A friend called me up shortly before Christmas to see if I would organize a wine dinner as a gift for his wife, and all of a sudden it felt a little awkward.  We have thrown a bunch of wine dinners in the past, usually around some sort of theme (region, variety, vintage, etc.), so that would not be a problem.  After a bout of prolonged silence, he stated: “Of course I want to pay you for it!”  I guess then it got a bit more awkward.  I have organized a bunch of wine tastings, but I had never done it for money (well, that is not entirely true–I have organized wine tastings after my Spinning classes, but that is perhaps another post).  Since these were friends of ours, it made it even that much stranger (they had been to our house a couple of times already so why charge them now?).  My buddy knew, though, that I am trying to find some niche in the wine industry and he thought we could help each other out–plus, he seemingly had no other idea of what to get his wife as a gift.

Hmmmm.

So I talked it over with my wonderful wife and she agreed we could/should do it (but she also felt a little strange about it).  After a bit of back and forth, my buddy and I decided on the wine (from my cellar) and the menu.  He was going to pay the cost for both the food and the wine and he was also going to give me some feedback on the event so I could try to determine whether this could be something I could do as part of a business.  Giddy up.

The night came and went off without much of a hitch (at least as far as I could tell).  Our friends brought another couple who were a real hoot–tons of fun.  Here is what the six of us drank and the pairings:

N.V. Arthur Metz Crémant d’Alsace Cuvée Spéciale 1904: Retail ~$18.  Tasted 2/4/12.  I bought these a while ago after I tasted one and was completely enthralled.  Alsace is my second home (I studied there in college) and this was a great example of the crémant there.  Well, this bottle, not so much.  Not a lot of sparkle and a little oxidized.  A bit déçu.  84 points.  To be revisited.  We paired this with Dorie Greenspan’s Gruyère Crackers.

2002 Pierre Sparr Riesling Grand Cru Mambourg: Retail $27-30.  Tasted 2/4/2012.  I have had this wine for a while and I was eager to see where it was (I have two more left).  Color certainly was showing its age.  On the nose, a bunch of fruit apple and peach) and minerals, even a touch of petrol.  On the palate, quite unctuous and full with an acidity that cries out for food.  Really good.  91 points.  Almost wine of the night (WOTN).  Paired with Haemul Pajeon (Korean Seafood Pancakes).

2007 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre: Retail $25. The demise of this wine is greatly exaggerated (on Cellar Tracker, the advice is to drink by 2009.  Seriously???  That is waaaaaay off). Citrus fruit galore here, but in that restrained Sancerre way. Tons of acidity as well. Great with food or by itself. Outstanding. Wish I would have bought more.  90 Points.  These three whites (the Puilly Fumé, Sancerre, and the Vouvray) were paired with roasted tilapia with a lemon caper sauce and crispy prosciutto.

2007 Domaine de Bel Air Pouilly Fumé: Retail $16-20.  I opened this to keep me company while cooking, and finished it off during the first course.  Bright and cheery, not showing much age despite a slightly darker color.  A fine effort, but paled a bit next to its Sancerre brethren.  87 points.

2000 Foreau Vouvray Sec: Retail $28-30.  More than any other wine for the night, I was looking forward to this puppy.  I bought it back in back in 2004 and was waiting to share it with my wine mentor, Nico.  Seeing that I have no idea when he might be back in the U.S. and I have plenty of wine waiting for him, I decided this cork needed a good pull.  I was not disappointed.  Wine of the night for me.  Darkish hue in the glass, wonderful nose of honey, fuji apple, and a bit of lemon curd. All this was backed up by an incredible minerality.  On the palate, it had the same unctuous feel as the Sparr Riesling, but the finish here was incredible.  30-45 seconds at least.  A perfect example of what Vouvray can be.  Outstanding.  93 points.

2000 Bouchard Pere et Fils Mercurey: Retail ~$25. This was our second bottle of this and both were pleasant surprises.  Popped and poured.  Big red berry fruit on the nose: strawberries, raspberries and cherries (in case you needed a refresher in red berries).  Really well integrated on the palate.  This was my red wine of the night, but we all know what a pinot freak I am.  89 points.  The red wines were paired with grilled tri tip steak (50 degrees in February–nah, no global warming) and green beans with shallots and mushrooms.

2000 Montirius Vacqueyras: Retail $17-23.  Vacqueyras is a bit north and east of the more famous Chateauneuf-du-pape, but uses many of the same varieties, with a majority of grenache.  For many, this was the wine of the night, but I thought it was a bit hot on the nose.  After I got by the heat, a fair bit of fruit was there.  Some raspberry and cassis, and a bit of tannin at the back end. Very good.  88 points.

2002 Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Grand Cru Mambourg: Retail $30.  I pulled this out for dessert at almost the last minute.  I did so because we had the Sparr Riesling Mambourg on the front end of the evening and this would be fun.  Being that I was four sheets at this point, I have no coherent tasting note to provide.  It was a bit sweet, so it went well with the really stinky cheeses: a Tomme de Savoie that was raunchy, an Affidelice that was very ripe and a Persillé de Tignes that was just nasty.

We finished off the meal with an apple cake my wonderful wife made for the occasion.  Not much more to say.  Six people, eight bottles.  Admirable work.  I passed out on the couch.

It appears that all had a great time and since I was completely sheet-faced, I guess I did, too.  Might have a future in this?

Let me know if you want a wine tasting!