Whether he’s jumping out of a plane or pairing wine with dessert, Mark Amodeo has an apparent taste for adventure, maybe even a little danger.
The newly hired sommelier at Pechanga Resort & Casino has worked as a stilt-walker, took up skydiving as a hobby and served a stint in the U.S. Army National Guard as an infantry paratrooper.
So it’s not surprising that in advance of Pechanga’s annual Chocolate Decadence and Wine Festival this weekend, he approached the somewhat risky — albeit way less physically perilous — task of pairing wines with various flavors of macarons with little trepidation.
“There’s a school of thought that dessert and wine pairings don’t work. I don’t agree at all. We see it day in and day out that it can work,” said Amodeo, a native of Wales.
“If carefully chosen, table wine with dessert works just fine.”
There will be dozens of wines to pair with desserts at the 11th annual Pechanga flavor-fest, including chocolates and pastries with still, sparkling and dessert wines on Friday and bites from the resorts chefs served with pours from wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Temecula, , Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and more on Saturday.
Amodeo said he’s excited to be the event’s first sommelier.
“It’s going to be great and there will be something for everyone,” he said.
Chocolate Decadence will have an international theme, celebrating sweets from around the world paired with local wines: chocolate canalés from Europe; green tea chocolate cake from Asia; chocolate churros from South America; chocolate cotton candy from North America; malva pudding from Africa; and a giant ice wall with 12 gelato flavors from Antarctica.
Then there are the macarons.
Amodeo recently held a tasting of seven of the enduringly popular, colorful sandwich confections to find the perfect wine to match with each flavor. Would the combinations be cloying? Would the wines overpower delicate desserts? He risked failure — and declared the exercise a success.
“I’m happy to report the pairings were solid,” he said. “None of them fell flat.”
Because Pechanga is located in Temecula, he wanted to showcase the diversity of the region by pairing the macarons almost exclusively with wines from there. He also found classic wine styles from traditional wine-producing areas that highlight the macarons.
Here’s an edited version of Amodeo’s notes.
Mango macaron
Style: A dry or off-dry sparkling white (for example a cava from Spain, a Champagne from , or a prosecco from Italy).
Why it works: The crisp acidity and the delicate bubbles will accentuate the fruit and cut through the richness of the buttercream. Sparkling wines are very versatile and sadly under-appreciated when it comes to food pairings of all types.
Local option: Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards brut (or one of their flavored sparkling wines), Temecula Valley
Other options: A lightly sweet white, such as a moscato or a slightly richer, slightly sweeter white such as a riesling kabinett, spatlese, or auslese from .
Pistachio macaron
Style: A fun option here would be to pair an Italian pinot grigio, or a less-well-known arneis.
Why it works: With a slightly creamy texture on the palate, a vibrant acidity, and notes of pear, peach, anise, and honey, arneis even adds a hint of almond. Although dry wines in style (little to no residual sugar), the creamy texture and sweet fruit character should still blend seamlessly with the pistachio, almond and buttercream of the macaron.
Local option: Cougar Vineyard & Winery arneis, Temecula Valley
Lemon macaron
Style: Rich dessert wines like icewine from Canada, a botrytised wine from or elsewhere, or a domestic vin de glaciere from the United States.
Why it works: These wines still have the critically important element of balancing acidity (to cut through the buttercream and prevent an unpleasantly cloying sweetness), and all are supremely delicate. But they are also aromatic, flavorful and intense with notes of apricot, butterscotch, honey, citrus, honeydew melon, lychee and baking spices.
Local option: Danza del Sol Winery Late Harvest Viognier, Temecula Valley
Other options: As with the mango macaron, a lightly sweet moscato would be a delicious pairing, as would a late-harvest riesling.
Chocolate macaron
Style: The pairing that comes to mind immediately here is a tawny Port (a fortified wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley).
Why it works: Tawny Ports by nature are intensely flavorful red wines, naturally sweet and slightly higher in alcohol. However, their color is mellowed by years in oak, and they become a complex combination of berry flavors softened by a nutty, caramel character.
Local option: Longshadow Ranch Ponderosa Port, Temecula Valley
Other options: A lightly sweet and sparkling red wine such as a Brachetto d’Acqui Dolce from Italy would be a match made in heaven. For the person who likes things a little bolder and drier … a velvety Merlot would work well.
Raspberry macaron
Style: (Here’s where Amodeo took his biggest risk, thinking it would fun to try a zinfandel with the raspberry macaron.) Sure, the wine might be way too big, and thoroughly overpower the macaron, but then again, maybe it won’t …
Why it works: It wasn’t too big; it was excellent and really brought out the berry flavors.
Local options: Bel Vino zinfandel and Bel Vino Prima Vintner’s Select dessert zinfandel, Temecula Valley
Other options: The raspberry macaron also begs for an off-dry sparkling wine with palate-cleansing acidity. … I would add vin santo, the Italian dessert wine made from sun-dried grapes.
Red velvet macaron
Style: For a drier option with sweet fruit character, a pinot noir would work very nicely. The rose petal, over-ripe strawberry and slightly earthy character of the wine, along with its delicacy, moderate acidity and low tannins, make it a terrific pairing for the rich flavors of red velvet.
Local option: Wiens Family Cellars pinot noir, Temecula Valley
Other options: For the people who wish to match sweetness with sweetness, a sparkling Red Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, would work well here, with its flavors of cherry, berry and plum (to pick a sweeter style, look for the word “Semisecco” or “Amabile” or “Dolce” on the label).
Hazelnut praline macaron
Style: My personal favorite, (this) macaron has such richness of texture and flavor that it demands a pairing of similar richness and intensity — an Oloroso Cream Sherry or a 5-year-old Malmsey Madeira would be fabulous.
Why it works: A Malmsey Madeira (get that image of cheap cooking wine out of your head right now please!) is a deliciously sweet and balanced fortified wine, demonstrating flavors of ripe raisin, toffee, caramel and honey. An Oloroso Sherry is a full-bodied, russet-colored dry wine, rich and nutty. However, an Oloroso Cream Sherry is nutty, dark, rich, viscous and sweet. And delicious. It should be served chilled, or over ice. Alongside a hazelnut praline macaron. Beside a fireplace if it is cold and raining outside. Accompanied by Dean Martin (on vinyl).
Local option: Mount Palomar Solera cream sherry, Temecula Valley
Pechanga’s Chocolate Decadence and Wine Festival
When: 7-10 p.m. Friday (Chocolate Decadence) and 1-5 p.m. Saturday, (Wine Festival)
Where: Pechanga Summit event center, Pechanga Resort & Casino, 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula.
Tickets: General ission, $60 (chocolate); $65 (wine); $100 (for both); VIP and designated driver tickets available.
Phone: (888) 810-8871
Online: pechanga.com/entertain/pechangas-11th-wine-festival-chocolate-decadence
Twitter: @sdeditgirl