by Jan Krupp, proprietor
For those of us who love food and wine, some of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences are created by the perfect pairing of the two. On a recent whirlwind trip through Texas and Florida, I was thrilled to share many remarkable and innovative pairings with some of you during seven wine dinners created by fantastic chefs that love Krupp Brothers wines.
First off, three spectacular seafood dishes knocked my socks off. Two halibut preparations beautifully complemented our 2009 Chardonnay, and the third was a surprising and delicious match of sea bass and Merlot.
Park Square Cellar~ Lithia, Florida
Dish- Seared halibut over a white bean, artichoke ragout with artichoke petals flavored with a thyme Meyer lemon Beurre blanc. The citrus in the 2009 Chardonnay and lemon in the fish tied together. The delicate treatment of the artichokes underlined the nuances of green apple in the wine.
Citrus Club at the Country Club of Orlando ~ Orlando, Florida
Dish- Delicious Pumpkin-crusted Halibut over a parsnip purée topped with a cranberry Beurre blanc and micro chives. The texture of the 2009 Chardonnay and the parsnip purée were a perfect match. The pumpkin evoked the wine’s fruit.
Pumpkin-crusted halibut at Country Club of Orlando.
Old Hickory Steakhouse ~ Grapevine, Texas
Dish- Cedar smoked sea bass over Harissa couscous flavored with Meyer Lemon. It was by far the best seafood pairing I have ever had with our 2007 Krupp Brothers Merlot! The cedar and spice of her dish brought out the identical flavors in the wine. Chef Joanne Bondy scored again with a blueberry almond cake over lavender, honey ice cream and cajeta. The dish seamlessly complemented the sweetness and lavender and blueberry notes in the 2010 Black Bart port. Her pairings were so spectacular that I recruited her for our Club 1870 Picnic in the Vineyard this August!
Now for the meat dishes.
Citrus Club (Yes, again! Chef Reiner Drygala is very talented.)
Foie gras wrapped in a pear and black cherry strudel resting on a bed of vanilla-spiked arugula.
Foie gras wrapped in a pear and black cherry strudel.
The arugula complemented the delicate herbal flavor in the 2007 Krupp Brothers Cabernet, and the black cherry and pear mingled delightfully with the Cabernet’s fruit.
Malio’s Steakhouse ~ Tampa, Florida
Venison loin topped with a wild mushroom red wine reduction made the 2009 Veraison Synchrony sing. The earthiness of the mushroom wine reduction brought out a similar deep beauty in the wine. I have never had a finer pairing with the Synchrony.
Dallas Country Club~Dallas, Texas
Short ribs accompanied by sweet potato gnocchi and Gouda bone marrow butter was a delicious complement to our 2007 Veraison Cabernet Sauvignon. The sweetness from the sweet potatoes brought out on the beautiful fruit of our wine and the bone marrow butter highlighted the smoky and herbal notes in the Cabernet.
Krupp Brothers 