Sommeliers Blake Parrish, left, of Citico’s, and Matt Burk of Old City Wine Bar, met in a battle last week.
Who wins when two popular local sommeliers challenge each other to a “battle?” The diners, of course.
Matt Burk of Old City Wine Bar and Blake Parrish of Citico’s met at Old City Wine Bar for a tie-breaker last week after competing against each other at Citico’s in July and coming in even.
Here were the rules of engagement. Both sommeliers were given a list of three courses to be prepared by Old City Wine Bar’s head chef, Sadie Daniels. They were asked to select wines to pair with each course. But a fourth course would be a surprise, and they would have to select wines from the restaurant’s wine cellar just a few minutes before the course was served.
Guests, who paid $75 each to attend, would be asked to vote, course by course, on which wine was the best pairing with the food. This was so much fun!
The contest was held in the basement of Old City Wine Bar, a lovely space for special occasions.
My friends, Scott Bird, left, and Michael Higdon accompanied me in this little adventure.
Kelly Campbell of Vinoslate Imports and Distributing provided expert commentary. She is a CSW: certified specialist in wine.
The first course was a scallop cassoulet. What made it so interesting was that it had hints of passion fruit juice in it. This was delicious.
Blake chose a Rolet savagnin/chardonnay from Jura, France. Matt selected a Drusian “Mari” prosecco rose from Valdobbiadene, Italy. The guests thought the chardonnay was the best match.
The prosecco is on the left and the chardonnay on the right.
“Please vote for the best pairing of wine and food,” Kelly urged us. “Don’t just pick the wine you would like to drink.” This is an important distinction. I really don’t care for chardonnay to drink by itself at a cocktail party, but when an expert pairs it with food, I find that it can be fantastic.
Sharon Cogburn sat beside me and took this task very seriously.
This dish did not photograph very well, but it was delicious. It was crawfish ravioli in andouille cream sauce. Spicy and rich.
Matt chose a Trione chardonnay from Russian River in California. Blake picked a San Venanzio pinot nero rose brut from Alto Adige, Italy. Kelly explained that the rose contained 10 percent muscat, a very ancient wine that was even discovered in the tombs of Egyptian kings. The guests said the rose was best with the dish. I agreed because it was crisp enough to cut through the richness of the cream sauce and complement the spice of the sausage.
Matt encouraged us to stay hydrated.
Third course was a smoked duck breast with apple puree and Humboldt fog cheese. (Photo by Sadie Daniels)
Matt paired it with a Rolet “Les Grandvaux” poulsard, pinot noir from Jura, France. Blake selected a Giribaldi Crottino Dolcetto d’Alba from Piedmonte, Italy. The Dolcetto d’Alba was the crowd pleaser.
Blake Parrish.
The final “surprise” course was absolutely fantastic. It was red wine braised chicken thighs on homemade wonton crackers topped with coconut milk coulee and smoked trout caviar.
Matt paired this dish with Shooting Star blaufrankisch from Washington State.
Blake picked a Campo Viejo rioja grand reserve from Logrono, Spain.
The rioja was the winner.
So, whereas the previous meeting had been a tie, this one wasn’t even close. Blake took it 4-0. Matt was gracious. I’m hoping for a grudge match.
Here’s chef Sadie Daniels. Her beverage of choice? None of the great wines, but a Miller Lite! (That’s the official drink of Moxley Carmichael!)
What fun! The space looks great too, I’m tucking that away for future reference!
Helen: It was great fun, food and wine. I hope they do it again!
What a unique way to try wine pairings. Holly and Thad Cox have been doing a monthly event pairing wines with a particular type of cuisine.it too has been fun and educational.i am a wine novice for sure! Hope you are doing great.
So much fun! Will they be doing this again? I want in on this action.
PLEASE a grudge match & let us know When?!
How does one get to know about these events?
Not enough said about the awesomeness that is Sadie. Her food took the show.
Graham: We are doing great. Thanks for reading the Blue Streak!
Mary Ellen: I hope they do! Will let you know if I hear they are doing it again. Loved the Miller Lite!
Rosemary: Will let you know if I hear they are doing it.
Susan: I found out about it on Facebook.
I appreciate the work you did in spelling all those things correctly! Can’t wait to try a sommelier duel. Always want to learn more about vino.
Kelly: Sadie’s food was awesome. Some folks called me today to ask about the menu. Unfortunately, the menu on their website is nothing like what we all enjoyed. Let me know if I am missing something.
Deborah: Full disclosure. We had a printed menu that listed all the wines – except the last two, which were surprises.
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