Two wine dinners scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 offer adventurous diners and curious wine drinkers a dilemma: which to choose. Varanese, 2106 Frankfort Ave., will pair six wines from the Chalk Hill and Kuleto labels of Foley Estates in California with special dishes from chef John Varanese’s repertoire. On the same night, Brasserie Provence, 150 N.Hurstbourne Pwy., will welcome Louisville native John Bojanowski, who lives now in Languedoc in southern France and makes organic, artisanal wines at his Clos du Gravillas vineyards.
Richard Wethington, Wine Manager for Republic National Distributing Co., will be the guide through the Foley Estates wine at Varanese. Bojanowski himself will be at Brasserie Provence to discuss with diners his approach to growing grapes and making wine.
John Varanese’s menu will start with crispy almond-fried Atlantic cod with orange-tarragon beurre blanc, served with Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc. The second course will be a Bibb lettuce salad with grilled mango and pineapple and plantain chips, with a papaya vinaigrette. The wine will be Chalk Hill Sonoma Chardonnay.
Chalk Hill Sonoma Pinot Noir will be the wine with sausage crepenette with cherry gremolata and bleu cheese crumbles, followed by Kuleto Estate Native Son served with duck confit and house-made buccatini pasta tossed with dried figs and goat cheese.
The main course will be braised Wagyu brisket medallions with twice-baked red skin potatoes, paired with Kuleto Estate Frog Prince. Dessert will be espresso flourless tort with pistachio-encrusted chocolate ice cream, served with Kuleto Estate India Ink.
The meal and wine pairings will be $65. Call (502) 899-9904 or email letsdine@varanese.com.
Brasserie Provence will serve a 4-course dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Appetizers will be paired with Sous Les Cailloux des Grillons, a blend of 7 varietals characteristic of the noble vines of southern France. The first course will be Cornish hen with Picholine olive-thyme duck sauce, served with with Le Rendez-Voux du Soleil, a Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan blend.
The entrée will be cassoulet, paired with with Lo Viehl, made from 100% old Carignan vines. Dessert will a pico goat cheese dish with L’Inattendu, a white blend of Grenache and Maccabeu grapes.
The dinner prepared by Chef Edoardo Bacci, and the wine pairings, will be $65. Call (502) 883-3153 or go to www.brasserieprovence.com.
