One Last Spring Fling!

Our niece Sara, and her husband Andy came down to Sarasota to visit us a couple of weeks ago. What better way to celebrate their visit than with a wine tasting dinner showcasing Spring’s bounty of flavors, paired with lovely wines? Here’s a recap of the evening!

The wines for our Spring wine tasting dinner

We love winter and spring in Sarasota for many reasons, the most obvious one being the gorgeous weather we experience from November through early May – low humidity, high temps in the 70’s and low 80’s (and sometimes the 60’s as well), and day after day of sunny skies. But we also love the season because family and friends head down to visit us to enjoy a respite from the cold weather up north!  

Last week our niece Sara and her husband Andy came down to join us for a long weekend and as usual, we had a blast. In addition to lazing by the pool, we enjoyed dinners out at Bar Italia and Cooper’s Hawk, great cocktails courtesy of Andy, and great conversation as well. Oh, and we can’t forget Andy’s and my nightly tasting of bourbons (the total count was 28 different bourbons tasted over the course of 4 nights – epic!).

Our niece Sara and husband Andy enjoying the warm Florida weather

We kicked off the festivities on the day of their arrival with a six-course wine tasting dinner, since all of us are foodies and wine lovers as well. First up was the “Bubbles and Nibbles” course consisting of Cheddar Parmesan Crackers paired with a 2018 Adelsheim Sparkling Brut Rose from the Chehalem Mountains region of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Dry sparkling wine pairs perfectly with anything salty, so the two cheeses in these crackers, both of which are salty, served as the perfect foil for this beautiful sparkler (yes, we finished all the crackers in 15 minutes)!

Next up was the soup course. I chose to make a quintessential spring cold soup, Gazpacho, and paired it with a 2023 Early Mountain Rosé produced in Virginia wine country. Tomatoes and Rosé are a match made in heaven, since both are somewhat acidic. Also, the slight spice of the gazpacho provides a nice foil to the lush fruit of the pink wine. I topped the gazpacho with a medley of peppers and cucumber, fresh Italian parsley, homemade croutons, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Next up with the salad course. Keeping with the spring theme, I chose to make an Arugula, Watermelon, and Feta salad with an Orange-Honey Dressing. For the wine pairing, I chose a bright, racy 2022 Nortico Alvarinho from Portugal - this is my 2024 wine of the year, by the way! Similar in style to a Spanish Albarino, the rich fruit, salinity, and vibrant acidity of this wine paired perfectly with the sweetness of the watermelon and the saltiness of the feta cheese.

 For the fourth course, I made Roasted Salmon with Green Pea and Ricotta Puree, because nothing screams “Spring” more than fresh green peas!  I could have gone with either a white or red wine here, but I decided on the 2022 Trefethen Family Vineyards Katie’s Acre Chardonnay from Napa Valley. This wine is beautifully balanced, with bright stone and tropical fruit notes, along with zesty acidity and just a touch of oak. It’s a lighter style of Chardonnay and played off well with the rich salmon and slightly sweet puree.

For the “main course”, I decided on a Seared Sou Vide NY Strip Steak with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes & Haricot Vert, served with a 2021 Jax Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Sou Vide is a great cooking method for multi-course wine tasting dinners, since you can just put the protein in the water bath as it cooks to the perfect temperature and then give it a quick sear once you are ready to serve it. And of course, a prime, dry-aged NY Strip deserves a big, juicy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that has nice tannins to cut through the rich fat of the steak. The pairing was a match made in heaven!

We ended the evening with the desert course, which included a Dark Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream and Toffee Crumbles, served with a 2022 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah from Sonoma County. I usually go with a sweeter wine to pair with deserts like this, but the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate swayed me to go with a fruit-forward Syrah with light tannins and medium body. The match definitely worked, but a tawny port would have probably been more natural match with the toffee crumbles.

 All in all, it was a great evening enjoyed with two of our favorite people in the world! We’re already looking forward to their visit in 2026!!