The Village at Northstar pulls out all the stops (corks?)
for its annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival. Just when you think you can’t possibly
squeeze another wine event into the summer season, this one proves you wrong by
featuring the best chefs from the region, and a wonderful group of wineries.
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| Moldanado Chardonnay with Seared Diver Scakkio |
I thought that the best wine-food pairing of the event was
the Maldonado 2010 Chardonnay, with West Shore Café’s seared diver scallop and
Dungeness crab dish. Constellation Brands
is such a huge enterprise that I am sometimes reluctant to beat their drum when
there are so many good small wineries around, but this wine is a winner with a
seafood dish. Grapes are sourced at
their Los Olivos Vineyard, Napa. It is a
rich Chardonnay, with refreshing taste of citrus and a light sense of
honeysuckle, and nicely lingering flavors. 14.5 per cent alcohol.
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| Taltarni Sparkling Brut |
The 2010 Taltarni Sparkling Brut Tache Rose’ from SouthEastern Australia was
delightful. The winemaker notes that
“Tache is a French word meaning 'stained', referring to the pale salmon color
of this enticing sparkling wine.” This
is a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, all of which are estate grown in
Tasmania. Aroma of rose petal, peach,
and apricot, lead to tastes of red berries and a bit of a nut flavor. The small bubbles are an element in its
refreshing character. 12.5 per cent
alcohol. The Northstar chefs in charge
of their banquet service paired it with a blueberry and chevre wonton.
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| Handley Cellars |
Handley Cellars, located in California’s Anderson Valley of
Mendocino County poured a 2011 Gewurtztraminer that was exquisite. This valley is one of the coolest-climate
winegrowing regions of the state, and winemaker Milla Handley is known for her
well balanced wines. It has aromas of
honeysuckle, papaya, and nutmeg and flavors of oranges, honey, and guava. The finish is dry, and this Gewürztraminer
will complement many foods. 13.5 per
cent alcohol.
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| Manzanita sommelier Gail Oversteg and Stanger Vineyards General Manager |
Stanger Vineyards, located on the west side of the Paso
Robles AVA in California, is a true “garagiste” winery producing only 200-300
cases of the delicious Tempranillo that they poured. This is a choice of Gail Oversteg, sommelier
at Manzanita restaurant, The
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe at Northstar. This
estate-grown Tempranillo has a pleasant tannic structure with intense flavors
of ripe cherries and a hint of rhubarb,
both of which are characteristic of Paso
Robles wines. A nice finish of toasty
oak, caramel, and toffee. 14.9 per cent
alcohol.
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