Vintage Venice Dinner Unearths Classic Wines, New Favorites

Treasures from the cellar are matched with artisan cuisine in our Floridian wine dinner.

Vintage Wines In Venice (Florida)

Our recent visit to Venice, Florida, provided a unique opportunity to dig into a vintage wine collection. We were visiting my brother-in-law and wife (Buddy and Sandra) and were enlisted to help honcho a wine dinner featuring neighbors Bob and Michelle’s wine collection.

Bob had purchased a large wine collection. While a few of the wines were past their drinking window, some had aged beautifully. We carefully tasted through many bottles to select just the right ones and create the menu for the celebratory meal.

Guests included: Buddy and Sandra (our gracious hosts), Mark and Laurie, Bob and Michelle, and my wife and me. The ladies planned the amazing meal, and each couple was responsible for preparing one or more dishes. 

Wine Pairing Perfection

The “bird cage” patio and pool area served as a great setting for the meal. Buddy manned the grill and performed flawlessly.

Spinach and feta puff pastry and prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks were paired with two traditional-method sparkling wines to open the meal. First served was the 2018 Cuvée Jean Philippe Brut Blanquette de Limoux from the home region of France’s first sparkling wine. Once the stubborn cork was removed, this proved lively and fresh with flavors of the Mauzac grape. Our second pour was the Gruet Brut NV from New Mexico. This was frothy and crisp with apple and citrus flavors. The sunny Florida weather, flowing bubbles, and great appetizers were an auspicious beginning.

Our fish course was Grilled Mahi-Mahi with mango salsa and mandarin orange salad.  The 2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes was a newer addition to Bob’s collection and a spot-on pairing with the succulent Mahi. The wine surprised some of our guests who weren’t familiar with the tasty dry version of Riesling. Yalumba in Australia’s Barossa Valley is a worldwide leader in Viognier, a grape originating in France’s Rhône Valley. We chose their 2021 Yalumba “Eden Valley” Viognier. It is aged for 10 months in oak and has a creamy texture. This was a superb dish and pairing.

We shifted gears to red wine and another elevated dish: pork tenderloin with cranberry chutney and sauteed green beans with toasted almonds. During my trip to Spain years ago, I was impressed with the wines from the Montsant region, which encircles the famous Priorat DOQ. The wines are powerful and represent a great value. Bob’s collection yielded a 2018 Potente Red Blend. Potente is a blend of Garnacha, Syrah, Merlot, and Carignan. This wine is showing well with notes of cherries and chocolate.

The 2020 Bastide Miraflore Syrah & Vielles Vignes de Grenache comes from Côtes du Roussillon in the French Mediterranean. I may have overplayed my hand on this one, as the blend of Syrah and Grenache tended to overpower the pork.

Through The Ages With Cabernet Sauvignon

Go big or go home. Since we weren’t leaving, we had no choice but to roll out three Cabernet Sauvignon for our Plat Principal. The dish was a mouthwatering beef filet roast with brandy mushroom cream sauce and roasted Medley potatoes. We entered our time machine for our first Cab, the 1989 Robert Mondavi Reserve Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. This was a long shot when I opened the capsule. The cork showed leakage, and while half the cork came out neatly, the bottom had to be pushed in. Using a strainer, the wine proved to be alive and kicking. The wine is past its glory days but still displayed smokey notes, slight earthiness, and some faded fruit – not bad for a 36-year-old wine. 

Hafner is a small, third-generation family winery in Alexander Valley, one of the primo areas for Cabernet in Sonoma. Our second pour was their 2012 Hafner Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins are fully integrated, with no rough edges. Violets, black cherry, and cigar box notes matched well with our filet. It is a wine to savor.

Enjoying A Block Party

Thirty years on from our first Cab, the 2019 Priest Ranch Block 136 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is a powerhouse of elegant flavors. Aged for 26 months in 75% new oak, Block 136 has righteous tannins and defined flavors of oak. We decanted for two hours to allow the wine to open up and were rewarded with pleasurable plum, blackberry, and cherry overtones. Thanks to Mark and Laurie for making this a “Block” party.

After four courses and nine wines, we were ready for the finale, a sinful dessert of macerated berries with vanilla ice cream, mint, and Grand Marnier sauce.

The evening was spectacular, filled with good times, amazing wine, and succulent food. Tasting older vintage wines, one more than three decades old, along with current vintages, was a singular experience.

Cheers, Venice!