I entered the Venetian Resort for my wine pairing luncheon and began walking along the Grand Canal to the Canaletto Ristorante Veneto.
Winemaker David Hopkins, with the Bridlewood Estate Winery, featured their Monterey County Chardonnay, Blend 175, and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.
I enjoy the wine blends because there is the thrill of not knowing what to expect. These blends are prepared with the best of several wines.
David explained, “I blend my 50% Syrah base with a generous portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, some Zinfandel to add spiciness, and 10% of the total blend is white wine which gives us white floral aromatics, and then a sprinkling of lesser known varietals.
As opposed to imitating a wine made in Napa Valley, we have some great ripening in the Paso Robles area and for me our Cabernet Sauvignon has the aroma and taste of cherry chocolate cake. These were great memories because my mom always gave me cherry chocolate cake on my birthday. I wanted to infuse these flavors and aromas into the wine.”
We were served fresh sardines fried and marinated with sweet and sour onions. David chose his Monterey County Chardonnay. “When the wine is allowed to sit in a glass and breathe it comes to equilibrium and paired well. But the strong flavor of pickled onions and sardines really went well with Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are some crossovers if you make the slight change of grilling instead of frying optimizes the textures and flavors very well.
The Broccoli soup went well with Chardonnay because of its caramel and butterscotch flavors.
Canaletto’s pear salad is filled with grilled pears, arugula, radicchio, grapes, Belgian endive, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, and toasted walnuts, topped with pomegranate dressing. I feel Cabernet wine is the best pairing with this salad.
The Rosotto’s shrimp, scallops and fresh Mediterranean cuttlefish with natural black ink were complimented with Chardonnay and Cabernet wines.”
My Chinook salmon filet was grilled with lemon oil and parsley sauce for a healthy touch to the meal. With such a generous portion of salmon, Yukon Gold potatoes and sautéed vegetables, this meal was enough for the day! The Cabernet brought out the flavor of the salmon and created a delightful luxury to the meal!
David suggested a pairing of Pino Noir or Cabernet wines with the salmon.
David grew up on his families’ farm in Ohio and his fondest memories were of the wonderful aromas when his mother and grandmother cooked their bread and other dishes. David worked his way through college as a Sous Chef which later gave him a great background of knowing a wide variety of foods and wines.
David commented, “The public can purchase Bridlewood’s wines at half-the-price of the Sonoma wines, a welcome secret starting to get out.”
It was a great experience tasting the wines of the Bridlewood Estate Winery in the very Italian atmosphere of the beautiful Canaletto Ristorante Veneto, at the Venetian Resort, in Las Vegas.
For information, call (805)-688-9000. The Bridlewood Winery is located in Santa Ynez, California. www.bridlewoodwinery.com www.venetian.com