Smith & Wollensky Wine Week

What more can be said of Wine Week at Smith & Wollensky? This bi-annual gathering, hosted nationally in the spring and fall of each year, features the finest of American wines to complement Smith & Wollensky’s excellent cuisine. Served for a paltry $10 extra above the cost of your lunch, wines are poured continuously, copiously, and on demand. Representatives from the three major distributors in the South Florida area, along with personal from the vineyards, are on hand to showcase and discuss their versions of the nectar of the noble grape. And for those not ashamed of outright gluttony, one can feast each day of the week as the wines pored are changed daily.
 
We choose to dine and sup on Friday, easily the busiest day of the week for those preparing to begin a long weekend early. After all, who can go back to work following the sipping and sampling of the approximately twenty or so wines poured daily? Even professional tasters who sip and spit, as myself, will feel the buzz at day’s end.

 
To start: two sparklers, both non-vintaged. The Piper Sonoma Brut was delightfully bubbly with hints of apple. Unfortunately, I found it a bit acidic. The Schramberg Mirabelle, however, was better balanced, with good fruit and a softer fresher finish. The whites sampled ran the gamut from light and austere pinot grigio and fume blanc to fruity viogner and chardonnay. The 2004 Montevina Pinot Grigio was crisp and dry with light fruit and a soft finish. The 2003 Luna Pinot Grigio on the other hand was flat, metallic and acidic. We next sampled the 2003 Modavi Fume Blanc which I found light and fruity with hints of grass and apple on the nose. The 2004 Wild Horse Viogner should have been bursting with sweet pears and peaches, but all I found was astringency. The highlight of the whites was the 2003 Hess Selection Chardonnay, which was full of fruit with a hint of oak and an excellent balanced wine. Both the Hess and the Mondavi blended well with the light seafood appetizers of assorted shellfish and crab and asparagus salad (even though most wine aficionados say nothing can stand up to asparagus). The assorted shellfish platter offers a heaping array of mussels, oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, and calamari salad served over ice, ordered per person to be shared at the table.

 
To stand up to Smith & Wollensky’s signature Colorado ribeye or its mouth-watering bone-in prime rib, there were a plethora of outstanding reds to choose from. I found the 2001 Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet full bodied with hints of eucalyptus, a bit too medicinal for my tastes. The 2000 Solaris Reserve Cabernet, on the other hand, was concentrated with berries, plum and dark fruit on the nose with a hint of light tannins on the tip of the tongues. This wine should improve over the near term.  As far as the Pinot, the 2002 Bearboat was light with excellent fruit, but didn’t compare to the 2003 Sterling which was deeper in color and body, with berries and cassis on the nose and a good tannin balance. I sipped this wine throughout the entrée course.

 
One would think the desserts at Smith & Wollensky would be anti-climactic, but not so. The Chocolate cake is a sugar-lover orgy, with layers of rich chocolate cake alternated with a chocolate cream. It was too large to finish and too good not to take home. Other alternatives on the sumptuous dessert cart were the warm apple tart and the key lime pie, uniquely topped with a brulee finish. Such difficult choices!! Served with dessert was a fruity Zinfandel Port from Montevina in Amador County (near Sacramento) that ended the afternoon on a sweet note.
 
Next spring, mark your calendars and put aside at least one day, if not more, to sample the pleasures of National Wine Week at Smith & Wollensky. What a pleasant way to enjoy great food and great wine at one of South Beach’s most beautiful settings and toast to Splendor in the Glass! 
 
Please send your questions; or information on upcoming wine events to WineMatters@aol.com.
 
PHOTO IDS
1. Chocolate heaven
2. Crabmeat, asparagus and grapefruit salad
3. Magnificent prime rib
4. Seafood delight
 
Photos by Nancy Powell