The wine, the time, the food was divine

On Saturday, Jan. 28 The Rotary Club of Tehachapi held their 4th Annual Wine Pairing dinner. After months of planning, it can be said that the event was a huge success.

Five wines from Burbank Ranch Vineyard and Winery of Templeton, CA were deliciously paired with inventive and tasty foods prepared by our own Mano Lujan of Red House BBQ and The Shed. The dinner, which started at 6 p.m., took place at The Shed. Members of the Rotary Club arrived the day before to transform The Shed into a warm and intimate setting for a gourmet dinner with fine wines. The lighting was more subtle, tables were dressed with table cloths and toppers, candles, and flowers. The evening included a silent auction with a variety of prizes from a coffee basket to Disney tickets to a years worth of movies at the Hitching Post.

A total of 82 people took part in an exquisite evening of food and wine, plus friendship and community. The evening opened with a Syrah Rose which did not need any food pairing. It was the perfect drink alone wine so that people had plenty of time to talk and greet each other. About 45 minutes into the event the winery manager, Ruben Nodal talked about the wine with the appetizer course which was a Grenache and Mano explained the appetizer, which offered several wonderful options to go with a demi loaf of bread and truly enhanced the wine. We had olive tapenade, melted blue cheese, chimi churro and although I have never had seasoned roasted beef marrow before, it was an amazing taste experience that I will not soon forget.

That was only the beginning of the evening. We went on to enjoy a white wine called Arneis with a light but delightful soup of broth, shrimp, cilantro, roasted green onion and lemon zest. Next was the main course - a 1 lb pork chop with fig sauce, a native American vegetable called sun choke and these unbelievable greens (what Mano called a Micro salad) which was naturally salted because the greens came from the ocean. Those greens were so yummy I think I could eat them for days on end. This course was served with a Malbec which may have been the hit wine of the night (although they were all so, so good).

Final bids came in, winners were called out and dessert was served. A wonderful wine, Grenache Blanc, was served with a chocolate lava cake with berry drizzle. A fine close to a gourmet meal that was enjoyed by all 82 attendees.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to allow Mano the freedom to use some of his extensive culinary skills to create the kind of dining experience that we all enjoyed. I appreciate his talent and thank him for his willingness to do this dinner for Rotary. It was a true pleasure to work with Ruben from Burbank Ranch Vineyard and Winery and I encourage you to stop by their tasting room if you are heading out to Paso and Templeton. The wines are fantastic and the view and atmosphere in the tasting room is unsurpassed.

Rotary would like to thank our sponsors including The Loop, The Tehachapi News, Alta One, State Farm Insurance, Sail Thru Car Wash, Jennifer Williams Personal Financial Services, Scotts Auto Body, Carol Williams Realtor and South Street Digital. Rotary meets every Thursday at noon at Big Papas. And thank you to everyone who came to the dinner and help to support Rotary so that we can do what we do in our community. For more information about Rotary call Tim at (661) 821-0086.