I Love It When A Wine Dinner Comes Together

This past Friday, I had the pleasure working with the fine folks at Flanders Fish Market on their 18th Annual Oyster & Wine Dinner. Now, I have had experience with wine dinners, but never on this level of scale; 76 hungry people were ready for not only an outstanding meal, but also a high-quality presentation about wine and aquaculture. In the 2+ years I have been writing on Flight School, it came to my attention that I never discussed just how a wine dinner gets done, so here is your chance to know what goes on behind the scenes. So here we go!

The amount of planning that goes into these dinners is astounding. In order for an event like this to be successful, planning is essential. Many questions are going to be asked internally. From the perspective of Flanders, can they justify using the large room at the restaurant? How many staff members will they have? How will they configure the tables? What will the menu be and which order will the dishes be presented? That is just a few right off the top. Then comes availability of guest speakers. Flanders has someone speak about aquaculture in general and oysters in particular. Typically, The Boss at Divine Wine has done this event, but he had a scheduling conflict, which led to me being the next man up.

With the foundation set, now comes promotion…we have to have guests! Flanders did a bunch on their end in regard to the marketing of the Oyster Dinner. It’s not just about some blanket approach to securing attendees. They are calling customers who have come to past events, but it is also great to have new faces. Email, Facebook, and simple old-school word-of-mouth all do the job fine here. Plus, the event typically takes place at the same time every year, so there’s consistency and an expectation. That’s how you get to do this eighteen years running.

Now while Flanders is running the show with food, The Boss and I are coming up with what will work for wines. A new wine comes into our inventory? Let’s see if we can sensibly have it work. What else do we already have on our shelves? What do we need to order? These are just questions that come up to just get a wine in. We also had to make some assumptions based on ingredients in the dishes and without tasting the courses ahead of time, but we did meet with both the Head Chef and General Manager to taste and discuss how the food and wine will come together.

Notes on pairing some wines with the killer menu…which I left at home, but no matter. The show still went on.

We have to take into consideration how spicy or bitter some foods will be; a wine’s sweetness or acidity can balance these factors, while tannins can amplify them and ruin the experience. With this being an oyster dinner, we also have to account for the preparation of the oyster itself; raw oysters are delicate, but still have some texture. There are also six different types of raw oysters, all of which have different flavors, so we need something to pull it all together. German Riesling with just a touch of sweetness ought to do the trick. Grilled oysters have some weight, especially with butter, so we went with a white Bordeaux blend. A rich pasta like Pappardelle and fried oysters have even more body, so we leaned New World with a Chenin Blanc from Dry Creek Vineyard.

A smoked oyster with green vegetables and pickling is a very complex grouping of flavors, so we went out of the box with a Vermentino from Corsica; Vermentino has some herbaceous flavors and aromas, but also an oily texture and can act like Sauvignon Blanc in leaner examples or Chardonnay in fuller-bodied styles. Braciole is definitely going to have a richness to it, but prosciutto and oysters liven the dish up and we have a bitter green in broccoli rabe. We are trying something a little different with Cabernet Franc, even though the obvious answer could be a Sangiovese-based Tuscan red. Cabernet Franc from Uruguay (an emerging wine region) is ripe but not too heavy on the palate. We’re giving this a try as it will make for fun discussion. Bombolonis are upscale donut holes and yuzu is a Japanese fruit that tastes like oranges and peaches had a baby together. A dessert wine from Southwest France made primarily of the honey-like Semillon ought to be outstanding with this dessert.

So…got all that? Good. Now let’s gather eight cases of wine, tasting and order sheets, and wine accessories like corkscrews and drip-stoppers and get set up for a hungry crowd of 76.

With any wine dinner I have ever done, I love starting with a sparkling aperitif wine. If you ever want to guarantee getting things off to a good start, give a crowd some bubbles, because I have never seen an unhappy face with a glass of sparkling wine. Plus, it is a great way to allow the back of the room to finish coordinating the timing of courses as well as getting that first plate ready, which was this beauty right here:

There better be a plate of raw oysters at an oyster dinner, right? Now…this was not my area of expertise, but fortunately Flanders Fish brought in a guest speaker to talk aquaculture. You can tell he is passionate about the topic, because this is the least amount of blur I could get in a picture of him schooling us all in the sustainable farming of oysters.

