My wife and I attended a fantastic wine pairing dinner at Autumn Lake Winery on Thursday Evening. I am still dealing with back issues and had to limit my wine consumption, but sitting and eating I can do (with a taste of wine here and there). I was happy to see we were seated at a table for two by a window. The meal was prepared by Chef Rashaun M. Scudder, Executive Chef and owner of Infinite Catering. This was not the first wine pairing dinner Autumn Lake Winery has offered, but the first we have attended. It was a smashing success.
The Soup
We started with the Tuscan white bean soup. It consisted of white beans, kale, and tomatoes in a tasty tomato-based broth. It was paired with Chardonnay Barrel Reserve 2020. Both were excellent. The soup is pictured below. As usual I began enjoying my soup before I remembered to take a photo. The bowl was chock full of ingredients before I took my first couple of mouthfuls.
The Salad
The salad consisted of greens, shaved parmesan, pomegranate, and Feta cheese in a delicious dressing. This wonderful salad was paired with Lakeside Rose (an excellent choice, with just a hint of sweetness that nicely complimented the pomegranate.
The Entrees
My entree was their Eggplant Parmesan topped with Boursin Cream Cheese and paired with 2019 Pinot Noir. This is one of the best versions of Eggplant Parmesan I’ve had-thick, tender slices, but without those annoying seeds that usually come with larger eggplants. The marinara sauce was just right. The Pinot Noir was a good pairing choice. I admit to pouring a mouthful of the 2019 Blaufrankisch that I purchased (along with a bottle of the Barrel Reserve Chardonnay), just to try another pairing option. I also wanted to take home some of each, as I did not have either in my cellar.
My wife’s entree was the 1/2 Roasted Cornish Hen, topped with gravy and served with rosemary cranberry stuffing and sautéed Brussel sprouts. This amazing meal was accompanied by Autumn Lake’s Cayuga (which I did not know they made). My wife was skeptical about the Cayuga, as she is generally not an off-dry wine drinker. However, I reminded her of a Cayuga we had that was bone dry and quite good, and this one was only about 2% residual sugar. She agreed it was good (though she did return to the Chardonnay as soon as the Cayuga was gone).
The Dessert
As good as the rest of the meal was, I must say the dessert was our highlight. We seldom order dessert at restaurants, but hey, it was all included. The dessert was a pair of sweet potato beignets, sprinkled with powdered sugar and a vanilla cream sauce, with a blueberry, a blackberry, and a raspberry. Wow! This was paired with their Down Home Cranberry. Again, my wife was hesitant, but admitted that with such a sweet and rich dessert, it was good.
The Music
An unexpected surprise was the music. We actually did not see (or had forgotten that there would be entertainment). Better yet, John Rossi was the entertainment. We have enjoyed his music at a few other wineries over the past couple of years. John plays a nice variety of music from the Beatles (“Here Comes the Sun”) to Van Morrison (“Moondance”), though his specialty is the blues. He’s got great guitar “chops” and his voice is well-suited for this style (songs like Doc Watson’s “Deep River Blues” and Jorma Kaukonen’s “Hesitation Blues.” The patrons were a bit loud, at times, (understandably enjoying the food and wine), but I still really enjoyed hearing John in the background. Make it a point to go see him when you can. He plays at several of our wineries here in South Jersey.
I want to thank everyone at Autumn Lake Winery, Chef Rashuan, and John Rossi for such a wonderful evening!
Cheers!
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Coming Attractions
- Three 3’s Brewing Company
- Tonewood Brewing
- Revisiting Unionville Vineyards
- An Interview with Larry Coia, a Key Grape Grower in Vineland
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