Sumner Farrelli's Special Wine Dinner, sponsored by Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, WA.
http://www.farrellispizza.com/
http://www.maryhillwinery.com/
Being a regular customer of Farrelli's Wood Fired Pizza restaurant in Sumner, we got an email invitation to their first ever wine pairing dinner, with wine provided by Maryhill Winery. Of course we jumped on it. The email said it would be five courses with seven wines for $33.95 per person. Heck yeah!! We figured smaller glasses and tasting samples with each course... it was a steal.
We got waaaaaaayyyyyyy more than we bargained for.
As it turned out, we ended up with (technically) six courses and eight wines... and full size glasses that were kept filled throughout the dinner.
We started the evening with a glass of Muscat Canelli. I don't normally like sweet wines at ALL, but this was a very nice start to the dinner, and it actually got better as we sipped it. Not clingy at all... no weird aftertaste like a lot of sweet wines have. I was impressed.
The first course was an exquisite Fettuccini Tuscan... garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tossed with al dente fettuccini in a basil cream sauce with a drizzle of sweet balsamic down the side.
It was served with chardonnay. I usually notice all the fruit notes, but miss the buttery/creamy undertones when I drink this wine. When I tasted it with this particular dish, I said to Brian "It tastes like butter! Do you taste that?" lol!!
The next course was Consume Rizi Bizi, with sherry...
We were told to taste it plain first, before the sherry was added. It tasted like a really nice chicken soup with rice and peas. The sherry took it to a completely different level, and continued to do so as it mellowed in the broth. At this point we were basically told to drink up, because another white wine was on the way and our glasses needed to be empty. This was the "transitional" wine, which is their "Winemaker's White". It is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier grapes. It was okay in my opinion, but having grown up knowing what each varietal grape should taste like, it just seemed a little blah for me. About the same time, the main course was coming so they started pouring the one red they served... the Cabernet Sauvignon. To demonstrate the difference decanting makes, they poured some directly out of the bottles into our glasses. Mind you, Brian and I were still working on the last white at this point. We took a sniff and a sip from the Cab, and I have to tell you the tannins were almost overwhelming. I suppose that was the point. We continued to drink the white blend until our main course arrived...
Chicken breast stuffed with house-made sausage, ricotta, and herbs, topped with wild mushroom ragu (although I didn't see or taste any mushrooms... it was still fantastic). The veg was a roasted green bean and carrot thing... very tasty. By this point the Cab has had time to breathe and the previous white has been sucked down. All is well with the world.
In true gourmet style, the salad comes after the dinner...
...and with the salad comes the pinot gris... which happens to be our favorite drink-at-home wine. I think this salad was my favorite part of the whole dinner. Arugula, Parmesan, Romano, and prosciutto, with a balsamic dressing... omg it was so good... especially paired with the crisp flavors of the pinto gris.
Next came the sorbet. It was a lovely citrus concoction, which I thought would be served on it's own with a glass of the next wine with it... which it kinda was...
I just thought the wine would be in a separate glass...
This was some rare Italian sparkling wine that (at that point) I couldn't possibly remember. It was darn tasty though!
Last but not least was dessert. It was an apple crisp, served with vanilla whipped cream, caramel sauce drizzle, and Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer... at that point in the evening, not even Bryan the Wine Guy could pronounce that word...
The entire evening was, in a word, awesome. Incredible food, great information, and just a really good time.
left to right- Bryan the wine guy, Jack the food guru, and Mike the chef. All awesome guys.
I know both Farrelli's and Maryhill lost money on this dinner. There were only six couples who showed up, but I hope to heaven that doesn't discourage either of them from trying this again. This was just the maiden voyage in what I hope will become an epic journey. It truly was a night to remember, and we can't wait for the next one!!
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