Care for a little classical music with your Cabernet? LaStella Winery owners Sean and Saeedeh Salem and director of the winery, Rasoul Salehi certainly do, as was demonstrated by the lavish November Wine Maker’s Dinner hosted by Vancouver’s Sutton Place Hotel this past Tuesday evening.
Tucked away behind the velvet curtain of the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Fleuri’s private dining room was magically transformed into an intimate concert hall. Guests were serenaded by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s First Violinist Robin Lynn Braun de Sierra, playing classical pieces inspired by award-winning LaStella wines.
As the food and wine pairings made their way into the dining room, they were accompanied by their very own musical composition. From Brahms to Paganini, each piece was carefully selected by the Violinist to highlight LaStella’s featured wines such as the Allegretto, Leggiero, Fortissimo Selezione di Famiglia, and Maestoso Merlot.
Warm Vanilla Bean Infused Lobster with Heirloom Tomato Confit or Pine Mushrooms with Warm Golden Beets and Truffled Cheese Fondue, were just two examples of the meticulously crafted courses by hotel Executive Chef Michael Deutsch.
Course after extravagant course struck all five senses on a euphonious, oenophilic and Escoffian level. Brahms’ sole Violin Concerto played in the rich trio of Braised Bison, Beef Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Fondant, paired alongside the 2007 Maestoso Merlot, “the Angelina Jolie of the flight and a real ball-buster,” according to Rasoul Salehi.
Finishing the evening on an up note with the 2009 Moscato d’Osoyoos and a lovely Bach Partita E Major encore, the dinner perfectly captured the LaStella vision of la dolce vita: fine food, wonderful wine, great music, and the good things in life.
For more information on LaStella wines and where to buy them, visit www.lastella.ca.
