Recipe for Success

Learn wine dinner tips from the pros

By Patty Mamula

‘Tis the season for bringing friends and family together over good food and wine. But where do you start when planning a wine dinner? We asked three experts for their best advice on pairing, planning and making sure the host actually enjoys the evening too.

There are two basic ways to approaches: plan your menu and select accompanying wines, or choose featured wines before building dishes around them.

Of course, before selecting food and wine, determine your guest list. Consider the number of people, available space, how involved the food preparation may be along with your budget. For an informal evening, a dozen people or less is ideal.

Courses with progressive pairings

With nearly 40 years of restaurant experience, chef Pascal Chureau advises dinner hosts to “create a menu based on a simple presentation, thereby ensuring quality time with guests.”

Trained in his home country of France, Chureau worked 15 years in San Francisco restaurants before moving to Portland over two decades ago. He owns several restaurants, including Lake Oswego’s Tucci, JoLa in the John’s Landing neighborhood of Portland and Lark Café in West Linn. His Field & Vine dinners bring 100+ guests together at local farms for homegrown meals.

“With Field & Vine,” Chureau explains, “I wanted to recreate what I grew up with. Neighbors and family gathered for summer dinners outside. Foods were all prepared with fresh, ingredients from their land.”

For an evening at home with friends, he recommends picking the wines first. “I like to offer the best wine from different wineries. Or, you could open two different bottles of the same variety, perhaps a favorite Chardonnay, plus an unfamiliar grape you might not know anything about.”

He suggests a five-course meal starting with an individually-plated appetizer, such as Dungeness crab in a saffron hollandaise with toasted brioche, served with a sparkling rosé.

Pair the second course with a white wine. He recommends a green salad featuring hearts of palm and a lemon vinaigrette dressing.

For the main entrée, Chureau treats guests to steak or short ribs, served on a platter with potatoes, rice or creamy polenta. He points to bolder varieties like Cabernet or Syrah, both of which match well with the meat.

Mixing things up, he often offers a vegetable dish after the main course. Green beans with a saffron aioli and toasted almonds pair superbly with Pinot Noir.

In a nod to French tradition, Chureau prefers a light cheese plate before or alongside a dessert of beignets with chocolate sauce. With hard and triple creamy cheeses, he serves Pinot Noir and with the beignets he likes port or perhaps a Cabernet or a whiskey.

For an easy dinner with six to eight guests, Chureau keeps it simple with a single wine glass and water glass at each setting. “I let people help themselves to each wine,” he declares. “I feel sharing the story of who makes each wine as well as where it’s from adds to the dinner.”

Seasonal simplicity

Tucker Mortensen, chef at West Linn’s Tumwater Vineyard also learned to cook in France– at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. As a teenager, he began working at a small restaurant in Clackamas. Eventually the owner became Mortensen’s mentor and taught him cooking skills on the job. When the mentor died, his wife sponsored Mortensen’s schooling in France.

After working as a pastry chef, private chef and restaurant chef in Paris and Portland, Mortensen launched Tumwater Vineyard’s food program.

He shares Chureau’s preference of presenting a couple wine choices with each food course and ending dinner with a cheese plate.

Mortensen adores serving appetizers with champagne or sparkling wine as guests arrive. “I might even have a cocktail like an Aperol Spritz with an assortment of fruit, a skewer with vegetables, a prawn cocktail and oysters.” At home, he favors a board of assorted meats, cheeses, fruits and more. “Keep it easy and very simple. This allows people to gather, relax and break the ice.”

Once guests move to the dining area, he recommends a salad course, entrée then dessert. “I like to highlight the season’s foods,” shares Mortensen. The salad course, for example, might contain mixed greens in the summer, squash in the fall and pomegranates in the winter. With salad, he pours white and rosé wines.
Both the salad and the entrée could be served family style, depending on the number of guests. Mortensen leans towards a steak entrée with red wines like Cabernet, Syrah or a hearty Pinot. “You could serve two of the same wines from different regions or two different wines entirely,” he suggests.

Chocolate is a splendid dessert option, notes Mortensen, since it’s always in season. With a variety of chocolate bites containing 60 to 70 percent cocoa, he chooses Zinfandel, Syrah or ice wines and Rieslings.

“I like to offer cheese and chocolate on the counter so people stretch their legs after sitting during the meal. Guests can easily talk with others while tasting and sampling the different wines,” he adds.

Theme-driven exploration

For sommelier Michael Perman, planning a dinner always starts with the wines. “I build the food around the bottles I plan to open,” he explains.

Perman trained as a chef at a hotel and restaurant school before transitioning to consulting about food innovation with large corporations including General Mills and Del Monte. Originally from Oregon, he returned in 2017 to launch C’est What? “I wanted to work with business clients but started learning about wine during the pandemic,” Perman recalls. Certified with the Court of Master Sommeliers, he now designs and hosts wine gatherings for individuals, corporations, businesses and premium retailers.

Perman suggests developing a theme. “Do your homework,” he urges. “Focus on informing and entertaining.” Open Pinot Noirs from around the world– Oregon, South Africa, New Zealand, France and Chile. Or, highlight Oregon’s diversity by showcasing sparkling or Tempranillo. Maybe spotlight our state’s biodynamic wineries or unusual varieties like Grüner Veltliner and Melon de Bourgogne.

For a basic menu with an appetizer, entrée and dessert, Perman serves two special whites with the first course, then two unique reds with the main course and another bottle matched with dessert. “I plan on a dozen two-ounce pours from each bottle. If you serve five bottles with food, 10-12 guests can still safely drive home.” While planning the menu, he advises incorporating herbs and spices that people might also detect in the wines.

Many area markets have a well-stocked wine selection, often with tastings and expert advice. When planning a wine dinner, consider consulting with a nearby wine retailer for suggestions.

An evening with family and friends, celebrating good food and stellar wine, is a time for all to enjoy. Yes, even the host. So, the best advice for sharing a wine adventure is to keep it simple.

Patty Mamula is a Portland-based freelance writer focusing on Northwest art, entertainment and culture. Her résumé includes Sunriver Magazine, The Capital Press and other publications. Connect with her at pattymamula@gmail.com.