Gold medal for award wines have been awarded. All wines scored 90 points or more. These wine are “the best of the best” from an international competition of wines. Instead of tasting these wines alone Denver International Wine Festival decided to pair the wines with culinary creations designed by award winning chefs to enhance the pleasure of both.
This is exactly what happened on the first evening of the Denver International Wine Festival–aptly called the “Pairsine.”
The wine and food pairing happened at the stunning new Westin Denver International Airport Hotel. http://www.westindenverairport.com/
There we were serenaded by live music, as we sipped and nibbled. Besides our wine glass, we were handed a ballot to vote for the best pairing of the night.
That was the toughest part of this occasion. Each food item was excellent; each wine was top notch—all winning wines. However, the challenge of the night was about the PAIRING OF THE TWO. That is, which food-wine pairing created the best masterful combination.
The event was described as follows, “Ten artistic, wine-savvy chefs will each been assigned two of the gold-medal-winning wines from the 2016 Denver International Wine Competition, and must create a gourmet food pairing for each wine. They will compete for the coveted People’s Choice Award. Attendees savor 20 food and wine pairings and more than 40 gold medal wines (scored 91 or higher)!”
One example of superb food and wine pairing was the “People’s Choice Award Winner.”Here Executive Chef Kyle Viera of Oceanaire Seafood Room in Denver. paired “Duck Confit Potstickers, Gala Apple, Butternut Squash, Petite Greens, Soy Vinaigrette,” with Firesteed Riesling 2012.
His second dish was “Land and Sea:Braised Short Rib, Bay Scallop, Chanterelle Mushroom, Smoked Cippolini Onion, Veal Demi,” which was paired with Page Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010.Yes, it was even better tasting than the description.
On the second evening of the Denver International Wine Festival, over 80 wineries and distillers showcased not only the competition winners, but a host of entries representing varietals and countries from across the globe.
There are many reasons to visit Denver, add The Denver international Wine Festival and the Westin Denver International Airport Hotel to your list for next year.http://www.denverwinefest.com/
Photos by Michael Reiss