Matherne’s Supermarket at 7355 Highland Road will feature back-to-back wine dinners this month highlighting fine wines paired with exotic and seasonal flavors.
Manager Bill Hounshell began developing the grocery store’s wine department in the early ’90s and added a tasting room a few years later where popular wine dinners have since taken place.
On Friday, the store presents an Oktoberfest-themed event with German cuisine and wines from Germany and the Alsace region of France. Patrons will learn to decode wine labels from these regions and understand how to better pair varietals such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The evening begins with a reserve Pinot Blanc paired with bite-sized Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie).
A week later on Oct. 17, Hounshell will throw a wine dinner themed around wines from the Napa Valley producer Darioush, which was launched by an Iranian immigrant in 1997. Darioush’s 2011 Merlot, 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2011 “Caravan” Cabernet Sauvignon will be paired with kufteh kabobs, Persian dill and lima bean rice and yogurt with spinach. It is one of many dishes in a multi-course meal. Dinners are reservation only and range in price from $60-$75 per person. Call Matherne’s at 767-0074 to reserve a spot. —Maggie Heyn Richardson
