On Thursday March 1st I attended the 5th annual Worcester Wine and Food Festival at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. I was very impressed with this event. It was sold out and attracted hundreds of wine and food enthusiasts. The event also raised money for a good cause. The proceeds will provide scholarships for less fortunate children and youth to attend After School and Summer Camp Programs at the Worcester Jewish Community Center.
I was impressed with the number of quality restaurants represented. Some that stood out for me were Dino’s Ristorante Italiano which had a potato ghocchi in a tomato based sauce that was just delicious. I also enjoyed some Mediterranean Egg Rolls from Castellana’s. These scrumptious egg rolls are basically Chicken Marsala wrapped in egg roll wrappers and dressed with a marsala reduction sauce. Willy’s Steakhouse Grill & Sushi Bar were serving wonderful steak medallions with a Diane sauce which included mushrooms and was absolutely scrumptious. Based upon these samplings, I would go out of my way to visit these Worcester restaurants.
There were over 225 wines to try. I really enjoyed the 2005 Rosenblum Cellars “North Coast” Zinfandel, $19. I also liked the Very Good 2005 Layer Cake - Shiraz, $17, from the Barossa Valley. One of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc’s from New Zealand is from Huia. The 2005 ($20) did not disappoint. There were a couple of Italian red wines that I thought were very good bargains. The 2004 Fontana Vecchia Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, $11, and the 2003 Vinea “Corvina,” $11, were both Very Good. For you “old world” fans, check out the 2004 Henry Lagarde “Reserva” Malbec from Argentina, $15. It was also Very Good. From Spain, I liked the 2005 Nora Albarino, $19, which was Very Good. A really special wine from Spain was the 2002 Muga “Reserva,” $33, from Rioja. I rated this wine in the Low 90’s or Very Good+. From France, I really enjoyed a fantastic Pinot Noir from Burgundy. The 2004 Prosper Maufoux Santenay 1er Cru “Les Gravieres” was also ranked in the low 90’s. If not for the $48 price tag, I would tell you to buy a lot. The last wines I wanted to tell you about were from Portugal. I had the pleasure of meeting Rui Madeira, winemaker from Catello d’Alba. His wines were the highlight of the show for me. In particular, I enjoyed the 2004 Catello d’Alba “Reserva Branco,” $13, (Very Good) and the 2004 Quinta do Côa Red Blend, $18. I rated this wine in the low 90’s (Very Good+). For the complete wine reviews, please click on the links which will take you to KensWineGuide.com.
I was very impressed with this show. Did you go to the show? If so, please tell us about your favorite wines and restaurants. See you all there next year.
Cheers,
Ken & Theresa
Wine Worcester Wine and Food Festival Dino’s Ristorante Italiano Castellanas Willy’s Steakhouse Grill
Huia Layer Cake Rosenblum Nora Muga
0 comments:
Post a Comment