Hand & Foot in Corning, New York

Kathy and I had a delightful evening last night starting with a special, by invitation only, dinner at Hand & Foot in Corning, New York. The two-hour event took place right before the start of the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference, just a few blocks away. The dinner showcased several Virginia wines and the fabulous foods created by Hand & Foot. The dinner and wine pairing was coordinated by Frank Morgan and was sponsored by Early Mountain Vineyards. The dinner brought back memories of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The first half hour was meet and greet. During that time we had a  Early Mountain Vineyards Rosé that was a blend of Merlot and Malbec. The rosé was a pink with salmon hue color. The refreshing wine was a perfect greeting wine as well as a good choice for a rocking chair on a porch during a summer day. Frank Morgan welcomed the group and introduced Early Mountain Vineyard. The tasting of wines was led by Neal Wavra, a sommelier from Virginia.

White wine flight

First Course

The meal was served in three courses and a wine flight to accompany each course. The first course consisted of four white wines accompanied by:

yard!bird (fried buttermilk, brined!poussin)
country caesar (bitter greens, anchovy vinaigrette, bacon lardon and a poached quail egg)

Four white wines accompanied this course. The  Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay was a non-vintage brut that offered some apple and pear. The fizz was perfectly matched with the food. Next was a 2014 Viognier from Veritas Vineyards. This light yellow colored wine offered mineral and tropical fruits. The minerality enhanced the country caesar salad. A 2009 Linden Vineyards Chardonnay from their Hardscrapple Vineyards was the third selection. This wine also had an apple and pear profile. The fourth wine in the flight was a 2014 Block Eleven by Early Mountain Vineyards. This blend of Petit Manning and Muscat offered floral and tropical fruit notes with a crisp finish that paired well with the food.

yard!bird (fried buttermilk, brined!poussin)
country caesar (bitter greens, anchovy vinaigrette, bacon lardon and a poached quail egg)

Second Course

Continueing the theme of Southern cooking, the second course offer a red wine flight and the following:

ham (cholula/honey glaze)
greens & beans (smoke kale, bacon and white beans)
hush!puppies (masa, sweet corn and onion)
boiled peanuts (raw peanuts, chipotle and old bay)

The pairing started with a 210 Reserve Cabernet Franc by Barboursville Vineyards. The dark ruby colored wine reminded me of dark fruits. The wine had tannins with a fruity finish and a trace of chalk. It paired well withe the course. The next wine was my favorite. Fabbioli Cellars 2012 Tannat was an opaque dark ruby color. This wine also offered dark fruits and had very bold “kissing” tannins. A 100% Petit Verdot 2012 by King Family Vineyards was the next wine in the flight. This wine also offered dark fruits, tannins and a crisp finish. The flight ended with a 2009 RDV Vineyards Rendezvous. This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot was a dark ruby color, offered dark fruits and tannins with a crisp finish. All the wines in this flight complemented the food in the course.

ham (cholula/honey glaze)
greens & beans (smoke kale, bacon and white beans)
hush!puppies (masa, sweet corn and onion)
boiled peanuts (raw peanuts, chipotle and old bay)

Third Course

Next up was the dessert course. The plate included:

tart (lively run chevre and mango/jalepeno chutney)
prosciutto, chaseholm farm’s camembert

The course was paired with two dessert wines. The Glen Manor Vineyards 2012 Petit Manseng was a late harvest wine. The gold colored wine offered floral notes of honey suckle and jammy tropical fruits. The second offering was a Michael Shaps Raisin d’être Rouge. The late harvest cabernet Franc had dark jammy fruits with a hint of earthiness. Once again, the wines in this flight matched well with the food.

tart (lively run chevre and mango/jalepeno chutney)
prosciutto, chaseholm farm’s camembert

Frank Morgan, Neal Wavra, Early Mountain Vineyards and the chef and staff Hand & Foot did an excellent job of preparing the meal and matching with Virginia wines. Perhaps this dinner will foreshadow the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference.

Cheers,
Terry