Atlantic oysters tend to be smaller in size, briny and taste like the sea, while Pacific oysters have a sweeter, meatier profile; I learned something new while sipping the 50 Degrees Riesling. It was also pretty awesome to discover that with each sip of the wine with a taste of each oyster, a different flavor was left behind on my palate (something the crowd confirmed as well). One pairing left a grapefruit flavor, another apricot jam-like sweetness, another amplified the saline qualities, while yet another left a minerally/stony sensation.

Now, while we are hamming it up during presentation of one plate, another is being worked on in the kitchen. It takes considerable coordination to get 76 plates out in a timely fashion. Meanwhile, my job is to keep the conversation flowing; talking wine, answering questions, and generally “filling air time” during transitions from cleanup to the next dish where possible. Also from a service standpoint at these wine dinners, I am typically served first so I can taste components of the dish with the wine. This way, I can prepare for feedback, because going through my head are these kinds of thoughts:

“…people are going to notice the rosemary with the grilled oyster right away with the wine…”

“…what happens if I taste the pasta with the Chenin Blanc on its own vs. with the fried oyster? Will we lose anything in the overall effect?”

“…the smokiness of the oyster in the salad is really enhanced by this Corsican wine. People will either love that or hate it. But it seems like the wine pairs beautifully with the salad without the oyster…made the wine taste fruity and the tarragon in the dressing popped…”

“…the Cabernet Franc fades behind the braciole…I forgot to account for the pine nuts and raisins in the stuffing…maybe Southern Italy would have worked best here with a Primitivo from Puglia…”

“…we nailed the dessert pairing…can’t wait to talk about this…”

By the way, I spoke these thoughts out loud once our attendees provided their opinions and commentary on the pairings. As the one doing the most interaction with the room, not only do I have to be prepared to speak about the wines themselves, but I have to react quickly and intelligently, make my notes, and most of all be transparent about the food and wine experience for each dish. I have to anticipate questions. I have to be prepared for which sensations will be off-putting to some that could be amazing for someone else. 76 unique palates, all picking up something different across six courses…that’s a lot of impressions being made!

Here’s another thing that I didn’t account for…acoustics of the room! I initially did not realize the folks in the back were having a hard time hearing me, so I started to move around the center of the room rather than stand up front, especially after going around the tables to see how everyone was doing; I wanted to get feedback on the fly so I could make adjustments to my presentation as necessary.

After what felt like continuous talking for three-and-a-half hours, it all came to a close and we sent 76 people home happy and feeling like they got their money’s-worth for the evening. And once everyone heads out, it’s time to clean up, gather up any leftover wine, clear away any other utensils and service items, and arrange the tables and chairs in the room back to the way it was for regular service in the restaurant.

It’s an awesome experience to present the potential of different food and wine combinations, and Friday night reminded me just how much work goes into making a wine dinner successful. I hope I was able to give you a glimpse into the preparations that go into having it all come together. Get in touch if you have any questions!

*Big thanks to Chef Liv, GM Jennaya, Mr. Paul Formica, Will (who represented Fishers Island) and the entire staff at Flanders Fish Market who busted their tails from start to finish to make the 18th Annual Oyster Dinner a memorable one.

Just Taste It: Parés Baltà Blanc de Pacs White Blend

“Just Taste It” is essentially the phrase that best described my food and drink upbringing. Family members would just put something in front of me and implore me to taste it until I actually did. I am now going to do the same to you by giving you a snapshot of something I tried that I think you will like if you give it an honest shot.

So what is this wine?

A white wine blend of grapes that are traditionally used in the Spanish sparkling wines known as Cava. Imported by Broadbent Selections.

Marta Casas (L) and Maria Elena Jimenez (R) of Parés Baltà

Who makes it?

