Column: Paso Robles’ Caliza Winery wines and dines SoCal fans
Peyman Afshar of Westlake Village’s Pearl District Restaurant.
– On Monday evening, Dec. 4, Carl Bowker, owner/winemaker from Paso Robles’ Caliza Winery teamed up with Peyman Afshar of Westlake Village’s Pearl District Restaurant for a special wine-paired dinner.
Peyman was excited to introduce Caliza wines to many of his loyal patrons- many unfamiliar with Caliza.
Carl says he was delighted to have the opportunity to show off his artisanal wines to many new wine enthusiasts, in addition to several of Caliza’s Southern California fans, who make regular trips to Paso Robles to explore this award-winning wine region.
Carl Bowker, owner/winemaker from Paso Robles’ Caliza Winery
Peyman Afshar, a highly respected food and wine restauranteur in the area for over 20 years, along with Executive Chef Richard DeMane, created a mouth-watering, wine-paired multi-course meal, consisting of:
First course: Hamachi crudo paired with 2022 Kissin Cousins White Rhone Blend.
Second course: Black pepper & pecorino gnudi accompanied by 2019 Cohort-petite sirah dominant, blended with mourvèdre and syrah.
Third course: Grilled New Zealand venison loin, paired with 2020 Azimuth-a mourvèdre, grenache, syrah blend.
Fourth course: Expresso cardamom seared petit filet mignon with 2020 Companion. This 50/50 cabernet sauvignon, syrah blend certainly was the perfect companion for this course.
Finale: Kahula-Mexican hot chocolate shot.
Hamachi crudo.
Diners who previously were unfamiliar with Caliza and Paso Robles wines were already talking about making a trip to California’s Central Coast, looking forward to discovering new, exciting, small-production wines.
Cheers to Paso Robles wines, and Pearl District Restaurant for being perfectly paired cohorts!
Donald Sonderling is a freelance writer covering California’s Wine Roads from Santa Barbara to Napa Valley. He may be reached at donsonderling@gmail.com.
