WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Summer is here! The heat, humidity, trips to the beach, backyard barbecues, fresh seafood, sunsets…and yeah, the heat. But the first day of Summer was more like Christmas Day for me. Chef Gwen Gulliksen, who you’ve likely seen on WECT through the years, invited me to a six course wine pairing dinner at the Cape Fear Food and Wine Club.
The club is based at Seasoned Gourmet on Market Street, and they typically have home chef cooking classes, themed dinners, and even culinary camps for kids. One thing they typically don’t offer is a wine pairing featuring a winemaker from the West Coast. That’s what made this event so special, as Kim Kramer from Kramer Vineyards in Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley was on hand.
The evening started with Kramer sharing some background about her family-owned winery and the selections she had in store for us. From there, Chef Gulliksen offered the first course. A delicious piece of feta, baked in honey, olive oil, and fresh herbs with focaccia from Wilmington Bread Company. Paired with a clean pinot grigio, the salty and sweet flavors from the baked feta really shined through.
Next was a roasted root vegetable salad, with pears, arugula, toasted walnuts, and a French walnut vinaigrette and a glass of pinot gris. Here the collection of flavors from the salad, particularly the walnut oil, created a nice base to feature the more fruit-forward wine.
The third course was cacio e pepe pasta with Carolina shrimp and roasted red pepper coulis. This was an exceptional pairing. The creaminess of the pasta, the spice from the cracked pepper, and the rich flavor of the coulis helped accentuate the delicate salinity of the baby Carolina shrimp. Match that with Kramer’s Chardonnay, which was met with many “excellent” exclamations from the dinner guests, and it was perfectly balanced.
For the fourth course, Gulliksen substituted Coca-Cola for North Carolina’s own Pepsi, for a different take on the Southern classic “Pepsi Cola Ham” with cheesy polenta. Reducing the Pepsi, then coating the chunks of ham and baking it made for a kind of “meat candy,” similar to brown sugar burnt ends. The creamy, cheesy polenta helped mellow the strong flavors of the ham, while the paired Pinot Noir’s oakiness helped give the sensation of fine barbecue.
The main dish was slow braised short ribs, with a savory sauce containing root vegetables, and a wild mushroom ragout with butter beans. The meat fell off the bone, and given the contents of the plate and a sip of the delicious Pinot Noir Heritage, the dish reminded me of a deconstructed beef bourguignon. Worthy of Julia Child’s famed “bon appetit.”
Dessert consisted peach cobbler with raspberry sorbet and Chantilly cream, paired with one of Kim Kramer’s favorites, a crisp sparkling white wine. The perfect end to a wonderful wine pairing.
I can’t speak highly enough of the entire experience. Kramer’s behind-the-scenes stories of how her parents started the winery in the 1980s, and the process that goes into creating their wines, is something you can’t get from a wine rep. Plus, Chef Gwen explaining why she paired each dish with the wine, and the flavors each will invoke, was very enlightening. Throw in the friendly and accomadating staff at Seasoned Gourmet, and it’s the kind of dinner that you savor long after it’s over. The events are ticketed, but open to the public. Plus you can join the Cape Fear Food and Wine Club for additional perks. After this dinner, I highly recommend you do so.
If You Go:
The Cape Fear Food and Wine Club is based out of Seasoned Gourmet, at 5500 Market St #110, Wilmington, NC 28405
You can learn more about the club and upcoming events here.
Do you recommend a restaurant? Or know of a best-kept secret that you want the rest of the Cape Fear to know about? Shoot me an email at corey.preece@gray.tv and I would love to feature your selection. Cheers!
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