On June 13th, I presented a “New Mexico Food & Wine” event at the American Consul-General’s private residence in Strasbourg, France. This historic residence was home to Winston Churchill from 1947-1949 and continues to be the site of prestigious gatherings today.
The American Consul-General, Mrs Darragh Paradiso, welcomed to her home the most important names in the area. These esteemed guests included ‘The Best Sommelier in The World’, the Director of one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world Mondial des Vins Blanc, Editor in Chief of Sommelier CZ Magazine, Consul-General of Japan (photographed below with the #1 Somm in the World along with their wives), Ambassador of Luxembourg, Deputy General of the Council of Europe, the Rector of the Bas-Rhin Department & the UK judge of the European Court of Human Rights, among many more, all HUGE wine fans!
The concept for the event was born by the lovely Mrs. Paradiso a year earlier while attending a Wine Master Class associated with the Mondial des Vins Blanc Strasbourg where I was judging. Darragh and I were peas in a pod from the moment we met! Her warm demeanor and bright eyes mirroring a sharp intellect are enchanting. It is impossible not to be drawn to her. As luck had it, her curiosity about wines of New Mexico quickly turned into enthusiasm to share this new found wine region with others and thus began the journey to create this event. A challenging menu with flavors from the other side of the world, and hand carrying all these wines to France sounds a little nuts, but that’s what makes for an epic event.
My goal for this event was to pique the interest of these dignitaries to the point that they would leave that evening making travel plans to come visit us. I wanted to share the diversity of the wines in New Mexico by showing the level of winemaking skill, quality of grapes and dedication of our winemakers. This event not only accomplished that goal, but created lifelong NM Wine fans!
The evening kicked off with a formal tasting class offered to a select group of wine buyers and influencers. This class highlighted the unique terroir, impressive elevations and growing conditions we have in New Mexico. This portion of the event was a deep dive into what makes NM Wine worthy of worldwide praise and attention. The response was superb! A group of professionals touted for their expertise in the wine industry, they were in unison clapping for the dynomite impression our wines left on them. Once bitten by the wine bug, all of us self proclaimed “wine geeks” love nothing more than to learn about a new region and these people were no different. Each expert made sure to ask me to send congratulations to all of the winemakers!
After that we moved out to the gardens for a more immersive NM experience which showcased the talents of Celebrity Chef Patricia Catenne. Patricia is Founder and President of Quintessencia, was a Judge and Educator at the International Culinary Center in NYC, and the descendant of some of the most important French Chefs in history. During her illustrious career she spent 20 years in NYC, and during that time visited New Mexico. She instantly loved the flavors of NM and its culinary delights. Working with a Chef in France that knew New Mexican Cuisine was a true stroke of luck! I hand carried canned NM green chile and red chile powder for her to use. We fine tuned the menu to pair with each of the wines as well as highlight the story of New Mexico and its tri-cultural heritage. It was remarkable just how authentic the dishes turned out to be. Patricia managed to locate ingredients, then combined artistry and imagination to create 4 iconic New Mexico dishes, all this while injured from a fall! The only thing that rivals Patricia’s gifts in the kitchen is how delightful she is. Her infectious nature makes you fall in love with her immediately, while her flavor combinations make you giddy, it is an intoxicating combination.
MENU
Chips with salsa & guacamole
Green Chile Tortilla Bites
Flour tortillas, cream cheese & NM green chile
Tostadas
Mini fried corn tortillas, refried beans, cheese & tomato, lettuce garnish
Fry Bread Taco
Mini fry bread, red chile braised & shredded bison, cheese & pic de gallo
Empanadita
Baked pastry dough filled with red chile sweet marinated beef
This presentation welcomed 30 very special wine enthusiasts including the aforementioned special guests and showcased each winery with a dedication to what makes that winery special. I also shared the NM Wine history and my enthusiasm for where it is going. New Mexico is so much more than what people elsewhere in the world can imagine. The usual image of what we are in the “Wild West” is of cowboys and outlaws, which let’s face it, some of us still are! But what comes as a surprise is our expert whitewater rafting, world class skiing and that we are a food and wine mecca.
Vivac Winery did indeed shine at this spectacular event. I used the Petit Verdot for the formal presentation, and used the Chardonnay and the Petit Verdot at the social event in the garden. The formal tasting finished with a class wide discussion of the Petit Verdot with so much fanfare I think I saw Jesse, my husband and Vivac winemaker, blush from the back row. The #1 Somm in the World, Serge Dubs, was legitimately stunned. No one could believe the grace and elegance the grape shows growing at our extreme altitude of 6,000ft. It takes a masterful hand to coax greatness out of those grapes and it was apparent that, Chris and Jesse, have that in spades. When the 2 wines were poured for the 2nd event, and our winery story was told, guests swooned over our dynamic coupling of couples that are making a little winery in a rural area of New Mexico a major player on the world wine stage.
