it was an exciting day for Heather Taylor, owner of Good Spirits Fine Wine & Liquor, last night was the first time since Covid upended our lives that she was able to host a wine dinner again, and she kicked it off with style…
Pascal Salvadori was the guest presenter, he is the VP of Portfolio Management for Taub Family Selections and an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers…working together with the chefs at Minerva’s restaurant they created a lovely experience with sumptuous dishes all paired with french wines, most of them burgundian, brought in by John Thuringer, a Sioux Falls staple in the local wine scene
wine dinners are a great way to not only treat yourself to a fine meal, but to learn more about the food and wine you are consuming…I always believed an educated palate brought a higher level of pleasure…when I hosted events such as this at The Market, it was always about the story, the people who produced it, the terroir that made the flavor so unique…it took you on a journey through new flavors and textures…the following was the trek for this evening
Domaine Jolly et Fils Chablis was paired with a seashell filled with a dollop of mascarpone, lime pearls, caviar, and minced cuca melon garnished with smoke powder and burnt wood chips
chablis is rarely aged in oak so the addition of the smoke powder and garnish of burnt wood chips at first seemed counter productive but somehow the acidity in the lime pearls and the saltiness of the caviar helped to balance it out
Réserve Des Rochers Mâcon-Chaintré paired with fresh hand-made sorbet
the cellar of Chaintre is one of the oldest in France, the limestone cliffs add a complexity to the nose that intermingles with white flowers, lovely with the fresh clean sorbet
Réserve Des Rochers Pouilly-Fuissé paired with sous-vide pheasant and parmesan mush-room risotto
Pouilly Fuissé is the appellation for the best white wines of Burgundy’s southern Maconnais region whose rules state that the wines must be 100% chardonnay and non-oaked
Domaine Fernand et Laurent Pillot Pommard Tavannes paired with scottish salmon
the pommard tavannes is only two acres of red clay soil producing some of the richest, full bodied Burgundian pinot noirs, made to age well
Defaix Frères Rully 1er Cru Clos Chapitre paired with duck chislic, lingonberries, mascarpone, cinnamon foam all garnished with a flake of 24k gold and a pipette of killer bee wild honey
a classic Burgundian style of pinot noir which you would expect from the historic Defaix family, they were instrumental in getting Rully’s designation for an appellation of quality
Domaine Bertagna Vosne-Romaneé 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts paired with horseradish green onion steak tartare, truffle cured egg yolk atop rosemary peppercorn cracker
domaine Bertagna once belonged to the Cistercian monks, the Reh family that owns it now continues the tradition of making pinot noirs of rare elegance
Côté Mas Crémant De Limoux Rosé Brut paired with peach panna cotta, denler streusel, lemon curd, popcorn dust, and cranberry caviar
no longer in burgundy but the playfulness of this sparkling chardonnay/pinot noir blend was a perfect way to show that this grapes with all their elegance and complexity can also have a side of frivolity
It would be difficult to pick a personal favorite, but pommard and chablis have always tugged at my heart strings, though the sauvignon blanc, rare in the burgundy region, was a unique wine with aromas of green banana and herbaceous flavors
the tender duck chislic won the show for me but the dessert was the surprise factor, a great way to cleanse the palate for the evening as opposed to a heavy rich dish that would leave you feeling full and sleepy
all in all, a great evening…hope to attend many more of Heather’s events and you should want to also! Don’t assume that all wine dinners will offer this quality of wine, food, and presentation of information, do a little research before buying your ticket to assure you’re getting what you want for the money. Cheers…