Parés Baltà of Penedès, Catalonia, Spain…Maria Elena Jimenez and Marta Casas are the winemakers and grapegrowers at this small estate, producing organic and biodynamic wines. My first exposure to their product range is with their Cava Brut, but they make a dazzling array of red, white, and rosé still wines for reasonable prices.

What’s in it?

47% Parellada [pah-ray-YA-dah]: a local white grape that is valued by Cava producers for its acidity and freshness, two aspects that are essential for the lively nature of a sparkling wine.

31% Macabeu [ma-kah-BAY-oo]: also referred to as “Macabeo” in southern France or “Viura” in the Rioja region, this white grape offers body and potential alcohol to a blend while withstanding the threat of oxidation (which can lead to tired, caramelized wines). It’s fairly neutral in flavor, too, and acts as a vehicle for bubbles.

22% Xarel-lo [shuh-REL-oh]: very intense earthiness on the nose and the palate, a little of this white grape goes a long way in everyday Cava wines. The Gran Reservas and vintage Cavas might feature a higher proportion of Xarel-lo as the strength of this grape tends to stand up over time, evolving into a more mushroom-like savory flavor.

How is it made?

Each grape is fermented into its own wine separately in stainless steel tanks, then all are blended together afterwards. Cool fermentation over a long period of time (10-17 days) allows delicate flavors and aromas to be preserved. Zero oak treatment. 11.5% abv.

How does it taste?

Light-to-medium bodied, with golden pears complemented by floral notes on the nose. Soft texture and fruity on the finish. Refreshing.

How do I serve it?

Chilled, but not ice cold (take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes then pop the cork. With the season changing to spring, this is going to be one you want to have on-hand as the weather warms up. Additionally, if you are a shellfish fan, particularly sauteed shrimp, this is a wine for you. Hell, if you like to do seafood boils, pick up a bunch of bottles of the Blanc de Pacs.

How much?

About $12. This is a great change of pace from many comfort zones. Blanc de Pacs has more texture and aromatics than a Pinot Grigio from the Veneto, a different fruit flavor from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and less weight and richness than Chardonnay. It all depends on what you what to get out of your wine drinking experience! For a long time here in Connecticut, we only had access to the Cavas of Parés Baltà, but these non-sparkling wines are beginning to make their way here and should be showing up in your local markets soon enough. Enjoy!

The Obligatory Wines To Go With Thanksgiving Post

It arrived rather quickly, but those of us who haven't already moved on to Christmas are making preparations for Thanksgiving Day. It's one of my favorite holidays; I get to eat, drink, and watch football in a larger quantity than I would on any autumn Sunday. I love how the air smells; it is filled with all kinds of sweet and savory goodness. It's many of the usual suspects for the majority of us, right? Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, veggies, and pies are typical, but if you aren't a turkey fan, or a meat eater at all, there might be some other items coming out of the oven or perhaps off of a barbecue.

Nevertheless, the blitz of food needs some tasty beverages to help keep everything moving. While I know beer, cocktails, and sippin' spirits are all delicious, the scope of today's post is to help you find some good wine options. With Thanksgiving serving as our first major feast day of the cold weather months, chances are you will be bringing out a ton of different food options, including the ones I mentioned above. So how do you go about choosing a good wine for foods that will taste rich, savory, herbaceous, fruity, and so on? Here is one basic rule of thumb to follow:

Keep it simple.

I know that's a vague statement on my part, but honestly it holds true here. You will have so many aromas, flavors and textures fighting one another on your plate that you need a wine to bring it all together. It should typically be one that has plenty of acidity (to help you digest large volumes of food), straightforward fruitiness, and body (to harmonize everything on the plate). Certain parts of the meal are enhanced even more if the wine has an interesting spice or floral note. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are looking to break out that super-expensive bottle from the cellar, Thanksgiving dinner isn't necessarily the time for that. The high-end wines that have a ton of complex flavors never get the chance to stand out. Save the special bottle for a simple-yet-elegant dinner (you will see what I mean when I do my Christmas post. Trust me, so stay tuned).

