As posted before, Harper's has "wine school" each month. Go to harpersrestaurants.com/events for the schedule. Each event features three wines that follow a theme, along with paired tapas style food pairings. Prices are very reasonable, and these events create an opportunity to sample wines that are otherwise unfamiliar. I have had a lot of experience with wine, but I have enjoyed learning about many that I had never had before.
The May event was based on California wines.
We started with Una Lou Rose' of pinot noir from Carneros. This is a summery, light wine, not sweet, that would pair well with a lot of food. This course was Hickory Grilled Shrimp with watermelon and feta cheese. The shrimp were large and tender, and the flavors of the shrimp, watermelon, and cheese played off each other well. I bought two bottles ($18 ea).
Hickory Grilled Shrimp
The second course wine was Camp chardonnay, from Sonoma county. This is made in the French style, softly oaked, with notes of light lemon. A Lump Crab Cake with lemon aioli worked well with the crab flavor. I liked the wine, but I am already well stocked in charonnays, so I passed on this purchase ($19).
Crab Cake
Third course was Grilled Flank Steak with chimchurri, crisp fries, lightly tossed in truffle infused olive oil, on the side. Chimichurri is derived from South America, made from finely diced parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. The kitchen knocked this one out. Really good depth of beef flavor. And The 75 Cabernet Savignon from Beckstoffer in Mendocino is richly flavored, identifiable with Beckstoffer terroir. I bought two bottles of this one ($17)!
Grilled Flank Steak
I included wine prices in order to show the value that these experiences offer. Quantities are limited.