I paired the Chardonnay with the flour tortilla, green chile bites and the Petit Verdot with the fry bread bison tacos. The Chardonnay was a little closed until tasted with the pairing where it exploded into a dynamic show of acidity and lush fruit. Every single person in attendance was astounded by the skill and balance shown in the Chardonnay, huge praise from people living in the “capital of white wine”. The Petit Verdot showed exquisitely in the 2nd event as it did in the 1st. The rich berry attributes handled the boldness of the red chile marinated bison well, the acidity gave balance and the tannins gave richness resulting in one of those truly special pairings everyone hopes to have.
DH Lescombes Winery’s Rose of Syrah was delightful! Its luscious fruit told the story of the incredible land of New Mexico and what it is capable of. This winery’s story and its family’s long dedication to the NM Wine industry is beyond impressive. Every single NM winery has them to thank for the trail they have blazed for us, and it was truly special to see the appreciation on the faces of those tasting this lovely rose wine while learning of their legacy.
I also paired this wine with the flour tortilla, green chile bites. The wine showed nice fresh fruit with a little citrus note, nice acidity in the backbone and an elegant restraint on the sweetness of the fruit so that it presented beautifully balanced. The acidity in the wine gripped the cream cheese and the fruit tamed the green chile heat creating a perfect coupling of flavors and palate feel.
Noisy Water Winery’s Pinot Noir was beautiful and impressed among a crowd that sees red Burgundies as the norm and Alsatian Pinots as the gem of the region. The story of Noisy Water's winery, the passion Jasper and Fabian have for making fantastic wines was obvious. There was appreciation for not taking life too seriously while seriously making wine. It was met with lovable laughs as we looked at photos of Tighty Whitey White and the antics in the winery while sipping the ruby colored, dynamic Pinot. It is a special combination of talent to be able to charm with humor while simultaneously wow with high level, sophisticated winemaking skill.
I paired the Pinot with the tostadas. This changed the dynamics of the wine from a bit of barnyard on the nose and strong acidity, to round ripe berry that continued on the palate. This wine tends to morph for me glass to glass and pairing to pairing. I find the more it can open up after being uncorked, and the larger the bowl of the glass, this wine finds its stride and really shines. The pairing gave some earthy context to riff off of and allowed the fruit of the wine to move forward yet stay complex and elegant.
Wines of the San Juan Winery Tempranillo was fantastic! Josh’s skill as a winemaker is undebatable. The beauty of the winery’s location and obvious passion for his craft showed beautifully in the photos.
I paired this wine with the tostadas as well. The wine showed baked fruit notes that handled the earthy flavors of the dish nicely while its excellent structure brought liveliness and personality to the pairing. Each person in attendance instantly wanted to know if Tempranillo would become THE NM Grape. This wine shows so elegantly the terroir we have to offer while demonstrating true old world style balance of fruit and natural acidity.
Luna Rossa Winery makes beautiful wines and the Refosco was incredible, as always! Its depth of fruit, earthy context and stunning natural acidity show what NM is capable of. Being that Paolo oversees the vineyard supplying most NM Wineries, his imprint on NM Wine is key. A group that is passionate about the grapes as much as the finished wine, the experts in attendance waxed poetic about the grapes, vineyard and skill it obviously takes to cultivate this excellent fruit. Paolo’s story, expertise and wonderful family story delighted guests, but most importantly, the wine truly impressed.
I paired the Refosco with the empanaditas. The wine showed elegant age, finesse in winemaking technique, and a subtle hand at harnessing bold fruit. Reflecting old world roots, Paolo's ability to integrate oak is masterful. The red chile zing of the beef married the spicy finish while the sweet note in the dish welcomed the jammy fruit aspect of the wine.
Sheehan Winery winemaker, Sean’s Aglianico was a huge hit! Likened to an authentic Italian version, people were stunned by this wine. The story of his winery starting literally in his backyard, his background in science, and his passion for making fantastic wines was infectious as people saw photos of Sean’s charming smile and heard about his charming little family. There was clear appreciation for the attention to detail and winemaking ability.
I paired this wine with the empanaditas as well. The wine showed to be bold, yet refined with great complexity. The slightly sweet meat brought forth a rasined quality to the fruit while the crust pulled oak aspects out. The result in the pairing was a marriage of flavors that stopped chatting to fully absorb the combination. The spice of the red chile gave the dish a little kick and illuminated the natural spicy finish of the Aglianico and showed that this wine can just keep going and going and going.
What really stood out was the wonderful personalities of each winemaker. The passion and dedication it has taken to grow each winery, perfect their craft and survive in this tumultuous industry was evident. Each incredible New Mexico winery told a unique story while the wines dazzled. I was truly proud to represent each of them.
By the end of the 2 hours, the group was chanting “400 years in 2029!” in anticipation of our state’s wine anniversary. The response was more than I could have wished for. It was a perfect evening as the Strasbourg sun set and giant Storks flew overhead. There was a promise to deliver New Mexico Wine notoriety to the other side of the world, a promise definitely delivered. We finished the event with glasses refilled and raised in the air, a salute and cheers of “Viva Vino!” on the lips and inspired gleam in the eye.
The famous bathroom where
Winston Churchill took meetings and calls from the bathtub in.
Pretty amazing to host a NM Wine event in this historic home.
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