I have been lucky enough to be asked to participate in the process of planning a pairing dinner in San Jose del Cabo with Dawn Solomon of the Baja Vine Club and Philippe Coquelle of Simaruba. Dawn brought three whites, a Rose and three red wines to explore pairings with the dishes on the menu at Simaruba. The team agreed that the main purpose of the process is to ensure that the food and the wine not only complement each other but also enhance the taste experience. This means that many wines will be tried with many different foods until a great four course pairing menu can be created.

Everyone met on Wednesday afternoon, May 10th at 3:30 for a long and detailed process. The wines were tasted first. The food was then presented and each dish was sampled by everyone along with tasting all of the potential wines for the pairing with that food. The process began with selecting items from the menu to pair with the red wines. Given that Philippe had the opportunity to taste the wines and Dawn knew the types of foods that they had been successfully paired with in the past, a discussion identified the dishes that should be prepared in the kitchen to sample for the pairing. The first group of foods that were brought to the table included the Tuna Tartar, the Simaruba Ceviche, one of each of the three Coquettes (fish, serano ham, cheese), and the Crab Tostada. Three white wines were used for this pairing – Casa Magoni, Chardonnay Vermentino; Solar Fortún Aureo, a Viognier Marsanne blend and; Innombrable, a Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc blend. After tasting some of the dishes, the Solar Fortún Vina en Rosa, a Mourvedre rosé was also opened. This process continued until the best pairings with each of the dishes was identified. With each pairing, everyone had the opportunity to comment on what they thought worked and what did not.

The next stage of the pairing exploration was to match the red wines that Dawn had brought – a Solar Fortún 100% Syrah, Plata Pura, a 100% Merlot from Vinos Plata and Solar Fortún Mourvedre, 85% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah. After tasting the reds, Philippe had the kitchen prepare the Steak Tacos, the Salmon with an Asian crust, the Pan Fried Squid and the Beetroot Salad. Again, each of the dishes were tried with the different red wines and the Rose was also brought back into the mix.

After a three-hour process, successful pairings were identified for two different four course meals. The strategy for pricing and serving the wine and food and a potential date for the first pairing dinner at Simaruba in San Jose del Cabo were also discussed. It was agreed that Dawn would go back and create the menu and pairings that she thought would work best for the first dinner and that Philippe would help with the creation of the artwork for the event. A tentative date of June 21st was selected for the first pairing dinner.

It was a fascinating process to watch and to have the opportunity to contribute to during the afternoon. The resulting dinner should be amazing. The pictures below give an indication of the process that went on.