All of the wines in Charley G's September wine dinner earned a score of 90 or above from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The Charley G's September wine dinner is a five-course indulgent meal that progresses from Frank Family Vineyard whites to reds with a sparkling blanc de blanc exclamation mark at the end.
A five-man team of general manager Courtney Vincent, Executive Chef Holly Goetting, managing partner Marc Karmpe and Select Wines, Inc. representative Blake Campora created the pairings after hours and Goetting created the menu. The meal is $125, all-inclusive, and will take place Sept. 26 and 7 p.m. at Charley G's location at 3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway.
The first course is a cool cucumber soup with jumbo lump crabmeat paired with a 2010 Frank Family Vineyard's chardonnay from Napa Valley. The second course, a salmon tartare with crispy face bacon, is paired with a 2010 pinot noir from Carneros. "We cure (the bacon) almost like cured ham," says Vincent. "It sits in a salt bath for a couple days, then a water bath for a couple days, then cools in the cooler for a couple days."
Spicy glazed Thai belly with vegetable stir fry and fish caramel is the third course with an anomalous pairing, a 2009 Napa Valley zinfandel. "Obviously we like to mix it up a little bit. There's a zinfandel in there, which we don't always utilize in a wine dinner," says Vincent. "Even with the warm winter, we find people still prefer their red wines, which is why a majority of the wines are red."
The fourth course, which Vincent says is one of his favorite pairings, is a roasted duck breast with foie mousse, strawberry syrup and brioche with a 2009 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon; and for dessert, a berry gazpacho with basil and a lemon-poppy seed ice cream paired with a blanc de blanc sparkling wine.
"They're all fantastic," says Vincent of the pairings. "We've carried Frank Family Wines for a couple of years. We know the wines are good, so it makes our jobs a lot easier when it comes to pairing."
For reservations, call (337) 981-0108.