Winemaker Dinners

Gourmet food and delicious wines... what could be better?

Story by Judy Fleagle

A PERFECTLY PREPARED GOURMET meal is a joy to eat, and a glass of fine wine often hits the spot. Put the right wine and foods together and voila, magic happens. One plus one equals 10, and that’s what makes winemaker dinners so special.

I invited a friend to join me at a winemaker dinner at The Cellar on 10th in Astoria, where the wines would be from a single winery: J. Bookwalter from Washington's Tri-Cities area. We had a chance to check out the cellar, part of the Astoria Underground, beforehand.

Owner Mike Wallis always dreamed of having a wine shop. "When a good friend acquired this building and encouraged me to make my dream a reality," he says, "I decided to go for it." That was 2002, and it took more than six months to get the space ready because the basement was only half finished and had a sand floor. Wallis lined the walls with wine racks and added many freestanding racks that hold more wines as well as every conceivable accessory. The Cellar on 10th opened in spring 2003 and regularly stocks more than 4000 bottles of wine.

By the time we had checked out the shop, other guests had arrived and were gathered around the bar. There were 14 of us, including J. Bookwalter Winery general manager Betsy Pimentel. "We never have more than 16 diners at the most," says Wallis. "I like to keep the dinners small and intimate." As Wallis poured the first wine, a 2006 Rose Clairet, Pimentel told us about it, and that set the pattern for the evening. It was light, dry, and easy to drink all by itself. Then the appetizer course was passed around, tropical jerk chicken wonton with a sweet and spicy sauce. In spite of the spiciness, it paired nicely with a 2006 Riesling.

After the appetizer, we headed through the archway and into the "Cellar Room" to the large dining table. For the second course we had tomato soup with bacon and blue cheese, a combination I would never have thought to put together. It was absolutely delicious served in a scooped-out acorn squash. The accompanying wine, Lot 21 Red Blend, made a perfect pairing.

A lemon ginger papaya sorbet served as palate cleanser and paved the way for the entree, a large veal chop accompanied by separate sun-dried cherry and cornbread stuffing. Both were complemented by a portabella mushroom demi-glaze. Completing the entree presentation was a green tomato cleverly carved into a basket containing a mix of lightly cooked vegetables. A 2004 Merlot was a perfect match.

Then came the piece de resistance: warm chocolate pudding cake surrounded by dollops of cherry ice cream with chocolate sauce drizzled just enough to make an elegant presentation. This was paired with
a robust 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. The combination was pure magic, a fabulous way to end a memorable meal!

Chef Jay Funk from Astoria's Silver Salmon Grille prepared the meal onsite in The Cellar's kitchen. "About two weeks before the dinner," says Wallis, "the chef and I sampled the wines. Working together, we decided which foods and sauces would pair best with them."

While our dinner focused on wines from one winery, winemaker dinners sometimes focus on wines that go with a particular type of food such as seafood or Italian cuisine. Other times the focus is on wines from another country, such as France, Italy, or Germany. While the dinners may vary in theme, the wine is always the primary focus.

In British Columbia's Okanagan wine region, wine events, including winemaker dinners, take place in September and October during the harvest season, and vary from a casual progressive dinner moving to a different part of a winery for each course to gourmet food paired with rare, expensive wines at a dinner limited to a small group of wine connoisseurs. Other times of the year, look for winemaker dinners in upscale restaurants in BC's larger cities.

In Washington, in what is now wine country near Leavenworth, La Toscana was the first winery in the area; everyone else was growing apples and pears. "We were laughed at for growing grapes," says Julie Moyles, co-owner with husband Warren. "We also were the first to partner with restaurants to have winemaker dinners. And now others are following our example once again."

In the Columbia River Gorge, don't expect winemaker dinners on either side of the river during harvest and crush. "These are mostly small family-owned wineries," says Thayne Cockrum with the Columbia Gorge Wine Growers, "where everyone is too busy until afterwards."

However, the Oregon Bounty Winemaker Dinner Series has 14 venues hosting winemaker dinners throughout the state, November 13–15, from Bend in central Oregon to Baker City in eastern Oregon to Cannon Beach on the coast.

Most winemaker dinners are large affairs serving 45 to 75 diners, but not all fit that mold. Gaby Matthews with the Washington Wine Commission says that Marc Papineau at BOKA Kitchen + Bar in Seattle offers small winemaker dinners made with locally grown foods. "We limit the diners to 20, which fosters a better intimacy and conviviality; hence the name, Vintimate Dinner Series," says Papineau.

Idaho, with its new Snake Valley appellation, is not to be left out of the winemaker dinner scene. Chef/owner Jon Mortimer of Boise's renowned Mortimer's restaurant, known for its extensive wine list and creative use of regional food, hosts a series of winemaker dinners. According to Sherise Jones of the Idaho Wine Commission, he'll have lots of company soon. "The whole Snake Valley appellation," she says, "is booming with new restaurants serving regional food and regional wines." Expect more restaurants to offer winemaker dinners in what the locals call Treasure Valley.

You can even partake in Idaho's wilderness. Salmon River Outfitters offers "Raft with the Winemaker" multi-day trips on the Salmon River, where these special dinners take place each day after rafting.

In Montana, Triple Creek Ranch, near Darby, will be hosting three vintner weekends in May and June 2008; Rainbow Ranch Lodge, near Big Sky, regularly has winemaker dinners in their aptly named Baccus Room; and Bridge Creek Backcountry Kitchen & Wine Bar, in Red Lodge, also has winemaker dinners regularly, including New Year's Eve.

Resorts throughout the Northwest are just beginning to host winemaker dinners, but 2008 marks the 18th year for The Steamboat Inn, located along Oregon's North Umpqua River. They hold one every Saturday between March and mid-June (except at Easter) and average 45 per dinner. General manager Patricia Lee remembers one memorable dinner where Gary Higgins from Portland's Higgins Restaurant & Bar foraged in the woods to make sure everything (except salt and olive oil) was Oregon grown. "We've received great reviews," she says. "So this year, within three weeks of our newsletter coming out, we were 70 per-cent booked. The irony is that when we first started, we had to beg wineries and chefs.
Now they call us."

Lisa Cameron of the British Columbia Wine Institute says that even remote fishing lodges and ski resorts in BC are getting into the act. "Once the harvest season's past," says Cameron, "winemakers hit the road and take their wines with them. Winemaker dinners are a great way to showcase their wines throughout the Northwest."

Above: Food served at Portland's Le Pigeon winemaker dinner.

Below: Chef Kenny Giambalvo of Portland's Bluehour Restaurant and winemakers from Francis Tannahill Winery and Long Shadows Vintners.

The Willamette Valley is renowned for its Pinot Noir and that's just what these folks are enjoying at a winemaker dinner in the Valley.

Northwest Travel Magazine November/December 2007