Event Report: America (Napa Valley) vs. Italy
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It has been a while since the Omaha Branch revisited Dante. Mark Stokes was our event producer, and he lined up a wine theme that compared Italian wines to Napa Valley wines. He had the assistance of Adam Weber, Nebraska’s only certified Somm with an Italian emphasis. Adam achieved certification as an Italian Wine Professional from the Napa Valley Wine Academy. In general, I found that all the Napa wines were fruiter, richer and higher in alcohol than the Italian, whose dryer style always seem to taste better with food. But we came to the right place for Italian cuisine. This was much more than spaghetti and meatballs restaurant, I would say northern Italian rather than southern. And Dante’s wood fired grille helped to cook several of our meat courses.
A reminder. Be kind, a mark of a gentleman. Reply to event invites by using the online system to accept or decline an invite. This helps the event producer immensely. Also, respond to the survey afterwards, even if you didn’t attend the event. It helps the producers and the Board hone in on what you want and enjoyed.
Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or, they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats. In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time.
Cheers!
Tom Murnan
Remember Irvin Cobb’s classic remark: “No speech can be entirely bad if it is short enough.”
Best of the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
The Omaha JUNE 2023
Event Report: America (Napa Valley) vs. Italy
It has been a while since we last visited Dante. The emphasis, of course, is on Italian cuisine and pizza, with farm fresh ingredients. Dante boasts of the only Sommelier certified in Italian wines: General Manager Adam Weber. Originally we had assigned seating, but upon arrival it was open seating. Probably a wise move for a tight space. Food was served family style, which I appreciated as you could get the portion size you wanted. We sold out at 40 people.
Quaffing was composed of Zucchini Fritti, Salumi e Formaggi and Tigelle with assorted wines from our cellar. We came to table to a sit down tasting challenging whether we could discern between 4 wines: a Mondavi Private Reserve Cabernet 2012, an Antinori Tignello Rossi Toscana 2019, a Hall Winery 1873 Cabernet from 2013, and a Demarie Barolo Riserva 2010. As usual, we all needed more practice, especially in identifying the Italian bottlings. Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, and the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional and non-Italian varieties, more specifically, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our First Course was Farm Greens (harvested daily by Nishnabatona Naturals). Lemon & Thyme, Grana Padano & Pistachio. This was a crisp and refreshing salad. We washed this down with Elana Walch Pinot Bianco Castel Rindberg Cru 2021, which had nice, but not too prominent, acidity. The Second Course was Rigatoni & Wood Oven-Braised Pork with Roasted Mushrooms, Fennel Pollen & Hazelnuts. Delicioso! Complex pork shredded and perfectly done, with mushrooms adding complexity, made for a savory dish. The Villa Sant’Anna Chianti Colli Sensi 2019 was smooth and refined.
Third Course found us with a change in menu. Originally we were to have bone-in Nebraska Imperial Wagyu ribeye. It was substituted by Wood-Roasted Central Nebraska Bison with Ramp Salsa Verde & Olive Oil Potatoes. This meat was a bit tough and hard to cut. We should have had steak knives but didn’t. No wild taste, it was almost like beef. Here we had a Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot 2016, which was rich with low tannin, a great steak match.
The Piatto Principale (pièce de résistance) for me came in the Fourth Course. That Hazelnut Blondie with a side of Caramelized White Chocolate Gelato and topped with Graham Cracker Crumble, together with the Myrat Sauternes 2009 was an amazing pairing. Perfection itself. Made by Audrey Tima, whose last day was that evening (she was going back to Metro’s culinary school), described the dish to me. Her Blondie was a hazelnut cookie, rather than the usual brownie, with caramel sauce. The caramel is what gives it that deep, nutty flavor. It went superbly with the Sauternes.
Thanks to Chef Owner Nick Strawhecker and Adam Weber, along with the entire staff, for a wonderful upscale Italian dinner.
Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan
2023 UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
JUNE 14
JULY 27
AU COURANT
Burgundy vs. Pinot Noir
Joint Couples Event with the Council Bluffs Branch
Event Producer: Tom Murnan
VICTORY LANE, MEMBER
MIKE CASSLING’S GARAGE
Bourbon tasting, then BBQ dinner Producer: Duke Matz
5TH FESTA ITALIANA DINNER
SEP 09
POOLSIDE SERVED WITH WINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD Doctors Iris and Gary More residence
Joint event with the Council Bluffs Branch
Producers: Mike, Rhonda & Nicholas Wilke