Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, A Luxury Collection Hotel
250 SUKHUMVIT ROAD, BANGKOK 10110

From November 15th – 24th , Rossini’s Chef Stefano Merlo offers set and a la carte menus of mushroom dishes and specialties from Italy’s Piedmont region.

Rossini’s will also host a memorable Mushroom & Piedmont Wine Dinner on Friday, November 19th.

A la carte dishes include sautéed porcini, black trumpets, chanterelle mushrooms and polenta taragna, the exquisite maccheroncini with clams and chanterelle mushrooms, and roasted suckling pig with chanterelle and chestnut foam.

The set menu includes salad of fresh finferli mushrooms and Parmesan cheese followed by ravioli filled with morels. Diners will also enjoy Barramundi fillet with asparagus and chanterelles mushrooms, and chestnut pudding with black truffles. The exceptional meal ends with coffee, tea and biscotti.

The set menu of “Seasonal Mushroom Cuisine & Piedmont Specialties” is outstanding value at Baht 2,200* per person and Baht 3,900* for the wine dinner on November 19th.

For more information or reservations, please call 02 6498364 or visit eatdrinkandmore.com/bangkok

Starwood Privilege Thailand members enjoy a 20% discount.

*Price is subject to 10% service charge and 7% government tax.

I was invited to attend a tasting event by Cindy Marsal, Sales Executive of Wine Not Limited, it was held at BarSu Thursday Evening 26 June 2008, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel

Tasting Notes:

Sauvignon Blanc 2007 False Bay/Robertson, Coastal Region – South Africa
Fresh, young and overall very pleasant.
cucumber gazpacho
scallops carpaccio

Chenin Sec 2007 Chateau de la Roulerie/ AOC Anjou, Vallée de la Loire – France
I am not a fan of Chenin Blanc and never have been since I first tasted it when it was popular in California winemaking. This new style of Chenin “Sec” is a big improvement and the dry style is “à la mode” today.
tuna & salmon sashimi

Chardonnay 2007 False Bay/Robertson, Coastal Region – South Africa
A typical Chardonnay I found it a bit flat and lacking acidity.
seaweed mussel and shrimp tempura

Carmenere 2006 Yellow Biplano/Central Valley – Chile
This wine did not hold a great deal of interest for me. I am not familiar with this grape variety
although I was told by Wine Not’s Sales Executive, Ms Cindy Marsal, that it originally came from the Gironde in Bordeaux although now exclusively used in Chile due to the hot days and cold nights.
braised veal with wasabi mash

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo 2006 Lexarel Ops/Do Penedes – Spain
An interesting wine that can stand up well to food.
green pepper crusted venison loin

Shiraz 2006 False Bay /Paarl, Coastal Region – South Africa
I found it quite tannic at this time, another year and it should lose some of the tannin and be more approachable.
lamb kebab with tomato chutney
angus beef and eggplant

I was invited to attend a small dinner party at Rossini Restaurant in the Sheraton Sukhumvit Grande Hotel to taste the wines of Gianni Gagliardo, a celebrated wine maker from Piedmonte. Bravissimo!

Gianni, who is a delightful man who loves to travel, first explained, how his sons are taking care of the vineyards—and it definitely remains a family business. The production is about 350,000 bottles per annum.

The dinner began with a first course of, and for lack of another term; a Sicilian seafood couscous served in a mason jar (very interesting with intense flavors). To go along with this dish, a lovely and slightly frizzante wine called Fallegro, Vino de Tavola Bianco 2007 was served, made from 100% Favorita grapes—young, fresh and delicious. This course was followed by a well-made, attractively presented and ultimately edible dish of raviolis filled with vegetables and fish, to purposely show how it would pair with the accompanying red wine, Batie Langhe Nebbiolo made from a blend of mostly Nebbiolo with a small percentage of Barbera before it was matured in barrels, 2005. The pairing worked extremely well!

The following three Barolo wines in various styles and nuances accompanied what appeared to be a braised beef cheek, (an advance menu was sent to me by the distributor, however Mr. Gagliardo changed the menu at the bar with the chef just before the dinner, and what turned up at the table was not even vaguely similar to the original menu I received). This was all for the better, as the chef and the wine maker worked out the menu to best fit with the wines presented, to the advantage of both sides.

The Barolo’s presented were:
Barole Preve: a combination of Barolos with contrasting characteristics; one an elegant wine with great finesse and the other with structure and body 2001.

Barolo Serre: a wine with greater concentration and a fuller body 2004.
Barolo Reserva: aged for ten years and now beginning to show its full potential 1997 (one of the best years in Piedmonte).

The finale was a dessert served in a glass containing granita on the bottom and spooned on top was a layer of chocolate mousse. A low alcohol 4.5% lightly sparkling, Moscato was served along with this dessert and the flavor of this juice, loosely called wine, was so intense that I though I was eating freshly picked Moscato grapes straight from the vine!