Joval Wines group wine ambassador Hilary Fordham will host the exclusive six-course dinner event on Friday, May 30, at 6pm, featuring expertly paired Tuscan wines from the Joval Wines portfolio.
The menu showcases a blend of traditional Tuscan cuisine with Australian produce, including octopus, sustainable Murray cod, and Cape Grim T-bone steak.
Each course is thoughtfully paired with wines that complement the flavours of the dishes.
“Tuscany doesn't produce a lot of white wine, or they are not that well-known for it,” Ms Fordham said.
“With the first course, which is octopus, we may be going with a Sardinian Vermentino, which has the fresh and salinity, high acidity to go with the sea flavours of octopus.”
Ms Fordham noted that Italians are obsessed with food and the wines are not meant to overpower the cuisine.
“Italian wines don't have those big fruity flavours that you will see in Australian wines,” she said.
“The wines are much more nuanced, much more savoury, so really ideal for food matching.”
The dinner will feature wines from prestigious Italian regions, including Chianti Colli Senesi, Rosso di Montalcino, and Brunello di Montalcino.
“We are doing a progression of Sangiovese to match the reds with the food,” Ms Fordham said.
“The lighter Sangiovese, the Chianti Colli Senesi will go with the second seafood dish, because you don’t necessarily have to have a white fish and white wine.”
Ms Fordham is thinking of pairing a Trotter di Soave with the desserts, which is a wine made from white grapes that have been left on the vine to raisin.
“When they are picked, they are a bit raisin, and then they are dried indoors, so they evaporate and concentrate all of the sugars, acidity and flavour, so you actually get a sweet wine,” she said.
“It is a quite historic way of making sweet dessert wines.”
Ms Fordham, who has spent 30 years in the wine industry, explains the unique characteristics of Italian wines.
“In places like Italy and in Europe, the food and wine grow up together,” Ms Fordham said.
“People worked the land and over time, dishes evolved to complement the wines and vice versa.”
For tickets to the Masterclass Series: A Taste of Tuscany, contact the team at Junction Moama on 1800 806 777.
5°C