Barberani's Castagnolo Orvieto Classico ($21) has distinct sage, thyme, and anise spice to complement the apple and stone fruit of this wine.

For example, Italian wines can have a pleasant herbaceousness or anise spice. Pinot Noir that spends time in French oak imparts a range of baking spices like cinnamon and cloves. Pinot Gris has some body and texture to help stand up to the rich foods, as well as a floral quality. Riesling's strong aromatics and inherent fruity/floral quality makes it versatile enough to play with all parts of the meal. Beaujolais wines are berry-scented and versatile with plenty of acidity to make your mouth water. I mean, even the candy-like Beaujolais Nouveau (which the wine academic types sneer at) is perfect for just staying lubricated during marathon eating sessions. Of course, the easiest fallback option is to grab some sparkling wine, which I acknowledge is "cheating" when it comes to pairing, but what's a feast without bubbles?

Additionally, if you are looking to try something different, look to Sherry or Saké. Dry Sherry has nutty and savory characteristics and is the magic potion for dealing with difficult-to-pair foods like nuts, olives, and green foods. Light and dry Saké does very well with salty snacks and appetizers. For more details on exploring this route, you should go visit my friend The Passionate Foodie, who has great ideas on how to approach these two wine styles with Thanksgiving dinner.

So let's get to some recommendations! These are all well-made wines from producers who I respect. I hope you seek some of these out and give them a try.

Domaine de la Prebende Beaujolais ($15): Fermented in both stainless steel and concrete tanks, this is a fruity red wine that will give you the versatility you need, with that touch of sweet spice that makes this wine feel like fall in a glass.

Willamette Valley Vineyards "Whole Cluster" Pinot Noir ($24): This is a wine that gives you the fruitiness of a Beaujolais wine plus a range of earthy spice and coffee that Oregon Pinot Noir can provide. Willamette Valley Vineyards ferments whole bunches of grapes, using the carbonic maceration method that is popular in the Beaujolais region. A different expression of Pinot Noir that will do its duty at the dinner table.

Hillersden Marlborough Pinot Gris ($18): New Zealand has become overwhelmingly well-known for its distinct Sauvignon Blancs, but let's also get to know their other wines! Here is a copper-hued Pinot Gris from vines that reached optimal maturity for producing quality wine. Citrus and stone fruit flavors dominate, with brief "sur-lie" aging to round out the texture and counteract the acidity. Very clean and refreshing.

Charles Bove Touraine Sparkling Rosé ($19): You can always go with a Cava or a Prosecco for something simple and bubbly, but lets go with something pink. This is 70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Gamay...and 100% awesome. The combination of aromatics and fruit marries so well with the 18 months lees aging, giving you a sparkler that gives you a great feel for traditional method wines in the Loire Valley. Fresh, fruity, and bone-dry, this is one to enjoy all day long.

Conte Vistarino Sangue di Giuda Costiolo, ($19): Don't forget about dessert! Literally translating to "Blood of Judas," this sweet wine is a specialty of the Oltrepo Pavese region of Lombardy. This is a blend of Barbera, Croatina, and Uva Rara, all plentifully found in this growing zone of Italy. Think of this as a lighter Port wine, where the alcohol is far lower at around 7% abv. This is a very lively wine with plenty of acidity, bursting with berry fruit, finishing clean and without a sticky, cloying sensation. Give it a shot with an apple-cranberry or blueberry pie!

A True Labor Of Love

You may have noticed that my post count has dwindled over the last couple of weeks. School has already begun here in Connecticut, yet we are still trying to squeeze every bit of summer in that we can. However, I have also been using the time to plan all sorts of great events, classes, and casual tastings during the autumn months.

That brings me to this past Saturday, where we sent summer off in style by tasting a range of sparkling wines. Parents of school-aged children toasted the various educational facilities taking our kids for another 182 days of our year. Others simply raised a glass to what was a very fun summer in town.

