It is always our endeavour to have wines slightly outshine the food at our wine dinners , even though we try a perfect match. This always becomes a difficult task when Bill Marchetti, the executive chef at West View, prepares the food. And when he is really possessed, the only way we can find a balance is by pitching in a couple of exceptionally good wines.

Bill had decided to go the whole hog, perhaps because H.E. Antonio Armellini, the new Ambassador of Italy and his wife Giovanni were our special guests along with a few other diplomats of the embassy. Fortunately his culinary skills were pitted against a couple of excellent wines - Nobile di Montepulciano and the Gaja Sito Maresco. So he and the members present at the dinner came out with big smile. The ambassador and his wife gave full marks to the restaurant for food, service, ambience and also the members of the Club for organizing a great evening. Here is the Menu for the evening:

MENU

Le Bruschette
Bellini Cocktail
Bruschetta al Caprino e rucola / with fresh goats cheese and rucola
Bruschetta ai gamberi / with oranges, olives and minced prawn
Bruschetta al pesto e verdure / with basil pesto and Roman artichokes

Il primo di pesce
Pomino Bianco DOC
unwooded Chardonnay by Marchesi di Frescobaldi 2001
Terrine di capesante e aragosta con salsa al limone / terrine of Canadian scallops and lobster
dressed with lemon confit and Laudemio di Frescobaldi extra virgin olive oil
Or
Terrine di verdure arrostite / Terrine of roasted Mediterranean vegetables with a bell pepper
coulis, parmesan chips, Celery oil

La Pasta
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG La Braccesca 1999
Ravioli alla faraona con profumo di porcino / guinea fowl ravioli with a porcini jus
Or
Tortelloni piccanti al formaggio / spicy filled pasta with Italian cheeses and chili paste; in a
creamy sauce with a puree of bell peppers

I Piatti di Carne
Gaja Sito Moresco Langhe DOC 1999
Abbacchio alla Romana / roasted milk-fed lamb with semolina gnocchi and garlic spinach
Or
Lombo di maiale al senape /' French Farm' Canadian breed pork loin in mustard sauce with onion mashed potatoes and bacon sautéed Brussels sprouts
Or
Grigliata mista vegetariana / mixed vegetarian grill of fresh asparagus with parmesan, morel and porcini pancakes, corn stuffed peppers, walnut and almond stuffed tomatoes, Aubergine and caponata steaks, chanterelle and Fontina grilled polenta

Il Formaggio
Lucente 1999 Frescobaldi-Mondavi
Gorgonzola con brioche al tartufo e miele / G orgonzola on toasted truffled brioche with Italian Acacia honey

Il Dolce
Pellegrino Marsala Fine DOC
Tartufo Bianco con salsina alle nociole / white chocolate tartufo with hazelnut sauce

Italian food goes best with the Italian wines and the Italian wines sing with proper food. This combination of food and wine at the dinner was a testimonial to the paradigm. Bellini may not have been perfect if only because it was not chilled enough for the summer heat and the peach nectar did not mix well with the Prosecco. But the medium bodied Chardonnay was a perfect match for the scallops and the lobster. It was dry, golden colour with a greenish tinge, intensely perfumed with good mouthfeel.

The next two dishes, again paired perfectly with wine demonstrated the culinary skills Bill has. It is very seldom that one can enjoy lamb using only a fork. One of the reasons for the excellent dishes as Bill explains is that he is very particular about choosing proper and fresh ingredients. Nobile and Sito shared the honours, as the best liked wines. Lucente was a good example of how a wine can add synergy to food and vice versa. Sipped without food it was not very impressive but the Gorgonzola cheese really changed the flavour and had people asking for more. We ended up with a note of appreciation from everyone present and an impossible–to–carry out request to hold more wine dinners at West View.

Subhash Arora
President