WEEKEND ESCAPE | NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Napa Valley vintners step up their food & wine pairings
You don't have to settle for dry crackers on a tour of Napa Valley. More wineries now offer nibbles, even full meals, that complement the wines.
The first sip on a wine country trip is always the best. Maybe it's the unmistakable musty wine-cellar aroma, the rush of heady flavors or the realization that a weekend of dawn-to-dusk swirling, sniffing and savoring awaits.
The final sips, however, can be a wash. Flavor fatigue sets in: Each glass tastes a little too much like the one before. A simple, flavor-packed bite — a wedge of Parmesan, a slice of salami — might revive languid taste buds, but until recently, there was little more than chalky wine crackers to be had.
Traditionally, vintners steer clear of food pairings at wine tastings, subscribing to the adage that food muddles a wine's profile. After all, the point of a formal tasting is to immerse your senses in the wine, without distraction. But on a recent trip to Napa, I discovered wineries that are tossing out the crackers for more thoughtful fare.
My husband, Kevin (previously a devout crackers-only tasting purist), and I had our first food epiphany last summer in Sonoma. It was the last day of a packed weekend, and our taste buds were in overdrive. Then at J Vineyards & Winery, a small plate of Creole Dungeness crab appeared, piled on sourdough with a smear of cayenne butter. We took a sip of Pinot, then a bite, then another sip. The same wine that tasted flat a moment before was now crisp, intriguing.
So, on a subsequent trip to the Napa Valley in August, we more deliberately sought out wineries that encourage food at their tastings, curious to see whether they would measure up.
Our first stop, Peju Province in Rutherford, recently began food pairing programs. Like many large wineries open to the public, Peju has a culinary staff for private events such as weddings and corporate meetings. This year, Max Duley, culinary director and executive chef, took his food public.
"We're a winery, not a restaurant," Duley said, "but we believe food and wine are inseparable partners. The point of creating a tasting menu was to get our visitors thinking about how our wines enhance different foods. But we weren't sure people would go for it."
So far, they are — and not just at Peju. Food offerings we found in Napa and Sonoma valleys included snack-size plates and multi-course prix-fixe meals, informal lunches and guided instruction.
At Peju, our tasting lunch was served on the garden terrace, a quaint, sun-soaked patio just outside the tasting room. The hostess led us to one of the small iron tables beneath an oversized canvas umbrella, where we settled in with a chilled Peju Provence table wine. Up first, a smoked tomato gazpacho, followed by garam masala spiced lobster and cucumber-watermelon-yuzu salad. We moved on to pan-seared halibut with citrus beurre blanc and pillowy ricotta gnocchi, comparing the flavor of a 2005 Estate Sauvignon Blanc with each dish.
Dessert was a dark chocolate gâteau crowned with coffee gelée with a 2004 Estate Zinfandel. We didn't need a guided tour; Duley's food spoke worlds about the wine.
Stuffed from lunch, we were relieved to learn that Brian Streeter, the culinary director and executive chef at our next stop, Cakebread Cellars, was on vacation. Typically, he leads food-wine pairing classes that include four dishes.
Even without the chef in residence, the talk immediately turned to food during the 30-minute tour. When Jack and Dolores Cakebread founded the winery in 1973, they focused on food almost as much as wine. In the early years, Dolores would cook lunch for visitors and workers alike. As the winery grew, the couple converted a historic house on the property into a multi-room indoor-outdoor kitchen and hired Streeter.
James Shook, our gum-smacking tour guide, handed out tasting cards, pocket-size leaflets with tasting notes about each wine. On the flip side were recipes, such as one for fennel-crusted ahi tuna with fermented black bean sauce on a scallion risotto cake, the recommended pairing for a 2003 Cakebread Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. "Don't worry, these aren't my recipes," Shook assured us with a grin. "My wife won't even let me in the kitchen."
The tour ended with Shook's own food pairing advice. "Cook up a box of mac 'n' cheese and pop a cold Chardonnay," he said. "Now that's a darn good food-and-wine pairing."
By the glass, by the plate
 This is a city known for great old architecture. And it's a desert spot and has a long-standing tradition of hospitality. |
 America's 20 most-visited national parks in 2009. |
Get a third night for free at 35 California hotels
Buy two, get one free. That's the idea behind the Third Night Free offer at 35 California h...
Read more »
Users' Favorites
Taking restless Southern California on vacation
Los Angeles Times e-mail newsletter, delivered every Thursday
wherever it appears.