A few months ago my father and I were contacted by the beverage manager and several members of the Park Meadows Country Club in Park City to help out with a Spanish themed dinner for their members. They hold several of these events a year for their members and it’s a wonderful way for everyone to get together and learn about new and exciting wine regions that they may not be familiar with. We were of course very excited to have been contacted about the possibility to help out with the wine education part of the evening.

After the wines had been selected, it was up to the chef to come up with a menu that would compliment each wine, and we waited anxiously to see what he would come up with to go along with several wines from our portfolio. We were quite excited when we received the menu and saw that the chef had done an incredible job pairing up Spanish themed food with the wines and couldn’t wait to try everything!

The event was held this past Friday, but unfortunately my father ended up not being able to attend, so I drove up to Park City hoping one person would be sufficient to speak with everyone. Thankfully there was a PA system with a microphone, so I was able to speak about each wine while everything was being served. And, since I didn’t know anyone there, I was happy to find myself sitting at a table with a wonderful group of people from Arkansas who are members of the club and spend some time in Utah every year. I was even more amazed to find out that they had flown in that day and had actually attended a Spanish wine tasting the night before in Little Rock! I was very excited that hear that Spanish wine is still being featured at other tastings throughout the country and hope that trend continues. As the courses came out, we had wonderful discussions about the food and wine, the economy, the skiing and golfing, and all sorts of dinner table topics. I enjoyed myself immensely with these people as I am a firm believer that wine doesn’t need to be pretentious and snotty, but something to be enjoyed with family, friends and new people!

My favorite part of the evening was chatting with everyone about which pairing was their personal favorite and listening to them all explain why. We had some interesting match-ups all evening, but I think the overall winner in terms of expanding the member’s palates was the desert pairing of Pedro Ximenez sherry and some wonderful goat, sheep, and cow cheeses with wonderful fruits. Many people had never tasted Pedro Ximenez, let alone a sherry, so I think it was a pleasant surprise to taste the unctuous, syrupy like weight of the “raisins in a bottle” as agreed on calling it.

At the end of the evening, we all agreed that the chef had hit every plate spot on and really made the evening complete with his creativity. So, compliments to the chef and I hope there are some newfound Spanish wine lovers out there, from Park City to Little Rock, and everywhere outside and in between!

Spanish Wine Pairing Dinner
Friday, March 20

First Course
Roasted Dates and Serrano Ham With Radicchio, Shaved
Manchego and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Ruiz de Vinaspre, Crianza 2002

Second Course
Herb Crumbed Sea Scallops Ratatouille, Light Tomato
Coulis, Citrus Butter
Coto de Gomariz, Blanco 2006

 Third Course
Pancetta Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Piquillo Peppers
and Wild Mushroom Ragout, Quince Jam
Ondalan 100 Abades, 2005

Fourth Course
Molasses and Cherry Braised Short Ribs,
Chorizo Saffron Rice, White Asparagus Gratin
Medrano Irazu Reserva, 2001, 2003

Fifth Course
A Selection of Spanish Cheeses With Grape Foccacia
and Stone Fruits
Pedro Ximenez, Sherry