Tucson Weekly: Where The Wines Are (March 25

Where The Wines Are

Becoming A Connoisseur Is As Simple As Showing Up At The Table.
By Rebecca Cook
OVER THE LAST decade, wine sales have skyrocketed, making the sacred juice of the grape a hot commodity.
Acreage devoted to the hallowed fruit has not only increased in foreign markets such as Australia and Chile, but also in Northern California, Washington, Oregon and even New York state. Wine is big business, and more and more of us leap into the burgeoning consumer frenzy each passing year. And why not? According to several studies, the stuff (especially red wine) not only induces a general glow of well being, it's actually good for the body, by staving off the vagaries of heart disease as well as cancer and vision problems.
Chow While some might dispute these healthful findings, no one can argue with wine's overwhelming appeal to a society obsessed with the trappings of affluence and the good life. The only daunting deterrent to enjoying its benefits is confusion when confronted with a surfeit of choices. Whether you're standing at the racks of your favorite store or looking over the voluminous wine list at one of Tucson's fine restaurants, the moment of decision can induce sheer panic. At the prices of some vintages, a mistake could be excruciating.
Fortunately, dedicated and savvy wine makers, chefs, sommeliers and restaurateurs have joined to make exploring wine country not only less intimidating, but also delicious. Local restaurants feature a variety of evenings devoted to the ineluctable pairing of food and wine, a marriage made in heaven if ever there was one.
Perhaps most enticing for the serious student of wine are winemaker dinners, featuring a variety of vintages from a single winery's cellars, along with a direct audience with the winemaker himself (or the vintner's designated representative). Conducted sometimes with the intensity of an educational seminar, this can be a wonderful way to expand your knowledge of the winemaking process and repertoire, while enjoying a sumptuous three- to six-course feast specifically crafted to match the evening's wine selections.
The Gold Room at Westward Look (245 E. Ina Road, 297-1151) schedules monthly winemaker dinners, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. The next such event is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, featuring the Robert Craig wine collection. Robert Craig and his chief winemaker, Rudy Zuideman, will conduct the proceedings. In an original twist to the dinner motif, the pair will discuss their latest unreleased vintages, providing guests with a chance to sample wines not yet available to the masses. Très exclusive.
Just for kicks, allow me to give a rundown of the evening's menu: The reception will feature a foie gras mousse with apricot brioche toast points; salmon pastrami crisps with rye toast points; and smoked duck and sun-dried tomato crostini, all paired with a Piper Sonoma sparkling wine. The salad course is a sizzled lobster skewer served with a salad of baby spinach, arugula and caramelized apple compote tossed with an 8-year-old balsamic vinaigrette, topped with maytag blue cheese brioche croutons. A 1997 Carneros Chardonnay will accompany the lobster and greens.
Accompanying a soup of dried venison, portabello mushroom, fava beans and root vegetables (simmering amidst a steamy ancho-chile broth) is a glass of 1996 Affinity Cabernet. The featured entrée will be pink-peppercorn encrusted sturgeon fillet with sautéed Swiss chard, raspberry onion confit salsa and lobster demi glacé. You or I might be stumped as to what to serve with such an exotic main course, but the hosts have determined a 1996 Mount Veeder Cabernet is just the thing.
Finally, a dessert of chile chocolate cassis mousse with a chocolate pecan tuile and cabernet cassis coulis concludes the meal, with a glass of 1996 Howell Mountain Cabernet. Sounds like great fun, you say, but what about the cost? Winemaker dinners are generally pricey, ranging anywhere from $45 to in excess of $100 per person, depending on the quality and maturity of the wines as well as the extravagance of the menu. The above menu rolls in at $85 a head: a considerable chunk of change, but invariably, a meal to remember for a long time to come. Think of it as an investment in your worldly education.
Kingfisher Bar & Grill (2564 E. Grant Road, 323-7739) also offers a winemaker dinner on March 30, featuring Eli Parker and Fez Parker wines. Details of the four-course menu are still being hammered out, but the cost is set at $65 per person. Novice wine-connoisseur wannabes may enjoy the more casual and hip ambiance of The Kingfisher, where all questions may be asked without fear of ridicule or embarrassment.
Fuego Restaurant (6958 E. Tanque Verde Road, 886-1745) also features winemaker meals on a regular basis, and has found the model to be enormously successful. According to manager Jack Silver, the 80-seat capacity of the establishment usually sells out within 30 days of upcoming events, necessitating that epicures do a little research and plan ahead if they're to join in the fun. Fuego's next happening is scheduled for April 27, with the evening's featured guests being master sommeliers Dale Sparks and Craig Stancliffe, of Boutique Wines. Vintages from the Napa/Sonoma region take center stage this night. Details as to the price of the four-course meal have yet to be determined, but those familiar with Sparks from Anthony's in the Catalinas know the occasion will be filled with its share of enthusiastic and candid discussion of wine and fine dining. There may be no sommelier in town that's less pretentious and better informed than Sparks, whose love of all things connected with the grape is both informed and contagious.
OTHER PLACES TO find winemaker dinners on occasion (though none are scheduled at present) are Presidio Grill (3352 E. Speedway Blvd., 327-4667), Daniel's (4340 N. Campbell Ave., 742-3200), the Ventana Room (7000 N. Resort Dr., 299-2020), Anthony's in the Catalinas (6440 N. Campbell Ave., 299-1771) and La Paloma (3800 E. Sunrise, 742-6000). Ask for inclusion on their mailing lists for the skinny on future events.
Many restaurants that eschew the extravaganza of winemaker dinners nonetheless provide diners ample opportunity to sample a variety of wines at a reasonable price. Special tasting menus are developed weekly at the Ventana Room, and can also be found on occasion at The Dish (3200 E. Speedway Blvd., 326-1714) and Café Terra Cotta (4310 N. Campbell Ave., 577-8100). In this scenario, dishes are devised to complement wines from several different winemakers, a situation frequently more appealing to chefs who might feel some bottles of a specific vintner are better than others, which hinders the full expression of the culinary side of their collaboration. Also, diners are often given the option of enjoying some or all of the wines suggested, thereby allowing some leeway on the overall cost of the evening. This strategy also lends itself well to sampling several wines without investing in too many single bottles.
There are several excellent resources available if you're the bookish type: The Rumrunner, the Beverage House and Wine Spectator leap to mind. But an evening of fine food, thoughtfully pre-paired with wine and scintillating discussion, is a superlative way to enhance your enlightenment. Here's a toast to the people who keep the Epicurean spirit alive and well.

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