Wild Game and Old World Wines

Fire and Salt Restaurant

March 21s, 2023, 6:30 p.m.

Chef Alex Gass will host his first Wine Society Dinner at his new Fire and Salt Restaurant

Wines curated from Belle Muse at Campbell Station Wine and Spirits and Kelly Campbell at Best Brands

Hors D ‘Oeuvre

Hoe Cakes and Mushroom Toast

Pairing

Podere Il Saleceto Lambrusco 2020 $20.00

Emilia-Romagna Italy

Rabbit and Dumpling

Braised rabbit ♦ potato gnocchi ♦ glazed mirepoix ♦ house consommé

Pairing

Luis Sebra Vinhos Xisto Illimitato Branco 2020  $75.00

Douro, Portugal

Elk Chop

Luxardo Cherry demi-glace ♦ collard greens gratin ♦ watermelon radish ♦ balsamic vinegar

Pairing

Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes, Chateanuf-du-Pape 2020  $80.00

Rhone, France

Strawberry Shortcake

Handmade sweet shortcake biscuits ♦ Fresh Strawberry Coulis ♦ Whipped cream

Pairing

Velenosi Visciole Querci Antica NV  $28.00

Join us for what will be a great new adventure.  A new restaurant with a rock star chef, Oak Ridge location, some southern fine dining and  great old-world wines.  Gass is an Oak Ridge native who had his first job at Big Ed’s Pizza.  He went on to help open Babalu and was the Executive Chef at The Walnut Kitchen.  His theme is local East Tennessee food with a flair.  The pairings for this dinner bring in some old-world classics with a flair of their own.  Don’t miss this night!

The Wines

Podere Il Saleceto Lambrusco 2020

“Riunite on ice, that’s nice!”  There I said it.  Most of our Lambrusco experience stops with this 1970’s jingle.  This wine is so much more.  Coming from the Italian region that produces Prosciutto and Parmesan-Reggiano it can run the scale from a sweet soda drink (the one we mostly recognize) to a struct wine with a food friendly acidity.  This wine is form the Lambrusco Salamino grape variety.  Deep purple color, with violets and cherries on the nose.  Tannins lend balancing to the creaminess of the palate We will serve it chilled, notice the amazing fizz when poured that quickly yields to an amazing Italian wine.

Luis Sebra Vinhos Xisto Illimitato Branco 2020

Bright straw yellow.  On the nose stone and orchard fruit abound, overlayered with white pepper and flinty wet stone.  On the palate it is bright and mineral driven with a balance between power and lift.  Lemon, green apple and bosc pears comingle with a minerality.  Coming from the Douro region of Portugal this Branco grape is used in Port wines and are not heavily produced.  Enjoy this unique wine with a great rabbit pairing.

Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020

Deep purple hue with blueish tinges.  The nose opens with  black cherry, juniper berry, pepper, and sweet spice.  The palate is dominated by red and black fruits, interlaced with licorice and a touch of pepper.  The tannins are persistent but velvety smooth with a long finish.  this is an outstanding representative of the appellation, with the traditional majority Ganache blend and the hints of the region’s “scrublands” of sage, rosemary and lavender.

Velenosi Visciole Querci Antica NV

This wine is made in a Marche region traditional method that dates back to the Middle Ages.  It is a blend of wild sour cherries and grapes fermented together to produce this sweet wine.  The wine belongs to a group of wines know as Meditation Wines.  This indicates a wine with so much complexity it is meant to be savored and thought or meditated over.  The added sugar in the fermentation process produces a wine that peaks over 14%ABV  and will pair nicely with the strawberry desert.

Seating is limited to 50 persons

Price includes wine, food, gratuity and tax

$134 for members and $134 for one guest.

$139 per person for additional guests or Non-members.

Reservations are due by Thursday, March 16, no refunds after March 16th.