Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
{ SOMMjournal.com } 39 On April 25, The Somm Journal hosted a choose-your-own-adventure tasting reception at the Culinary Institute of America–Greystone campus as part of the 2016 CIA Sommelier Summit. Attendees discovered more than 30 different wines, sakés and spirits to match up with an array of small bites from culinary cultures not traditionally associated with wine—Denmark, Brazil, China, Japan and Hawaii. Beverages were grouped near the most promising cuisine match, but as CIA Professor of Wine and Beverage Studies Bob Bath, MS said, "The options are limitless! On a nice night like tonight, it's really the most fun to just wander." The following pages share some of the liquid highlights of the evening. Allegrini 2014 Valpolicella Superiore, a medium-weight blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Oselata, shows plenty of wild berries and dark red fruits, gentle struc - ture and a soft, leisurely finish. Winemaker Franco Allegrini's commitment to quality winemaking is setting new standards for Valpolicella, as this graceful wine shows. GLOBAL PAIRING ADVENTURES AT THE 2016 CIA SOMMELIER SUMMIT by Deirdre Bourdet / photos by Alexander Rubin Arínzano, from northeastern Spain, offered two tempting Tempranillos: the 2015 Hacienda de Arínzano Rosé—a brilliant neon coral-colored rosé with bright raspberry aromas, pink grapefruit, white pepper, and clean slate undertones—and the 2008 Gran Vino Red, the winery's flagship red wine made from the estate's Montico Vineyards. Unlike past vintages of the Gran Vino Red, the 2008 is 100% Tempranillo, and a glorious cool- weather example of the varietal: fresh, vibrant, and with a surprisingly delicate weight. Hints of smoke and stone on the nose open into a velvety palate of black fruits, boysenberry, and river stones. The 2015 Rosé paired beautifully with fresh tomatoes and earthy-sweet pickled veg - etables, bringing firm acid and body; the 2008 Gran Vino Red shone with all of the various mushroom dishes, as well as the more obvious meatier matches. Arínzano has been producing wines since the 11th century, and was the first winery in northern Spain to receive the Pago classification for their estate vineyards. Their 128 hectares of Pago vineyards nestle in a valley formed by the River Ega and the last slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains, about half an hour from Pamplona and an hour and fifteen minutes' drive from San Sebastián. Compass Box Whisky's Hedonism and Great King Street Glasgow Blend repre - sented the New and Old World of Scotch whisky at the reception. The Great King Street Glasgow Blend is classic old-style Scotch—malty, rich and round. Bright cherries, nuts and aromatic Sherry support the smoky peat core. This blend of six malt and grain Scotch whiskies (about two-thirds malt) is finished in Sherry casks to soften and balance its earthy intensity.