The sparkling wines we tasted all had something in common: all wines were made in the Traditional Method of sparkling wine production. What is that, you ask? In its most basic form, it is the following:

1. Ferment a base wine in a vat
2. Re-ferment the wine inside of a bottle
3. Age the wine with the spent yeast cells (the lees)
4. Remove the lees from the bottle
5. Add appropriate sweetness (if desired)
6. Bottle the wine under pressure

Looks easy, right? Well, I guess when we break it down into six steps, I suppose it does. Truthfully, there is so much more to making a sparkling wine via the Traditional Method. Let's break down each step:

Fermenting a base wine might be the simplest task on here, but even then to achieve the best base wine a winemaker needs some things to work in his/her favor. Grapes need to be high in acid; this is the reason sparkling wine is so refreshing when you sip it. When acidity and bubbles come together, your palate wakes up instantly. Wines low in acid taste flat and boring. If a winemaker is making a non-vintage sparkling wine, it needs to be a consistent product, meaning it should taste the same every time you buy it. Winemakers define a "house style" by blending wines from the most recent harvest with reserve stocks of wine of varying ages.

Next, that blended wine goes into bottles along with the liqueur de tirage, which is a concoction of yeast, sugar, and wine that leads to refermentation in the bottles. The carbon dioxide given off by the yeasts during this process is captured in the bottle and that's where your bubbles come from. This is how they do it in Champagne, Cava, and many New World Sparkling wines. "Crémants," which are essentially sparkling wines made in France that follow Champagne's model but don't come from the Champagne region, use this method for bubbles, too.

After this stage, it is time to age the wine on the lees, which have basically drowned themselves in the alcohol they created. The longer the wine ages on the lees, the more toasty and savory notes develop. There are different requirements laid out for specific regions. Non-vintage Champagne requires a minimum of 15 months bottle aging, while vintage examples must spend at least three years in bottle. In practice, many Champagne houses will exceed those minimums. Cava is required to age only nine months (as in the Crémants of France), Cava Reserva specifies a minimum of 15 months (as in non-vintage Champagne), and Cava Gran Reserva requires 30 months minimum (approaching the level of vintage Champagne as far as aging goes).

These metal cages are gyropalettes doing their jobs of getting the yeasts into the bottle necks.

Once the aging is done, it's time to get the yeasts out of the bottle. Traditionally, the bottles were stored in "pupitres," which look like peg boards with bottles sticking out of them. Over time, the bottles would be "riddled", or manually turned to allow the yeasts cells to slide into the neck of each bottle. This is a time-consuming process that costs the producer money. In the 1970s, the gyropalette was developed to handle riddling in a more efficient way, accommodating about 500 bottles at a time. From here the bottle necks are frozen to turn the yeasts into a solid plug that can be ejected from the bottle. I think the best way to illustrate the process is to just show you with a video:

What you are seeing after the frozen plugs are removed is the addition of sweetened wine (the dosage) that will dictate the sweetness level of the entire bottle of wine (Brut, Demi-Sec). If no sweetened wine is added, the sparkling wine will be labeled "Brut Nature" or "Brut Zero", a bone-dry product.

So there you have it. It's not an easy process to make a sparkling wine by Traditional Method, but the end result is persistent bubbles, a creamy texture, and a liveliness that can't be matched by other methods of production. We sampled five wines this past Saturday afternoon of all different styles, but all are delicious in their own ways.

Saturday's Lineup!

Parés Baltà Cava Brut ($14)

This winery practices organic and biodynamic farming, leading to vibrant wines made from the traditional Spanish grape varieties of Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Green apples, lemon zest, and a touch of earthiness. Makes for a great sipper on its own or as the base for a Mimosa.

Paul Mas Cote Mas Crémant de Limoux Brut Rosé ($16)

Located in the eastern foothills of the Pyrenees, Limoux has a long and storied history as a sparkling wine region in Southern France. This dry, pink bubbly is loaded with blood orange and tangerine flavors and has a pleasant bitter note on the finish that adds to the complexity of a customer favorite at the store.

Gruet Brut ($17)

Who would have known that the deserts of New Mexico would be suitable for quality sparkling wine production? The Gruet family discovered this fact on a trip to the American Southwest in the early 1980s, and they set up shop near Albuquerque. 24 months aging on the lees in this flagship product is balanced by ripe nectarine and tropical fruit flavors and a full-bodied softness on the palate.

