Dr. David Muhleman

The-Wine-Educator    WINE & SPIRITS EDUCATION AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE CONSUMER AND THE PROFESSIONAL

Wine Dinners

I happen to be lucky to live in a city with several different types of wine dinners, but regardless of where you live, let me recommend http://www.localwineevents.com to find out what is available in your town (or a town you may be visiting).

As wine has gotten more popular (and the economy tougher) more and more restaurants are looking for “incentives” to draw in customers. Several are holding wine dinners, to reach additional customers.

However, not all wine dinners are created equally. There are several types of wine dinners: wine “maker” dinner, wine “country” dinner, wine “and food” dinner, and just about every imaginable variation on the theme.

Not all “Wine Dinners” are worth the time and money. First of all, some wine dinners are forced together. The chef wants to showcase one style of cooking and the wine representative is featuring the wines from a specific winery and the “pair” is forced together. In my experience, these dinners don’t always work well.

Second, wine dinners don’t work well if the chef really can’t pair the wines well. Too often either the chef doesn’t get to taste the wine ahead, or is limited on what they have to “pair” with the wines. Or in some cases the wines are so limited the chef has no options to work with. For example, the winery may be famous for two Cabernet Sauvignon wines. That’s not much to build a dinner around.

Third, and sadly, the chef may feel that they know more about wine (and pairing) than they really do. No chef wants to admit that they are not a wine expert, but few really are. Pairing a specific dish with a specific wine is hard to do. And there are more “misses” than “hits.” If you find a good chef (as we have in the Gold Room), support their efforts.

 Many times the restaurant sets up wines from a region/location paired with foods from the same region/location. These have the best chance of success. The chef has a wide range of food to choose from and the sommelier is not restricted to just one winery. French food with French wine or Spanish food with Spanish wine, seem to give the best chance for success (our Spanish dinner at Anthony’s was superb).

The last element to consider is whether the price is really worth the value. We have been to some wine dinners where the wine was low-end and the overall value was low. We have also been to a very high-end restaurant and the pairing was lackluster at best. Price is not a good indication of value for a wine dinner. Most wine dinners are planned to start with the softer food and softest wine first, building to the biggest, boldest main course, and finishing with a memorable dessert/dessert wine.

No dinner can survive with a powerhouse food/wine, on top of a powerhouse food/wine, on top of a powerhouse food/wine. So although a wine dinner full of $200 a bottle wines may sound incredible, it will be way out of balance and no more than simply a “trophy tasting” and not a great meal. Balance is also important.

Finally, be careful; a restaurant can call anything a “wine dinner”.  We went to one which featured 10 wines and “dinner” was a bit of cheese and crackers. Most often a wine dinner is a “marketing effort” to sell the featured wines. Either way, you need to be prepared and ask questions before paying $100 per person (or more) to drink low-end wine and eat banquet chickens.

As I said in the beginning, I am lucky to live in a town where we have had some wonderful wine dinners. And I admit to several “less than stellar” false starts. So ask around, do your research, and learn where you get the best value for your money. Because when you do find a winner; there is nothing better than good wine, with good food, with good friends.

Until next time, drink good wine.