EntriesReturning fro
m a holiday is always tough but having wine events to attend right away definitely eases the pain. First, our NJ Chapter of Women for Winesense hosted an event in honor of Presidents Week. There was a tasting of some of the wines served at the White House or at Presidential events. It was a fun tasting and I will post about this in greater detail another time.
This time I want to write about the excellent wine lunch I attended at Marea restaurant in NYC.
Hosted by Pasternak Wine Imports, this lunch featured the wines of Guy Saget, premier wine maker of the Loire Valley. Wine maker, Phillipe Reculet and producer, Arnaud Saget provided some beautiful wines and good stories. The Sagets have been wine growers in the Pouilly region for 9 generations. They have been purchasing property in other areas of the Loire and now have 4 wine makers with properties in Pouilly, Sancerre, Touraine and Anjou.
We were first presented with a brand new offering the La Petite Perriere Sauvignon Blanc 2008. This is a much more fruity and fresh Sauvignon Blanc closer in style to a New World wine. I enjoyed how refreshing it was with good acidity and no overpowering elements. This is a wine for today’s market at a price of $9.99!!
We then sat down for our meal. I was told that the Chef chose the dishes to pair with the wines that were being presented. He did a fantastic job. Here is the menu:
PRIMI
TARTARE -yellowfin tuna, grilled endive, candied olives, sorrel
or:
GRANCHIO – blue crab, granny smith apple, fennel agrodolce
Wine: Les Clissages d’Or Muscadet 2008
SECONDI
BRANZINO- seared striped bass, walnut agrodulce, cauliflower, pickled grapes, treviso
or:
POLLETTO – roasted baby chicken, brown butter cabbage, black trumpet mushroom
Wine: Domaine de La Perriere Sancerre 2008
DOLCE
TORTA DI FORMAGGIO – coconut cheesecake, passion fruit sherbert, coconut foam
or:
PANNA COTTA – meyer lemon panna cotta, huckleberry sorbet, citrus granola
Wine: Le Domaine Saget Pouilly Fume 2008
I chose the blue crab for my first course excited to see how the Muscadet would pair with it. This Muscadet was a clear, straw color with some light fruity characteristics. We were told that after fermentation this wine stays on its lees until its bottling time and so gives it its slight effervescence. This makes the wine very refreshing. It held up well with the crab dish with its good acidity and minerality. I was able to try this with the tuna dish as well and it also was a good match. Price $15.99.
For my entree I chose the fish – I love Branzino and thought this would be a wonderful pairing with the Sancerre. The wine was bright with fruity aromas. Again, good acidity that makes this wine refreshing on its own but a perfect accompaniment to food. This is one of the producers signature wines and we were told the 2002 vintage is still developing and a wine to hold. If you have a chance to try this wine I highly recommend it. Price $24.99.
My final course was the panna cotta and that was divine on its own. Incredible textures between the granola and the pudding. I still had some Pouilly Fume to drink. (it’s a tough life!) This wine also was refreshing and well-balanced with some intense flowery notes as well. Price $29.00
While I know that French wine has had a bad reputation over here in the USA with pricing being one of the main issues, these wines are definitely worth seeking out. They will all be available nationwide in the next month.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman
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Tags: Guy Saget, Marea Restaurant, Pasternak Wine Imports, The Wining Woman, Time to Wine with Zita Keeley, Zita Keeley's Wine School
