Uncorked

By Michael Braverman

Even if you ignored the emblematic name and location - the Grand Tasting in the Grand Prix tent - there was still no mistaking that the organizers intended this event to be sumptuous.

It was the inaugural Long Island Wine Classic, held Aug. 23 on the grounds of the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Over 100 wines from the 28 members of the Long Island Wine Council were poured, accompanied by foods from an A-list of Long Island and New York City restaurants.

It was similar to other tasting events on the East End primarily in that it was a fund raiser - in this case for the three hospitals in eastern Suffolk. It was different in that wines were the stars and not just a backdrop for the food. For this evening, the foods were specifically created to go with accompanying wine varieties.

This emphasis was reflected in the configuration of the tent. Stations were organized by the types of wines, with separate tables for the various categories. On each table you could generally sample any of six or seven labels of the same or similar varietal.

Next to each wine station was a restaurant station serving a sophisticated dish or two designed to match the neighboring wines.

I think it is worth briefly mentioning all of these, both to show how diversified Long Island wines can be, and to convey a sense of what the evening offered to guests.

Sparkling wines: accompanied by a chilled shrimp salad.

Sauvignon blanc: accompanied by seared yellowfin tuna, and by Indonesian crab and cantaloupe lettuce cups.

Aromatic whites (chenin blanc, pinot blanc, Riesling): accompanied by octopus carpaccio.

Aromatic whites (gewurztraminer, tocai, viognier): accompanied by seared sea scallops.

Chardonnay (steel-fermented): accompanied by heirloom tomato salad.

Chardonnay (barrel-fermented): accompanied by peekey toe crab and mango cocktail, and by striped bass ceviche.

Rosˇ: accompanied by warm goat cheese terrine.

Pinot noir, syrah: accompanied by cured duck breast with fennel.

Merlot 2001 vintage: accompanied by roasted beets with ginger scallion dip.

Merlot 2000 vintage: accompanied by cured duck tartare.

Merlot, 1998-1999 vintage: accompanied by grilled skirt steak sandwich.

Cabernet franc: accompanied by grilled vegetable terrine, and by seared filet.

Cabernet sauvignon: accompanied by smoked duck breast, and by baby lamb chops.

Traditional red blends: accompanied by roasted loin of lamb.

Dessert wines: accompanied by strawberries poached in chamomile with lemon pound cake.

That is a remarkable menu of wine and food. But the interesting question for me is, just what do you taste at a tasting? How discerning can you and should you be?

For me, it is a time to sample and nibble, to relax and enjoy. The social contract, if you can call it that, was for the participants to offer us top quality food and wine, and for the guests to taste and take pleasure.

Even those of us who write about wines or work in the production of wine were not there to be critics. It was a social event, after all, a party, a time to be nimble on your feet and quick-witted with your friends.

Worthy food and wine immensely enhance our pleasure in life. This evening the wines were first rate. Each winery was there to put its best bottles forward. And the food was as ambitious and refined as you could hope for.

To truly evaluate a wine, I need to gear up my taste buds in a quiet and contemplative setting. But to relax and enjoy some wines, and to catch up with friends, I can imagine few circumstances as conducive as a summer evening cooled by sea breezes in a place I treasure.

The tasting, as it turned out, was not merely of wine or food, but a taste of life in the Hamptons at the conclusion of the 2003 summer season.