last year<\/a><\/span> and continue to be impressed by the quality of this sparkler.<\/p>\nAnd then it was time for dinner of five courses.<\/p>\n
1st Course<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\nWhole wheat blinis topped with Viognier chive creme fraiche and caviar paired with the 2016 Sophia Marie Ros\u00e9<\/b><\/span>. Sitting with Paul M. Bonarrigo at dinner, he explained how he\u2019d wanted a more Provencal style of Ros\u00e9. I do think they are pretty darn close with this lovely wine made from 100% Dolcetto which was grown in the Texas High Plains. The previous vintage was a blend of Orange Muscat, Dolcetto, and Merlot and was more of a semi-dry style. This version was dry with delicate red fruit indicative of Provence.<\/p>\n2nd Course<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\nCream of asparagus soup laced with Blanc du Bois topped with a parmesan toast point and asparagus nibs. This was paired with the 2016 Private Reserve Blanc du Bois<\/b><\/span>. First, who knew there was such a fantastic wine pairing for asparagus! I mean, really, who knew? And second, I will disclose that I haven\u2019t been a huge fan of Blanc du Bois in the past. This one was so clean, crisp, aromatic, and beautifully made that it certainly got my attention. I don\u2019t know if it was the paring or the wine, but I very much enjoyed this wine. Guess I will have to get more to be sure. #WineProblems<\/p>\n3rd Course<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\nCucumber ring with a feta style goat cheese, spring greens, shaved carrot and confit of tomato with a Zinfandel vinaigrette. This was paired with the 2015 Paulo Primitivo<\/b><\/span>. This was both my favorite food and favorite wine of the night. I never would have paired this together! Delicious! The Primitivo was rich, smooth with ripe red and black fruit. Very lovely.<\/p>\n4th Course<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\nGrilled marlin steak on a bed of spaghetti squash topped with crawfish pancetta. This was paired with the 2015 40th Anniversary Heritage Blend<\/span><\/strong> which is a blend of 8 varietals with the predominant ones being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sagrantino. Each of the eight varieties is selected from the best Texas vineyards in their portfolio. This one was bold with lush tannins.<\/p>\n5th Course<\/b><\/u><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\nThe final course of the evening was savarin cake soaked with strawberry syrup and topped with fresh strawberries macerated in Beau. This was paired with the 2014 Private Reserve Papa Paulo Port<\/b><\/span>. The Port was the first wine I ever experienced from Messina Hof and I\u2019ve always gone back for more. Made from 100% Lenoir estate fruit, this was offered up cocoa, dark cherry, and a hint of spice. Decadent.<\/p>\n All in all, a fabulous evening!<\/p>\n
Wines tasted:<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Messina Hof Winery is going big and celebrating its 40th Anniversary. That\u2019s a long time to have been making wine in Texas! And to celebrate, the winery is featuring events all year long. In addition to releasing a commemorative collection of 40th anniversary wines, there will be wine dinners, cellar tours, and a whole lot more. To find out more …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,90],"tags":[204,205],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Spring Release 2017 at Messina Hof Winery - The Corkscrew Concierge\u2122<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n