Livermore’s annual food and wine competition, Taste Our Terroir, pits teams from local wineries and restaurants against each other to create food and wine pairings. Behind the scenes, judges rule on their favorite pairings in three categories. The public has a chance to weigh in on their favorite white and red pairings.
People wonder whether rosé goes in the red or white category: if a rosé is made from a red grape varietal, it should be considered a red. For the purposes of the competition, the judges proclaimed the 2023 Sakura Petit Verdot Rosé paired with poke bites of tuna, salmon and ono sashimi in a creamy, spicy poke sauce from Kiseki restaurant, as the best pairing.
The Best Classic Pairing award went to Pruett Farms 2022 Reverie Chardonnay paired with a masterful easy-to-eat bite of Italian buffalo milk cheese topped with bresaola, candied pecans, honeycomb and tarragon, from the Cheese Parlor. The Most Innovative award went to a pani puri with duck confit and mushroom foam from Zephyr, paired with the 2022 Darcie Kent Winery Triska Vineyards Pinot Noir.
People’s Choice is more of a popularity contest than a true matchup of food and wine flavors. Best White went to the 2023 Las Positas Estate Reserve Albariño with Ahi tuna tartare on a crispy wonton, while the Best Red went to the 2021 Wood Family Zinfandel paired with lamb ragu from Sons of Liberty.
Rant alert: several restaurants created dishes nearly impossible to eat. In this strictly stand-up, no-silverware environment, serving anything that needs to be cut up is a no-no. Takes a little longer to create bite-sized food, but it’s worth it if you are trying to focus on the flavors and how they work with the wine. Kudos to the chefs who figured that out.
Interested in the secrets behind some of San Francisco’s most beloved restaurants? Come to The Tasting House on Sat, Nov. 9, to meet local author Trevor Felch, who will be talking about and signing his book, “City Eats San Francisco,” from 1-2:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 at https://www.tastinghouse.com/product/-city-eats-san-francisco-book-signing/6335 and include a glass of wine, snacks and a signed copy of the book.
On Nov. 10 take part in an exclusive tasting featuring 15-plus cabernet producers from the Santa Cruz Mountains including Bates Ranch, Kathryn Kennedy, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and Ridge. Premier Cruz will be held at Vidovich Vineyards at the top of Montebello Road in Cupertino. A strolling early dinner with savory pairings from Oak and Rye will accompany current release and rare and older vintages of eminently ageable Santa Cruz Mountain cabernet. Tickets are $135 at https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events.
Nov. 16 brings the Menlo Park Wine Stroll to downtown Menlo Park from 1-4 p.m. for some festive pre-holiday shopping and wine purchasing to benefit the Menlo Atherton Education Foundation. The holidays seem to be starting earlier than ever. Tickets are $50 at https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events.