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Recently I attended a wine dinner at PAZO and enjoyed a variety of Spanish wines I had never tasted, some just being introduced to the U.S. market, and had my first opportunity to sample the Tony Foreman reinvented PAZO menu. If you’ve never been to a wine dinner, they provide great opportunities to taste and enjoy food and wine you might not otherwise order (or that might not even be currently available), to have the two appropriately paired, and to receive a mini-education in geography, agriculture, and history along the way.

Represented at the dinner were Spanish wines selected by “wine goddess” Victoria Ordonez. Many of the wines featured were produced by her family’s winery Jorge Ordonez & Co., while others were produced in collaborations between her family and other Spanish wine makers to take advantage of grape varieties not grown in the Ordonez vineyards of Malaga in the coastal mountain region of Andalusia, Spain. The menu consisted of eight food courses developed specifically by Tony Foreman to pair with the seven selected wines, on which Victoria offered insights throughout the evening.

I’ve included a scan of the menu in the photo gallery along with some shots of the cuisine, so I won’t bother describing everything in-depth. However, some of the culinary highlights were the seafood tapas, the foie gras, and the main course rice dish.

The Merluza (a kind of Hake) tapas was delicious and I am pleased to see that it is included on the current PAZO Menu. It worked nicely with the Botani Moscatel, which was a real treat as dry Moscatels are uncommon. Although I occasionally enjoy the more typical sweet Moscatel, I prefer dryer whites, and this was my first opportunity to try a dry Moscatel. It won’t be my last. The Botani tasted of minerality and tropical fruit, and, to achieve its dryness, Victoria explained that the grapes are harvested earlier than they would be for the typical, sweeter Moscatel.

The foie gras, which Foreman made himself, was also excellent. In the traditional torchon method, poaching then molding the foie gras gives it a nice firmness, which I prefer to other preparations — the wood grilled strawberries were a tasty complement.

My favorite course of the evening was a rice dish with wood-grilled rabbit, snails, rosemary, leeks, and peas. With two main ingredients (snails and rabbit) that I had never tried, I was definitely a little apprehensive. I shouldn’t have been. Although my first bites were cautious, by the time I got to my third helping I completely forgot “what” I was eating—just goes to show how the narrow list of foods typical to an American diet are so limiting. This dish was also paired with three really tasty Spanish reds—two of which were my favorites of the evening. I must admit I don’t remember any of the tasting notes enough to include them here, but I do recall thoroughly enjoying the Bodegas Triton Temperanillo and especially the Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha, which really blew me away, it is exactly what I love in a red wine—richly flavored, full-bodied, and smooth.

Although, PAZO doesn’t have any wine dinners scheduled in the near future that I know of, they offer the experience as often as they can. If you have the opportunity, it is worth checking out. With a chance to taste a great variety of wines and Foreman planning the menu, you’ll definitely leave satisfied.

Check out the Photo Gallery

More about PAZO and Victoria Ordonez:
jorge-ordonez.es
pazorestaurant.com
victoriaordonez.wordpress.com