BIG NIGHT NOTES

Table Set Minutes Before Guests Arrive

THE WINES

Many guests asked for the wine list. All of these wines are available on the City Catering Wine List. If no catered events are in your future, grocery stores with larger wine sections may have some of these. Or, try your local wine shop -- if they do not carry them, ask about a special order. The bottom line is we really like and recommend all of these wines.

  • CHATEAU DE LA ROCHE 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. Touraine France: Touraine is a wine area at the center of the Loire Valley. This is a lovely dry Sauvignon Blanc. We paired it with oysters.
  • HUBER HUGO 2006 Grüner Veltliner, Austria: Aside from being fun to say, we love this wine. Grüner Veltliner (say it aloud and you'll see) is a grape variety grown primarily in Austria. The Huber Hugo is dry, light and mineraly with some grapefruit flavor. It goes great with food. We paired it with the wild green salad.
  • CALLIA ALTA 2007 Shiraz Malbec, Argentina: This dry red has licorice hints. While it is light enough to pair with Halibut (a fish that can match up with a red), it does have tannin and body. Argentina has some great wine offerings and the good news is that the dollar is matching up well with their economy, so this wine isn't seeing "euro inflation."
  • THE PINES 1852 2005 Big Red, Columbia Valley: To clarify, the winery name is The Pines 1852 and the vintage is 2005. A winery with a wonderful story and wines to match. Big Red is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. This is a hearty wine with berry flavors and a peppery finish. We paired this with lamb.
  • RUDOLF MÜLLER 2006 Riesling Auslese, Germany: a wonderful sweet dessert wine. From the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. You will not be disappointed with this dessert wine -- citrus and peach flavors, sweet but not cloying. We paired this with the Semolina Cake.

Big Night Menu

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

Good food and good wine don't necessarily mean they will compliment each other. City Catering chef, Russell Burton teamed up with Kurt Schlatter of A & B Wine Importers to pair the menu. Consider the following when pairing wine and food:

  • BALANCE: the food and wine should not try to outshine each other
  • INTENSITY: delicate flavors in the food should be paired with a delicate wine.
  • WEIGHT: Heavier foods tend to need wines with more body.
  • FLAVOR: While not an unbreakable rule, try to match flavor notes from one dish to the wine. The halibut was prepared with fennel. These licorice flavors are echoed in the Shiraz-Malbec that was paired with the dish.

There is also a little thing we like to call the "Daring Pairing." Sometimes contrasting characteristics work well. For example, many slightly sweet Rieslings work well with spicier dishes and Asian foods.

Our daring pairing of the evening was a red matched with the fish (halibut). I think we proved that fish doesn't always need a white wine.

If you have the nerve, try a daring pairing and let us know if it worked out well for you.