A Toast to Cuba Cooking Class at Cafe Maxx

We sat around on a hotel balcony with a bottle of wine and tried to figure out how you would go about blowing up a planet. That's the kind of conversations science fiction writers have when they get together. We don't talk about football or anything like that.

Kevin J. Anderson

We have a busy week of tastings next week with three chances to drink with us! 

The cooking classes at Cafe Maxx are one of the best values in any event that we do and this is what we are promoting here but we also have our review of the 1985 Bordeaux Tasting that happened here in the store almost a month ago on this e-mail.  I know a am a little behind in my reviews but it is hard to keep up when you drink as much as I do.

Join Oliver and company for their 21th season of cooking classes. Chef Oliver's innovative and inspirational style of cooking and teaching enables participants to leave with greatly enhanced cooking skills and a better understanding of modern culinary principles. Plus, you'll learn the "how to's" of simplifying home entertaining. For those who have not attended a class, we set the room for 5:00 PM every 2nd or 3rd Thursday of the month and hold an open forum culinary demonstration. Oliver is joined by chef Danielle Herring and expert wine sommelier Andrew Lampasone (of the Wine Watch) providing valuable information on food & wine pairings and other interesting winery particulars. Each class is then followed by a sit-down dinner and wine tasting, sampling the foods we've just prepared (it's really more like "Eater-Tainment). Cost for this event is $65 + tax + gratuity for reservations call 954-782-0606.

A Toast to Cuba Cooking Class at Cafe Maxx
Thursday, July 19, 2012
5pm

Menu

Mojo mahi mahi with red bean sofrito
yucca & corn fritters and grilled eggplant

Drunken Mojito grilled shrimp
sweet potato & plantain “Fufu” and tropical fruit salsa

Guava, mango and banana glazed pork loin, chayote slaw
Cuban black bean sauce and green rice

Cuban coffee crème brulee

The idea behind our wine choices for this event is not to show you a wine that pairs with each course but rather to show you four different wines that have characteristics that may work with some of the foods but maybe not others.  This way you get to see potentially good as well as potentially bad food and wine pairings. 

Wine Line-Up:

2009 Bell Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
Price: $14                             Sale $12.32          Case $143

The Willamette Valley is a large and climatically diverse region extending more than 150 miles from Portland to Eugene. The gently sloping, south-facing vineyards, featuring brick-red volcanic soils that drain particularly well, produce a Pinot gris with the perfect combination of minerality and appealing mouthfeel. This wine has an attractive pale straw color and is a refreshing wine with aromas of pineapple, pear and peach. The bright acidity, accentuated by citrus and tropical fruit flavors, delivers a lovely, satisfying finish that is crisp and clean.

2009 Grgich Hills Fume Blanc Napa
Price: $24.75       Sale $21.78          Case $253

Bright ripe grapefruit citrus very ripe with notes of apricot and a touch of honey to the nose. Bright pink grapefruit jolly rancher candy on the tongue with a nice savory finish leaving the tongue salivating for food and that honeyed apricot nuance coming through on the finish. Finish 40+ Excellent

2007 Buena Vista Pinot Noir Carneros
Price: $21.50       Sale $11.25          Case $135

A hint of smoke and all-spice to the black raspberry and cherry fruit on the nose along with a strong earthy character. Still has nice light red raspberry like fruit on the tongue with silky smooth tannins, a lighter style Pinot Noir with nice freshness and a good bit of spice on the finish with just a bit of that earthy quality from the nose showing on the finish. Finish 35 Very Good

2007 Bell Petite Sirah Napa
Price: $22.50       Sale $19.80          Case $230

Bell's Petite Sirah grapes are grown on our neighbor's vineyard, Massa Ranch, in Yountville approximately one mile south of the Yountville Hills. The vineyard is certified organic (CCOF) and although the label does not state such, the wine is produced from organically grown grapes. The cool microclimate yields a wine dark in color, with ripe flavors of currants and plums. Grapes were crushed directly to small open top fermentors and punched down several times a day to maximize flavor and color extraction. The wine is pressed to barrel where it undergoes malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is aged in new French and American oak. Sweet oak flavors are well integrated with the fruit and tannins to yield a long supple finish.