ($15). (checkout the video on the sidebar to see Lebeau's take on Sonoma and this Viogner). The aroma was fruity with notes of honeysuckle and vanilla.  The taste was sharp like grapefruit, unripe mango and I think gasoline.  Some disagreed but at least 3 others tasted gas too, just sayin’.  Then it met with the Lemon Curd Chicken and food magic happened.
The chicken was tender and juicy with a strong lemony sweet sauce.  It was almost too sweet until I took a sip of the wine and it all mellowed out.  It was like a sigh of pleasure.  Bryan said, “Paired with the food this wine is so smooth I could keep pounding it until the Bottle was gone.”  Enough said.

3rd Course:  This course got mixed reviews.  The Box Car Syrah 2009, ($16), was incredibly jammy on the nose.  It was dark fruit all day long.  The flavor was a little thin but still very fruit forward and drinkable.  The food was an entrée course of potatoes au gratin and wine braised short ribs.  The food was perfect.  The potatoes were hot, cheesy, and tender.  The short ribs were fork tender and surprising because along with the wine cocoa powder was added to the braise.  I want to say a million adjectives describing how delicious this beef was but I am drooling too much.  Most times I think the wine amps up the food but as Andy pointed out the savory beef really brought out the best in the Syrah.  Genevieve thought the creamy potatoes brought out a pepper spiciness in the wine which she liked a lot.  


4th Course:  This is why there is dessert, Bacon brownies with chocolate drizzle!  OMG!  Dudes, this was @#$% delicious!  It was salty, sweet, chocolatey, and BACON!  My piece must have been an end piece because I got a thin crust that was chewy almost crispy goodness.  It was the quietest moment of the afternoon as everyone each had a personal moment with this decadent treat.  Then there was the wine and that was no slouch either.  Federalist Zinfandel, ($27), was deep, rich and full of dark fruits like black cherry and blackberries with a peppery finish on the end.  Take a bite of brownie then a nice drink of the Federalist and you have just created a pairing that might need to be had in privacy.  Ashley came to me to say, “This salty, (pause), sweet, (pause), browne is my mmmm yummy Zinfandel favorite.”  You get the point.

The pairings came to their conclusion but the memories of  wine, food and friends will linger until next time.  See you February 12th!