Marie-Pierre Manciat Crémant de Bourgogne Brut ($23)

A fine sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay in sustainable vineyards. Floral with orange and lemon peel aromas, peachy on the palate, and very lively with persistent bubbles. Killer value. I wrote of this in Building a Case for a Few More Dollars

Ayala Champagne Brut Majeur ($39)

Champagne is not cheap; it can sometimes be a challenge to score something for less than $40, but here is a non-vintage example the delivers well beyond that price. White peaches and flowers are on the nose with fresh baked brioche and savory/smoky flavors on the palate. Long and fruity on the finish.

Drinking Through Disney: Pacific Northwest Edition

For all of the exploration we love to do as we roam the Disney parks, we are also hotel nerds. Even if we aren't staying at a different resort each time, we still enjoy visiting them, especially for dinners. We know that all of the restaurants are going to be kid-friendly, but when we go to one of the higher-end places as a treat, we wonder how three young boys who have been dragged all over the place are going to respond to having to sit for a while as their parents enjoy a delicious meal. Fortunately for whatever reason, every time we have gone to Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge, it seems to always go extremely well.

That is just one of many reasons why we like to eat dinner at Artist Point every time we go down to Disney World for a visit. The theme here is Pacific Northwest cuisine with sustainable and organic ingredients. Additionally, they have quite the wine list (I feel like I say this frequently, but the restaurants in Disney have unreal adult beverage inventory). Since I can easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices available to me, I went for the Taste of the Pacific Tasting Menu. With wine pairings, which I added on, the whole experience runs you a cool $100 (or two Disney dining meal credits).

If you are having a hard time choosing a bottle, the by-the-glass selections are also enjoyable, quality examples of the styles of Oregon and Washington wines. The Greatest Wife In The World chose the Argyle Brut, which is in the running for favorite New World Sparkling wine.

The customizable Taste of the Pacific menu. My selections: Duck Ragout, Land Greens Salad, Aged Buffalo Strip Loin, and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée. They throw in the Friandise as a second dessert, which has tasty little fruit jellies and chocolate lollipops.

I was given a glass of Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut to start. After sweating out in the parks and rehydrating with water, a refreshing glass of bubbly is always welcome. Light, yet creamy, it had simple apple and citrus flavor that primed the pump for me to stuff my face. Chateau Ste. Michelle is easily the largest winery in Washington. Additionally, they own many other brands under "Ste. Michelle Wine Estates." Some you may have seen before include 14 Hands, Columbia Crest, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.

After that, my Duck Ragout came out with a glass of Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris. For a long time, my only familiarity with the winery was in the form of their Evolution White Blend, a wine stew of roughly a dozen grapes that makes for a lush, golden, easy-drinking wine. Sokol Blosser's Pinot Gris also has some of the richness I experienced with the Evolution blend, but the finish is much drier, with a green fig and citrus fruit going on in it. When tasted with the Duck Ragout, a noticeable floral aroma came out, almost like chamomile or honeysuckle. I also tried this with the Land Greens Salad, and that released a peachy flavor that complemented the, uh...peach in the salad! Normally, pairings don't work that way, but in this case it did.

After that, it was time for Buffalo Strip Loin, which I had to prevent the six-year old from taking away from me. The pieces I was able to have went well with the Roco Gravel Road Pinot Noir that I chose over the Waterbrook Malbec. While it would have been interesting to try a Malbec from Washington, I was feeling Pinot Noir today and rolled with it. I'm sure the fuller body and sturdiness of the Malbec would have been wonderful, but the Roco offered a fresh blackberry flavor and peppery spice that came out in this pairing that I really liked. This was a great first-time experience for me with a product of this winery.

