Montaluce Wine Conclave 2010

The 2010 Montaluce Wine Conclave invited Atlanta-area foodies and wine-o's together to experience an afternoon with Winery Manager Oliver Asberger, Executive Chef Steven Hartman, and owners Rob and Brent Beecham. The result: an incredible series of food and wine pairings that make me a believer in this special maker of Georgia wines.

Are the wines incredible? Top award winners?

Localvores & Terroir

Let me preface by saying I believe that the recent 'localvore' movement in food has long been part of the 'terroir' focus many put on wines - the land where the wines come from tell you alot about the flavors and enjoyment you can expect. I take this a step further: I always enjoy wines I can drink within spitting distance of where they were made. That's because wines can bruise in a bottle. When you think about the supply chain of getting juice from one part of the world to another, from one guy in a back-brace loading a truck to another placing it on the shelf, it's a wonder the right wines taste as good as they do.

So? Good Wines?

Yes. I enjoyed these wines immensely in part because a few of them were very very good by themselves (IMHO: the Chardonnay and Viognier) but because all them were buffeted by an amazing supporting cast:

1. We drank them at the vineyard
2. They were paired with really 5-star amazing food in taste, technique, and presentation (as Le Vigne's GM Brad Egnor said, "food worthy of the view")
3. The company and the conversation around the table: fun, lively, and engaging (@hoplessfoodie, @winetonite, @mvineyards, @frenchtart, @atl10trader, @eatitatlanta, @blacktiebbq, @biskuitatl, @savoryexposure, @suburbanwin0, @atlantawineguy, @chowdownatl, @eatbuhi, @toddjwalker, @mvineyards, @hogballs, Michael Bryan, and @randomoenophile)

That's the best environment in which to serve any wine - and these Montaluce wines showed exceptionally well.

Read more about the event at Montaluce's blog.

See some amazing photos taken by a true photographer biskuitATL