A Night of Wine at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens
Written By: Randy Torban on Mon, May 18th 2009
The night started well – endless glasses of Bouvet Brut sparkling wine for from Loire; lush gardens of plants, flowers, and trees lining elegant white tables and chairs; a ballroom full of wine bottles begging to be poured. There were reds and whites from Spain and France, donated by Eric Solomon of European Cellars; but the reds, all the reds, were more or less the same varietals. It was the cool white wine that saved this hot Miami evening.
The Fairchild Palms donates all fundraising proceeds to The Fairchild Challenge, a South Florida-based environmental education and conservation program credited for leading a green revolution in schools nationwide. Who doesn’t want to drink for a good cause? But a person can only go back and forth between Grenache from France and Garnacha from Spain for so long. Sure, there were bottles of 2004 Celler de Cantonella Cervoles Tinto Costers del Segre (it has 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot), but after an hour, I was begging for a grapey Pinot Noir or an oaky Cabernet Sauvignon. Almost all of the red wines were easy drinking and fruit forward, but they became monotonous.
Thankfully, the whites were fantastic, and this worked out well considering the hors d’oeuvres were mainly fish and shellfish. Specifically, the 2007 Con Class Verdejo and 2007 Burgans Albarino went perfectly with the tuna tartare, cajun shrimp, and fried oysters. The bright grapefruit and marmalade characteristics refreshed my palate after every bite of salty, spicy seafood. The pinnacle of the night came in the form of a French dessert wine, the 2003 Chateau Tirecul La Graviere “Les Pins,” made from a blend of Semillon, Muscat, and Sauvignon Blanc. A wonderful medley of honey and apricot, and lighter than a Sauterne, the bottle paired perfectlywith the desserts.
Next year, I hope for a little more variety. Give us some basic red varietals first so that we are more confident in drinking Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre all night. Just think, the more people that get liquored up, the more charitable they will feel when bidding on the silent auction.
