On Saturday March 29th, before Taste Washington, Lynn and I attended a seminar called "Playing Matchmaker - Pairing Food and Wine to Your Palate." It was moderated by Jamie Peha who has a blog, "Table Talk Northwest," a forum for Northwest wine and food (tabletalknorthwest.com). The panelists were Jameson Fink, contributing editor od the Grape Collective, Lenny Rede, Esquin Wine & Spirits, Reggie Daigneault, Wine Technology Coordinator at South Seattle Community College, Sean Hails, Winemaker at Columbia Winery, and Harry Mills, Executive Chef of Purple Cafe and Wine Bar.

The seminar was stimulating and informative. Six wines were served along with innovative food pairings. The first wine was the 2012 Treveri Cellars Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling wine along with pasta in a gruyere cheese and truffle butter. The crispness of the sparkler counterpointed the richness of the pasta. Jameson Fink commented that he likes to experiment with sparkling wines for stimulating combinations. Next, an Airfield 2012 Unoaked Chardonnay was served with a meatball in tomato and mushroom sauce. The natural (unoaked, moderate alcohol) richness of the Chardonnay complemented the acidity of the meatball sauce. Lanny Rede pointed out that high alcohol makes foods seem hotter and rich wines moderate acidity. The third wine was a 2013 W.T. Cellars Gruner Veltliner from Underwood Mountain in the Columbia Gorge. This offbeat varietal paired nicely with chicken and rice in a Thai peanut sauce. Columbia winemaker Sean Hails commented that when making wines, he also thinks about what dishes they would go with. The fourth wine was a 2008 Cavatappi Cellars Sangiovese with beef in a sweet-sour reduction sauce, which brought out the savory, dry character of the wine. The 2011 Patterson Cellars Cabernet Franc also went well with the braised beef which had an apple component to the sauce. Reggie Daigneault said she likes Cabernet Franc which is a great food wine, earthy, sweetish and complex. The final wine was the 2012 Columbia Winery Merlot. The direct, minerally character of Merlot which does well in Washington, makes a fine food wine, accrding to Sean Hails. Purple Cafe chef, Harry Mills concluded by saying that he constantly thinks about wine when creating new dishes. This seminar showed how well Washington wines play well with food.