A PIO CESARE Wine Dinner by Philip S. Kampe

SERANAK was home to the First 'Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic' event of the season.
A packed house enjoyed the beauty of this tranquil location nestled in the hills of Lenox, Massachusetts, overlooking prisitine Stockbridge Bowl.
Guests gathered for a fabulous sit-down dinner that highlighted natures bounty.
Add Pio Cesrae Wines to the evenings festivities and you are bound for success.

As a wine journalist, normally the summer is a time to rest your taste buds for the upcoming wine tasting season, which starts in early September. I guess my taste buds were not prepared for such lovely wines that were served prior-to, during and after the meal.
Upon arrival, Trimbach Pinot Gris was served to the guests that gathered in the patio area. The view, the sun setting and the company made the wine taste like the nectar of the Gods. Two glasses made me realize that waiting for the wine season to begin only heightened my wine experience.
After being seated, an heirloom tomato, cucumber and honeydew melon salad was served, paired with a Pio Cesare Arneis 2012. The wine and salad were a perfect pairing, neither taking center stage.

The salad was followed by local trout with black garlic, bacon and broad beans. A 2012 Pio Cesare Cortese Di Gavi was served. The food and wine pairing was like a 'Marriage made in Heaven'. The acidity and fruitiness of the wine balanced the earthiness of the local trout.
Most guests thought that the local trout was the main course.
According to Chefs Jimmy Bradley and David Dubois, there are two main courses for the evening that were cooked specifically to compliment the Pio Cesare wines.
The second main course was a curried lamb T-Bone chop with eggplant, red lentil salad and black olive sauce. A 2008 Pio Cesare Barolo was poured to tame this flavor feast.
The wine was perfect and ready to drink. As good as the dish was, which was rated by our table at a 9/10, the wine was an equal.
Barolo at times is temperamental.
Often the wine is not ready to drink. It may be tight and not ready to open up for several years. In this case the wine was at the perfect ripeness for drinking. I knew that this wine experience with the Barolo would not last too long, so, I savored each sip, knowing that the end was near.
Wine steward, Matthew George, knew that I was enjoying the 2008 Barolo and made a point of making sure that my glass was always full during this course.
The price tag of $195 for this meal with exquisite wines was well below the value that the 2008 Barolo brought to the table.
The wine retails for $50 a bottle and is a real value.
I plan on purchasing a couple of bottles for our Wedding Anniversary on October 15th.
Maria, my wife and writing partner, attended this event and is a true believer in Pio Cesare wines, especially the 2008 D.O.C.G. Barolo.
The meal ended with an amazing Buttermilk Panna Cotta, served  with strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar.
Add a lively bottle of old vine Pio Cesare Moscato D'Asti and you have an ending to a memorable evening.