WINE DINNER: NC Fine Wines presents winners paired with Raleigh restaurant

Pickled shrimp with apples and smoked trout with Krispy Kreme croutons were paired with NC Wines.

The NC Fine Wines Society, in partnership with Raleigh’s Buku restaurant, hosted its sixth and final North Carolina Fine Wine Society dinner of the year on Oct. 11.

The dinner showcased six of its 12 award-winning wines from the 2018 fine wine competition. NC Fine Wines Society was established two years ago as a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting the quality of North Carolina wines (Vinifera- and Hybrid-style) and to fund scholarships for North Carolina students pursuing careers in Enology, Viticulture and wine-related hospitality and agritourism programs.

The blind judging took place in early 2018 using the Wine Spectator scoring method by some of the best sommeliers around. The winners were announced at a gala event in February and soon after the winners went on the road, so to speak, by partnering with NC Fine Wines Society and restaurants across the state to highlight these award-winning wines.

Related Story: And the winner is ... North Carolina Fine Wines Society to host awards ceremony

We were pleased when we heard an event would be hosted in Raleigh at Buku and could not wait to attend. Unfortunately, it seemed that an unwanted visitor also made his way through Raleigh that day, as well as across the state. Hurricane Michael, heading up from the south, made a quick pass through Raleigh as he continued on his way north leaving destruction in its path. Questions were raised if the event would go on as planned and sure enough, it did. Sadly, some of the winemakers/owners were unable to make the trip across the state, from the coast or from the piedmont, due to the weather conditions – but the show went on.

As guests arrived, we made our way around the room chatting with Diana Jones and Jenny Miles of Jones von Drehle, Lou Anne Gaffney with Surry Cellars and Dan McLaughlin of the NC Fine Wines Society. As our glasses were filled with sparkling wine, Buku's wine director Troy Revell, kicked off the evening by welcoming guests and telling everyone a little about Buku and their new partnership with NC Wines. He then passed the microphone over to McLaughlin who introduced us all to the event and to the wines we would be trying this evening. Before each pairing, executive chef Amanda Haisley spoke about her inspiration for the dish we were about to enjoy and each winemaker or a representative spoke about their wine and pairing.

The pairings for the night were:

First Course – Pickled shrimp with pink peppercorn-compressed apples, persimmons, pickled scallions, orange blossom honey and micro herbs

Wine Pairing – Raffaldini 2016 Vermentino Superione

Our Take – Of course we've had the Vermentino from Raffaldini Vineyards before – and really enjoy its clean nose with a finish of citrus and pear. This wine contains no oak and has a nice lingering taste in the mouth. The slight peppered finish of this wine paired well with a healthy mouthful of apples and peppercorns. Then add to it the mild buttery taste of the shrimp. Magnifico!

Second Course – Smoked trout with Cheerwine-poached sour cherries, toasted nutmeg pecan butter, herb Krispy Kreme croutons and charred onions.

Wine Pairing – Midnight Magdalena Merlot and Laurel Gary's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Our Take – We're having red wine with trout? That seems odd. Yeah, that was some of the thoughts of people at our table. But after we tried the trout and the two red wines, we all knew this was a great pairing. Our favorite part of the plate was getting a Krispy Kreme crouton and some of the cherries together for an instant taste of our childhood – the pairing tasted like one of those old Hostess cherry fruit pies. As for the wines, they were both good, but the Cabernet beat out the Merlot – only by a bit.

Third Course – Larry’s Beans Braised Pork Cheeks, smoked sweet potato puree, massaged collards, espresso blackberry jam, fried boiled peanuts
Wine Pairing – Jones von Drehl 2012 Reserve Petit Verdot
Our Take – This was our favorite pairing of the evening. The pork cheeks paired perfectly with the wine – and pretty much all our tablemates agreed. We've had many Petit Verdot's from very earthy to incredibly smooth – this wine resides somewhere in the middle, which made it the best balanced wine for a dish like this. Not only did it go well with the main component, but also with the sweet potatoes and the collards.

Fourth Course – Sorghum-glazed Lamb Belly, crispy Goat Lady Chevre grit cake, mushroom confit, pepper-pickled pumpkin, Videri chocolate-cola gastrique
Wine Pairing – Sanctuary's 2015 Double Barrel (Tannet/Petit Verdot)
Our Take – We love our pork belly, and thought lamb belly would be just as good. It wasn't bad, but was also hard to eat. We tried eating like baby-back ribs. That didn't work. We tried cutting between the ribs – that was a lot of work. In the end, we did eat most of it, but have to admit, it was a little to 'fatty' to pair with the robust red blend. Usually fatty meats pair well with a ripe Tannet – but not this time. We were hoping for a little something better to pair with what was the Best in Show wine in this year's competition.

Dessert – Fall for You: pumpkin cake, bourbon pecans, tart cranberry sauce, pumpkin whip, cookie butter ice cream
Wine Pairing – Surry Cellars 2013 Iced Petit Manseng
Our Take – This dessert was the embodiment of Fall. It was simply to die for and paired so nicely with the Ice Petit Manseng from Surry Cellars. Pastry Chef Brittany Grantham outdid herself. We could have this for dessert every day!

Related Story: 2018 NC Fine Wines Competition Awards Results