Talk of the Bay: Wiredin To Wine & Food at Opus Restaurant in Clear Lake Shores

New Zealand native Nick Goldschmidt educated and entertained the capacity crowd at Opus Bistro.  We were very fortunate to have Nick come by and spend some time with nearly 60 attendees for a recent dinner at Opus Bistro in Clear Lake Shores. Nick shared some of his learnings, from a couple of decades of winemaking, on every wine producing continent on earth. The attendees were able to taste his critically acclaimed wines paired with a wonderful array of food prepared by Opus Chef Chris Simon.

The dinner started with a strawberry and spinach salad paired with Nick’s Forefathers New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The grapefruit and peach flavors of this small production sauvignon blanc was a great start to what proved to be an extraordinary culinary experience.

Following the salad was a seared salmon filet, Salmon Au Poivre, served with Boulder Bank Pinot Noir from New Zealand. The wine was strongly floral with beautiful fruit and spice flavors that worked extremely well with the fish.

The third course was a spicy Hoisin Hudson Bay Duck Breast with a jalapeno glaze. This matched perfectly with the Chelsea Goldschmidt Merlot. This incredible merlot that Nick makes with his daughter exhibited rich ripe dark fruit flavors and showcased the intense flavors of the duck.

Next came the Filet Mignon King Henry VII. This fabulous cut of beef was matched with what I feel  is one of the best cabernets, for the money, I have had in a long time. This rich elegant extracted cab was filled with black fruit flavors a round mouth-feel and supple tannins. BIG red wine and beef; does it get any better?

Last but certainly not least was Nick’s flagship Goldschmidt Vineyards Oakville cabernet. This Napa Valley wine exhibits the power of a Sonoma and the elegance of a Napa, truly the best of both worlds. This paired perfectly with the tasty Chocolate Napoleon.

We certainly look forward to Nick’s next visit to Houston to share some of his new experiences and all always world class wines. To learn more about Nick’s wines visit www.goldschmidtvineyards.com. These wine are available locally at your neighborhood Specs stores.

For video and photos from the event, visit http://wiredin.cc/events/2011/2-11/goldschmidt%20wine%202-15-11/index.htm.