Napa Valley California Wine Dinner @Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Penang

It all begins with Beringer at the Napa Valley Wine Dinner held at the Feringgi Grill in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Penang. On the night, guests were treated to several delicate elegant wines brought in by wine supplier, Luen Heng F&B Sdn Bhd.

Food and wine connoisseurs started off the night with a delicate fruit driven savignon blanc.

Present at the event was wine making ambassador, Sam Stephens who shared more about the many different and diverse wines. According to Sam, although cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay are most widely planted, the Napa Valley also source grapes from some of the cooler areas of California.

Intro by wine making Ambassador, Sam Stephens

Sam introduced the range of wines which included the Sauvignon Blanc, Sterling VCO CA Chardonnay 2015, Beaulieu Vineyards CA Merlot 2015, Stags’ Leap Napa Valley Petite Syrah 2013, Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 and Beringer Classic Moscato 2015.

The red and white wines were paired with the dinner menu carefully crafted by Chef Thibaut Pouplard. The first culinary delight was something light and refreshing: tangy cherry tomato and salmon on a slab of toast along with a mouthful of cucumber freshness. This amuse bouche was paired with the delegate elegant fruit driven Sauvignon Blanc.

We moved to the Sterling VCO CA Chardonnay 2015. This wine is a step up in richness and power when compared to the earlier Sauvignon Blanc. It has a riper rounder mouthfeel, with lovely acidity and freshness at the end.

The chardonnay worked beautifully with the Hokkaido scallops, served with season truffles, pistachio, herbs, green chili and lime juice. The green chili not only added a splash of vibrant green but also flavor and slight heat.

The next wine was CA Merlot 2015, from the Beaulieu Vineyards. With a combination of fruit and spices, the light Merlot was paired with Chef Thibaut’s morel risotto cooked with carnaroli.

The chef highlighted the risotto with parmesan and lovely savory flavor from the morel mushrooms. Everyone enjoyed a big savory, earthy, creamy mouthfeel which went beautifully with the merlot.

Morel Risotto

After the risotto dish, the kitchen began serving the mango sorbet. The chef included pepper, grapefruit and gin in this simple cold palate cleanser.

There were more red wines to taste and we moved to the Stags’ Leap Napa Valley Petite Syrah 2013. The wine with a blend of Syrah, Grenache and other Rhône varieties is from the Stags’ Leap Winery, one of the oldest wine estates within the acclaimed Stags’ Leap district.

This Napa Valley full-bodied red wine with deliciously black fruit-forward flavors made for a nice match with the slow cooked short ribs Bordelaise. Tender enough with a gentle cut, the meat was served with croutons, mashed potatoes and red wine sauce.

We moved on to the last of the two wines. For the Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, we were set up with the artisanal cheese plate. The Cabernet Sauvignon which displayed a wide variety of black fruits worked nicely with the cheese course which featured ingredients like jam and sourdough.

Towards the end, guests were introduced to the Beringer Classic Moscato 2015, made primarily with the Moscato grape. With lovely sweetness and attractive grapey aromas, the sparkling wine was paired with dessert – passionfruit and white chocolate cheesecake.

With decades of wine making history behind them, it is apparent their expertise flow through with the plumpness of the merlot, rich black fruit driven style Cabernet Sauvignon and spicy character of the Petite Syrah.

Feringgi Grill
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa
Batu Feringgi Beach
11100 Penang

Tel: 04 888 8788

* Many thanks to Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa for extending this invitation.