GRILL 582,
Best Western Premier Dua Sentral,
8 Jalan Tun Sambanthan 1,
Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2272 8888
Business hours: 6.30pm-10.30pm, daily.
ALTHOUGH Sauvignon Blanc is credited with raising New Zealand’s viticulture profile, there are other equally worthy varieties as demonstrated during a food-wine pairing experience conducted by Sherwood Estate.
Located on South Island’s Waipara Valley, the family-owned Sherwood Estate owns five separate vineyards there, with another vineyard further north in the famous Marlborough region.
(From left) Best Western Premier Dua Sentral general manager Ian Hurst, Sherwood Wines representative Mark Jones and Malaysia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce chairman Richard Tanksersley holding a selection of Sherwood Wines.
For the night’s food-wine pairing at Best Western Premier Dua Sentral’s Grill 582, the vintages sampled were a cross-section of the estate’s offerings, matched with creations for the occasion by Grill 582’s kitchen.
Opening with an appetiser of Pan-Seared Scallops, Citrus Dressing, the accompanying wine was Sherwood Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2013.
The wine is well-balanced, with berry notes on the nose and a fruity acidity that complemented the mild sweetness of the scallop’s flesh, and light tangy flavour of the dressing.
For the second course, guests were served Ocean Trout Smoked with Thyme, Herbs Oil accompanied by the estate’s “Stratum Range” Pinot Gris 2013.
Ocean Trout Smoked with Thyme and Herbs, and served with a Stratum Pinot Gris 2013.
Gently cooked, the light flesh of the fish was a good accompaniment to the wine’s “toasty” flavour on the palate, as the thyme and herb flavours counterbalance the intensely fruity, medium-dry end notes of the wine.
The third course consisted of gazpacho, a Spanish cold soup made with an intense tomato base, some salt and olive oil — a balm for the hot Spanish summers and well-suited to our tropical weather as well.
Cold soups might take a little getting used to, but the tomato flavour goes well with the spice hints of the wine accompaniment — Stratum Chardonnay 2013.
After a palate-cleansing watermelon sorbet, guest were served the evening’s main course of Grilled Black Angus Ribeye Au Jus (top pic), with a pat of herb butter on the side and vegetables.
Red wine is usually served with red meat, and the Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir 2012 presents a complex, yet enjoyable companion for the medium-done beef.
Starting with sweet notes, the pinot gris rounds off into a full fruit assault on the tongue, “balanced by the oak tannins, which as Sherwood Wines’ representative Mark Jones told us, is aged between nine to 10 months in the barrel before bottling.
Sherwood Estates’ Riesling has quite a few levels in its Stratum offerings, and the 2012 vintage was paired with dessert of Baked Apple Crumble and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice-Cream, accompanied by the Stratum Range’s Riesling 2012, an off-dry white.
Estimated at 6.9gm of sugar per litre, the Riesling is a nice off-dry wine on its own. Nonetheless the intense floral and citrus flavours work in its flavour when imbibed with the tartness of the apple pie, softened by the ice-cream.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.