Last night I had the pleasure of working a fantastic birthday party that was held in the barrel room of the winery. The space was rented out after hours for a four course casual pairing buffet. I have to comment on the quality of the food brought in by their caterer and the superb choice of wines to pair with each course. Tam Trinh was the private caterer who provided the menu to accompany the list of four wines that were chosen to pour.
Her Vietnamese style cooking technique uses only the freshest ingredients and herbs. She credits growing up in Saigon as the influence for this type of Farmer’s Market fresh cooking that is so popular here in Santa Barbara. The best wines for Asian influenced foods are those with moderate alcohol content, soft tannins, and crispness. A little bit of residual sugar works because Asian cooking is all about the balance of different flavors - for example, sweet and spicy. Riesling is usually a popular choice because of this. Sauvignon Blanc is another winner, as well as fuller bodied Viognier, as long as the dish is not too sweet.
The first course was a Green Papaya salad with peanut dressing served with our 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. The tropical fruit flavors inherent in the wine matched the tropical fruit quality of the papaya. Zesty acidity worked with the sweet spiciness of the salad. Also, the softness added from the partial oak barrel fermentation used for the wine complemented the peanuts in the salad.
Next was a salmon spring roll with mint and Thai basil paired alongside our 2006 Santa Barbara Winery Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. All of the flavors were so well balanced in the roll and could only be complemented by a light red whose balance would not throw off any of the flavors in the dish. Salmon and Pinot Noir are a classic “perfect match.”
The third course was a sweet tomato soup served with our 2005 ZCS blend - a light, fruity and extremely versatile red. Tomato based sauces are a perfect match with Sangiovese, which is an element of the blend. A mid-bodied wine like ZCS does not mask any of the flavors in the tomato soup.
The final course was Filet Mignon Skewers served with sweet and buttery yellow rice with sauteed shallots and toasted pine nuts. This was served with our 2005 Primitivo, the Italian version of Zinfandel originally from the Puglia region. The intense raspberry, brambleberry fruit qualities of this high alcohol yet balanced red worked seamlessly with the tenderness of the Filet. I love this wine because it is a full bodied, fruit forward red with a lot of character and lingering tannins.
Tam Trinh will be teaching a Vietnamese Cooking Class through the Santa Barbara City College Adult Education Program. I will be signing up as soon as I can!
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Hi, my name is Zach Blair. I’ve worked at the Santa Barbara Winery for two years and have been in the restaurant industry for twenty years. I am currently studying to be a certified Sommelier, having recently passed the first exam for the Court of Master Sommeliers. I am constantly asked questions regarding the proper service of wine to guests. There seems to be a lot of apprehension amongst the general public. Which glassware to use? What temperature should the wine be served at? Should the wine be decanted? Which wines pair best with which foods? How long should wines be cellared? So much apprehension that some shy away from wine all together, which is a shame. Wine is not only a beverage, but it is sustenance, history in a glass, art. Most importantly, wine pairs better with food than any other beverage.
This is an opportunity to try all three 2006 SRH wines — Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay — together. All these wines come from vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills district (thus SRH) and the majority from our own Lafond Vineyard. The wines are still young and will continue to develop with aging but with six months in the bottle we think they are already fabulous.
The workers are busy seeding the blocks and erecting catch fences which allow the water to go through while retaining the soil. The rest of our vineyard has been seeded sometime ago and there is already some growth. If the rains are too heavy the danger is that the seeds will wash away. We are optimistic that they will be light enough to permit the soil to absorb this very much needed rain.
Meanwhile, pruning continues. The image is of grenache vines. They are cordon pruned with two permanent canes extended on both sides and 4 or 5 spurs on each side which will grow the new fruit canes. Not all our vines are pruned this way — each variety is pruned slightly differently.
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