It was wine time in Denver, for Pairsine’s International Wine Festival when 10 chefs went head to head with 20 different dishes and 20 wine pairings.
While the food was a feature of Colorado’s greatest, the wine was a spectacle of the US and beyond.
FestivalsForLife could not think of a more perfect setting for Denver’s International Wine Festival then the beautiful, new, Westin Hotel conveniently attached to Denver’s spectacular International Airport.
In the cuisine world, tonight was a battle of central Denver vs. it’s neighbor-hooding city, Boulder. Executive Chef, Laurent Mechin of Jill’s in Boulder, was a crowd favorite with his Seared Maine scallops accompanied with perfectly cooked black Venus risotto, leaks and truffles. It’s confident pairing, Coyote Canyon Winery’s Viognier from 2015 was a match made in heaven.
Chef Mechin’s scallops put up an excellent fight, but the talk of the festival was Chef Kyle Viera’s Duck Confit Potstickers. Chef Viera is the Executive Chef of Downtown Denver’s Oceanaire Seafood Room. The potstickers along with the paired Firesteed Riesling.
The Reisling’s, crisp finish with fruit tannins cut perfectly though the confit potstickers.
The event itself was flawless. Spirits and glasses were high, quite literally. FestivalsForLife gently anticipates next year’s Denver International Wine Festival.
Pictured below are Chef Mechin’s Bourguignon of Beef Shanks and Cheeks with a chestnut spatzle, brussels sprouts and house cured bacon. Paired with Cameron Hughes Lot 512 Cabernet Sauvignon from 2014.
