CleverRoot

f a l l 2 0 1 7 | 5 9 Pairin Pefection Chef Mike Ward's responsibilities go beyond just preparing dishes with produce from the Wente Family Estates garden; they must also bring out the best the wines that are served in the restaurant. Chef Ward leads us though some favorite pairings at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards. Roasted baby beet salad, sundried fruit granola, strawberry Greek yogurt, strawberries and beet chips served with the 2016 Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc Our Sauvignon Blanc has a beautiful straw color and aromas of guava, melon, gooseberry, grass and lime. With crisp acidity and flavors of honeydew melon and pineapple, it makes a perfect pairing with our garden beets salad. When you eat the beet salad, there is a won- derful balance of acidity, earthiness and sweetness. The yogurt, granola and fresh strawberries help tie into an experience of balance. Twice-cooked pork belly, marinated chanterelle mushrooms, shishito peppers, frisée and whole grain mustard dressing served with the 2014 Nth Degree Caber- net Sauvignon The Cabernet Sauvignon displays aromas of ripe plum, black currant, cedar, coffee and cocoa, and these aromatics pair great with the fattiness of pork belly! The shishito peppers add a new layer of complexity, matched almost romantically with the earthiness our Liver- more Cabernet Sauvignon is known for. The palate is full and luscious with a long, elegant finish. R&D Farms stone fruit and burrata cheese, yellow peaches, Dapple Dandy pluots, La Quercia prosciut- to and brown butter wild rice toast served with the 2015 Small Lot Eric's Chardonnay The Small Lot Eric's Char- donnay is clear and bright with medium weight and intriguing minerality. This wine exhibits aromas of lemon zest, green apple, white peach and pineapple with hints of jasmine and Mandarin orange. An excel- lent balance between fruit and acidity makes this wine refreshing and a perfect pairing with our stone fruit and burrata cheese. The Dapple Dandy pluots and yellow peaches bring out the wine's crisp acidity and elegant fruitiness. The prosciutto and burrata add a layer of rich complexity and smooth finish on the palate. "They let me do whatever I want." One look at her bountiful garden proves the family is wise to allow this Master Gardener to express her talents so freely. What is Dovholuk's secret to such a flamboyantly bountiful fountain of food? For one thing, maintaining the organic garden means constant soil improvement. "We compost over 10,000 pounds of food waste from the restaurant every year," she says proudly, adding that she's a board member of Stop Waste, a public recycling agency in Alameda County. "And we add all the land- scape's leaves and other organic matter to the pile." (That compost pile is now 70 feet by 10 feet, and six feet high.) After decomposi- tion, the rich compost feeds her organic soil, which feeds her organic crops, which go to Ward's kitchen to feed the thousands of patrons who eat well at the win- ery's restaurant every year. And, of course, they wash it all down with Wente Vineyards wines. Ward describes himself as a "culinary gypsy . . . My style is what California cuisine should be—and that means embracing the culture of California in its great diversity." "They let "They let "They whatever One look at her garden proves is wise to allow Gardener to express talents so freely. What is Dovholuk's such a flamboyantly of food? of food? of with produce the best the some ■cr

• Cover