In celebration of Earth Day the Pierre Lafond Bistro held its 1st Annual Vegetarian Wine Pairing Dinner last night.  Executive Chef Josh Keating created an elegant six course menu for which Assistant Winemaker Ryan Ralston matched the appropriate Santa Barbara Winery wine.  The theme of the evening seemed to be balancing out the elements - wines to counterbalance and complement the food, candles and floral arrangements to balance the open kitchen and big windows’ modern feel, and discussions from both Josh and Ryan about the pairing between each course.

Establishing a solid relationship between the Bistro and Lafond and Santa Barbara Wineries is one of the many goals of continuing to put together these pairing dinners.  We have the unique opportunity to craft both the food and the wine menus to really play off of each other.  Having the winemakers play such a large role in menu creation is great because they know these wines inside and out.  Josh can explain all of the elements of the food and how he created these dishes, while the winemakers discuss all of the elements of the wine from pH to sugar levels to desired flavor profiles.  At the winery we have the ability to give customers personal attention as we explain the wines and history of the grapes.  It is rare that this type of environment can be transferred to a restaurant setting.  Last night both Josh and Ryan were available to answer questions as they individually talked about each course.  Also, Chris and I, who both work in the tasting room, poured the wines at each table.  The idea was to create an elegant dining experience amidst approachable staff where everybody would feel comfortable, relaxed, and have any questions taken care of.

The ball got rolling with a fresh Spinach and Watercress Salad paired with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc.  The zesty simplicity of the greens called for a light white wine with similar characterstics.  Josh and Ryan introduced themselves to the attendees.  Also on hand to speak and answer questions between each course was production assistant Cameron Bendetsen, who provided entertaining stories about the histories of the grapes.  Sauvignon Blanc’s natural acidity is the perfect match for a light starter salad with a vinaigrette dressing.

Moving onto the second course, which Ryan claimed was the most obvious pairing, the Bistro served up a crispy Asian Risotto Wonton alongside the 2007 1.7% Residual Sugar Riesling.  The idea of the pairing choice behind this dish was counterbalancing the off dry sweetness of the wine and the spicy kick of the wonton.  The Riesling is probably the most acidic wine made at the winery and for this reason it is a fantastic food wine with the ability to cut through certain flavors, cleansing the palate between each bite.  Sweetness and acidity go hand in hand as they play off of each other creating a balanced wine.

Complementing elements that go hand in hand is another way to match food and wine, and it was with this idea in mind that the next course was put together.  Roasted Portabello Ravioli with a creamy vanilla sauce came out with the 2006 Reserve Chardonnay.  This Chardonnay is 100% aged in oak barrels and goes through malolactic fermentation, so it is definitely a California style Chardonnay in terms of oaky butteriness.  What makes this wine so great is that while it is oaky, that element is balanced by the intense fruit that is also present.  While this was the toughest pairing to come up with once they figured it out it was a moment of “Aha! Of course!”  The vanilla essence in the sauce exquisitely complemented the toasty vanilla spice from the oak in the Chardonnay.  Here the effort was not to counterbalance, but rather to emphasize and bring out elements that go hand in hand.

As we move into the red wines, a note on the 2007 harvest in terms of white wines.  Ryan modestly credits our vineyard’s location in the Santa Rita Hills with providing such amazing fruit to make these white wines.  A “seamless harvest” provided fruit with correct sugars, correct acids, and correct flavors.  According to Ryan, who says these are some of the best white wines he has ever made, when the grapes came in he said, “I’m just going to put it in the press and walk away.”  

Course number four was all about decadence in both the dish and the wine.  The 2005 Primitivo was paired with a Blackberry Pomegranate Goat Cheese and Walnut Terrine served in a puff pastry.  Primitivo is a grape with a fascinating story, which Cameron shared with everybody.  Primitivo is genetically identical to the Zinfandel grape.  With origins in Croatia, clones were brought over to the Puglia region in Italy while Zinfandel was brought over to California.  As Cameron so cleverly notes they are like fraternal twins separated at birth - basically nature versus nurture has, over time, created two distinct varietals.  Primitivo’s explosive red fruit, low acidity, and essence of sweetness paired with the fruit forwardness of the dish.  Primitivo can be overpowering if the food cannot stand up to the wine, but here the flavors really work together.

The entree course of the meal was Eggplant Canaloni stuffed with organic spinach and caramelized onions topped with a sprinkle of Feta cheese and a Sangiovese reduction sauce.  This dish currently appears on the Bistro’s dinner menu.  The idea in choosing the 2005 Sangiovese to go with this dish was its high acidity (especially next to the Primitivo) and that it would not overpower the main course.  Sangiovese’s high acidity makes its versatility hard to match in terms of our red wines.  It is the dominant grape in Tuscan Chianti, which Italians can drink with almost any meal.  Beautifully prepared, the vibrancy of the vegetables of the season stand out.

Because nobody can resist the Bistro’s signature Wine Cake, everybody still managed to have room for the dessert course.  It is difficult to pair a dessert wine with some as sweet as cake because it can be too over the top.  The cake’s dense richness from the sherry and its glaze really have the ability to stand on their own.  Ryan came up with a way to pair the 2000 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc with this course by cutting the wine’s sweetness with club soda and making it a refreshing spritzer.  A fantastic end to a long meal as Ryan demonstrated how this could be done at home.  

Keep your eye out for more of these pairing dinners and the integration of the Bistro and the wineries.  Thank you to the Community Environmental Council for joining us.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager