Longboard Vineyards showcases California’s Russian River Valley at a superb Alberto’s Ristorante wine dinner.

Photo by Jennifer Dow

Spring Wine Tasting with winemaker Oded Shakked

Featuring wines from Longboard Vineyards

First Course

Seafood Sampler – Clams casino, oysters Rockefeller, grilled calamari,
and shrimp wrapped with Fontina cheese and prosciutto

Longboard Vineyards 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley

Second Course

Beef and Mushroom Ravioli – Beef, portabella mushroom,
and Asiago cheese filled raviolis finished with sautéed wild mushrooms,
and grape tomatoes in a cognac demi-glaze

Longboard Vineyards 2010 Point Break, North Coast Red Blend

Third Course

Pork Osso Bucco – Braised pork shank with celery, carrots, and onions
in a merlot and cabernet wine sauce

Dakine Vineyard 2009 Merlot, Russian River Valley

Redgrav Vineyard 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

Fourth Course

Bosc Poached pear – Stuffed with mascarpone cheese

Longboard Vineyards 2010 Late Harvest Semillon, North Coast

Photo by Jennifer Dow

California’s Russian River Valley came to Hyannis’s Main Street recently when Longboard Vineyards and Alberto’s Ristorante paired a selection of fine wines with classic Northern Italian cuisine for a spring wine tasting dinner.
Winemaker Oded Shakked made his first trip to Cape Cod to share a lifelong passion for great wine with a few dozen happy guests who gathered to soak in the warm ambiance of Alberto’s, given a special sparkle with exquisite wines from California. Oded immediately set the diners at ease with his humor and his obvious love for superb wines.

Photo by Jennifer Dow

A native of Tel Aviv, Oded is passionate about the craft he has refined over several decades after studying winemaking at the University of California in Davis. Longboard was established in 1998, with a handsomely furnished tasting room opening in 2005 at the vineyard’s headquarters in Healdsburg, California. Oded is all about creating superior wine, but he puts the winemaking industry into rare perspective for his guests.

“Relax, and enjoy these wines,” he says. “Enjoy the wines with food you like, and trust nothing but your own palate.” The winemaker explains that his mission is to discover wines with unique, distinctive characteristics, working with Russian River Valley farmers who care about the depth and individuality of their wines, allowing for the production of vineyard-specific vintages.

The first course of the evening paired a beautifully balanced Longboard Vineyards 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from 100-percent Russian River Valley grapes with a tasty mélange of fresh seafood, including oysters Rockefeller, grilled calamari, clams casino, and shrimp wrapped with Fontina cheese and prosciutto. Served with the friendly attention and elegant yet relaxed style that has won Albertos’s numerous fine dining awards over the years, the second course featured light yet tasty Beef and Mushroom Ravioli, stuffed with portabella mushrooms and Asiago cheese in a cognac demi-glaze.

Photo by Jennifer Dow

Served with a fine North Coast Red Blend (Longboard 2010 Point Break), the course was a perfect intro into a fall -off-the-bone tender Osso Bucco—a braised pork shank with light fresh vegetables in a merlot and cabernet wine sauce. A Dakine Vineyard 2009 Merlot from Oded’s estate vineyard and a Redgrav Vineyard 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon gave the main entrée a celebratory finish.

The final sweet end to the evening was a single fresh Bosc pear stuffed with mascarpone cheese, giving the guests a light and bright send-off served with a Longboard 2010 Late Harvest Semillon.

Warmed by tastefully creative Cape Cod cuisine and wines touched by the California sun and a talented winemaker’s vision, the guests eagerly wrote down Longboard’s website and shared dreams of heading over the bridge soon for the bountiful vineyards of the Russian River Valley.

For more information, go to longboardvineyards.com, or albertos.net