Finally, it was time for the desserts to come out. Let me tell you this: I am not a sweet/dessert wine drinker, except for Port or Madeira in the wintertime. However, when I sampled the NxNW Riesling Icewine (sorry, not pictured) with the Crème Brûlée...my goodness! This may have been the best food and wine pairing on the list, and one of the best ones I can remember. It was an explosion of apricot, mango, and kumquats (Yes, kumquats. Normally, I stay away from unusual fruits as a wine descriptor, but that's exactly what I tasted!). NxNW is a brand from King Estate, whose Pinot Gris we will never refuse. I was so full, I didn't care that the children wanted to steal my second dessert.

By the way, this could easily be in the category of "If It Grows Together, It Goes Together" as this was a classic illustration of how Pacific Northwest cuisine works so well with its wines. I can't recommend Artist Point more to you. The service was fantastic (as Disney tends to be anyway), but our server was also sharp and new his stuff when it came to the wines. Hopefully if you are making the trip to Disney World, you get this place on your dining to-do list.

Drinking Through Disney: Hollywood Studios Edition

In our last installment of Drinking Through Disney, we stopped in one of the countries of Epcot's World Showcase. This week, we head to a park that has almost become an afterthought in Hollywood Studios.

A lot of attractions closed since we were last here. No more Phineas & Ferb. The Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show is gone. The Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Playground disappeared, too. There was maintenance going on in other portions of the park, too. Thank goodness for the resurgence of Star Wars!

I'm not sure what it is about this typeface, but it always makes me want to drink something old-school.

That being said, there is still something about this park that is still fun for us. The Star Wars attractions are a lot of fun and Indiana Jones is still prominent. We also always make sure we get ourselves to Toy Story Midway Mania, the most fun shoot-'em-up moving arcade game ever. I also love the art deco classic movie fonts on signs throughout the park...it makes me feel like I should be having a six-Martini lunch. So before heading off to Jedi training with the little ones, what better place to stop than the Hollywood Brown Derby?

The Brown Derby's elegant, classic look with movie star caricatures hung all over the walls is the sort of place where The Greatest Wife In The World and I wondered if we should be eating here with three young children. After remembering that it is Disney World and that kids are everywhere, of course it's fine to have a fancy lunch...and booze, to boot!

A very cool place to grab a bite to eat in Hollywood Studios. It's as if you stepped back in time.

With this being Flight School and all, The Greatest Wife In The World and I each chose to go with a flight of wines. The two we requested had to be edited as the restaurant was in the midst of changing over some wines in their inventory. She went with the Sparkling Wine flight (I am not calling it a "Champagne flight" for reasons I have outlined in the past), while I went with the Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. With Taittinger Champagne and Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard no longer in the inventory, they were replaced with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial and Skywalker Marin County Pinot Noir. No complaints from us.

The Cabernet flight was intriguing, but with duck breast and duck confit on my plate, the Pinot Noir flight was going to be a better food and wine experience.

To sum up the flight experiences on the wines' own merits, let's start with the Pinot Noir. Las Alturas was the lightest and freshest of the group. Skywalker was deep and earthy in comparison to Las Alturas. Dairyman had the deep, dark fruit of the Skywalker, but with additional layers of complexity that I was having a difficult time pinpointing. Once my duck with farro risotto came out, Las Alturas became very fruity with the duck breast and the risotto. Skywalker tasted outstanding with the duck leg confit. A whole range of baking spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom) came out in the Dairyman with the duck breast. 

The Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. From left to right: Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard, Skywalker, and Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard. 

As for the sparkling wine flight, Iron Horse has always been reliable with sparkling wines coming from the cool pocket of the Russian River Valley known as Green Valley. The Celebration Cuvée is fresh, vibrant and citrusy. Rosa Regale from Banfi is one we have always liked. Its sweet strawberry flavors are great with desserts, chocolate-covered strawberries in particular, but it is also a nice way to close a meal. The Moët & Chandon Champagne has bright white peach and pear flavors with a touch of fresh-baked brioche bread.

Luke...I am your Pinot (I know...lame joke)

We have never eaten here in our many years of coming to Disney World, and this really hit the spot when we needed to get out of the heat and refuel. I encourage you to go here for either lunch or dinner and explore their extensive wine and cocktails list. We could have spent the day here, but Jedi training waits for no one.