Wine Dinner "Croatia", Nov 3/11

The Date and Time: Thursday, November 3, 2011   6 PM to 10 PM

The Event: Wine Dinner "Croatia"

The Venue: Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar

The Target Audience: wine media, selected patrons

The Availability/Catalogue: This was a unique wine dinner featuring the wines of Croatia - Trapan, Matosevic and Saints Hills. Croatia is an untapped and unknown wine producing country which made this opportunity so special. On a recent trip to Croatia, Jody Ness (owner, Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar and television host of Wine Portfolio) met the winemakers and brought them to Canada to show off their Croatian best.

The Quote/Background: Amethyst Wine Agency also reps some Croatian wines, and Laura Higgins was there to pour four wines from Korta Katarina and Matosevic.

The Wines:

 

***1/2 Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Korta Katarina Plavic Mali 2007, $57.95 (Amethyst)

-Korta Katarina Posip 2010, white, $49.95

-Matosevic Alba 2008 Barrique Istria IQ Seal $26.95

-Matosevic Grimalda White 2009

-Tapan Malvasia Ponente 2010 white

-Saints Hill Nevina 2009

 

*** Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Matosevic Aura 2010 Istria IQ Seal, $19.95

-Matosevic Grimalda Red 2008

-Trapan Syrah Shuluq 2009

-Saints Hills Dingac Plavac Mali 2009

 

The Food: passed hors d'oeuvre included beef tenderloin and truffle oil, salmon crostini, and prosciutto-wrapped dates stuffed with Stilton. The Ponente and Grimalda Red were just right with these apps. At this point, we tried the Amethyst Agency's wines. At dinner, the arugula salad picked up the Grimalda white (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and malvasia), while the white Nevina (malvasia and chardonnay, 14.4% ABV) complemented the wild mushroom and ricotta ravioli. With the charred beef tenderloin came the heavy guns of Trapan Syrah and Saint Hills Dingac Plavac Mali, both of which resembled zinfandel in their taste profiles.

The Downside: The proceedings started at 6 PM but we were not served the salad until 7:30PM. It was a late night.

The Upside: a chance to taste Croatian wines again.

The Contact Person: Rochelle Ness rochelle@mgbmc.com and  laura@amethystwine.ca

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com AND http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com