Chicken Galantine with Foie Gras, Fig Chutney Candy, Sea Salt Walnut Crumbs, Pickled Shimeji brings lots of texture and taste to the palate.
A wine pairing dinner traditionally starts with light-bodied wines before progressing to full-bodied selections.
This order allows room for the palate to discern each wine’s nuances before it encounters more intense flavours.
For the Mitolo wine dinner at Prime, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, the “Jester” McLaren Vale Vermentino from South Australia was chosen to introduce the vineyard’s offerings.
Known for its zesty acidity, citrus and tropical fruit flavours, the white wine is made with Vermentino grapes – a varietal that is widely grown in the Mediterranean region – particularly in Sardinia and Liguria in Italy as well as in Corsica and Provence, France.
Rodriguez (left) and Stephan presenting a series of Mitolo wines at the pairing dinner.
The 2023 white, with subtle herbal notes, complements the Roasted Tomato Soup, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Smoked Salmon Pinwheels with Cream Cheese and Dill, Flower Crab Meat and Fresh Horseradish Sliders.
The “Jester” Vermentino stayed on for a while longer to accompany the mise en bouche of Celeriac and Potato Espuma, Seared Sea Scallops and Squid Ink Waffle.
The tender, briny plump scallops, with caramelised exterior, are beautifully paired with creamy celeriac and potato espuma.
A striking touch was a squid ink waffle with its honeycomb-like appearance adding texture and visual flair to the presentation.
Soon, it was time for the reds to steal the show.
The “Jester” McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from Lot 11 of the Lopresti Vineyard, is matured for 12 months in 80% French oak barrels before being transferred to 20% American seasoned oak Hogs Head Barrels.
Celeriac and Potato Espuma, Seared Sea Scallops and Squid Ink Waffle is paired with the crisp, clean ‘Jester’ McLaren Vale Vermentino.
Albert Wines & Spirits development director David Stephan said this savoury, medium-bodied wine boasted soft cedar tannins and bright acidity, revealing sweet plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, dark cherry as well as sage and clove in each sip.
Stephan said the “Jester” Cabernet Sauvignon was a clever choice with foie gras because of how the flavours complement each other.
For this red, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur executive chef Antoine Rodriguez presented an artfully crafted dish – Chicken Galantine with Foie Gras, Fig Chutney Candy, Sea Salt Walnut Crumbs, Pickled Shimeji – rich in both texture and taste.
A side of Warm-Buttered Brioche rounded out the dish perfectly.
The delicately perfumed “Jester” McLaren Vale Shiraz – from the Lopresti’s Ridgehaven Vineyard – was another variety matured in 80% French oak barrels before going into American oak Hogs Head Barrels for 16 months, said Stephan.
With balanced acidity and smooth tannins, the medium-bodied red marked with notes of blood plum, dark cherry, and blackberry is an easy drinking wine.
Creamy French Onion Soup with Apple, Garlic Baguette Croutons, Pickle Shallots, Mini Green, Cheese Truffle Croquette is paired with this.
With each red, the flavours grew, impressing the taste buds and heightening expectations for the evening’s highlight – the G.A.M.
Stefan said grapes for the G.A.M Shiraz were grown in the Chinese Block vineyard, located in the Willunga district, at the southern end of McLaren Vale.
G.A.M represents the first initial of the first names of Frank Mitolo’s children – Gemma, Alex and Marco.
Aged in 30% French oak and 70% American oak barrels, the G.A.M is characteristic of the area the grapes are grown in.
Stephan said while French oak was softer on wines, American oak contributed vanilla notes, adding sweetness and intensity to shape a full-bodied red.
The G.A.M tangoed well with Simply Grilled Pure Angus Beef Mignon, Provencal Crust Eggplant Puree with Orange Zest, Pimiento Polenta Cake Zucchini Flan topped with Asparagus Tzaziki Salad and Porcini Sauce.
Soon it was time for a taste of Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Serpico, said Stephan, was made with hand-picked, air-dried grapes in the Amarone method (a wine-making process where grapes are dried to concentrate the sugars and flavours before fermentation).
This allowed the grapes to develop intense aromas and a velvety mid-palate with soft, silky tannins, he added.
The wine is then stored in 100% new oak barrels, where it goes through malolactic fermentation and 14 months’ maturation.
“Serpico grapes are left out to dry like raisins, where they lose about 30% of water volume.
“This concentrates the sugars, builds tannins,” he said of the deep ruby, intense fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon that is aged predominantly in French oak barrels.
To accompany the bold red, the pastry chefs presented Modern Black Forest, Dark Chocolate Dome Vanilla Chantilly Moist Chocolate Cake, Cherry Sherbet, Berry Compote in Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon.
Mitolo wines are distributed by Albert Wines. For details, call 03-6276 3993 or 017-741 5658.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
