Classic Tuscan braised wild boar, porcini mushrooms and black truffle risotto paired with 2002 Antinori Solaia and 1998 Bella Amarone Valpolicella at Caribbean Producers and RBTT Bank's wine dinner at Half Moon's Il Giardino restaurant in Montego Bay.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Have you ever gone dining expecting to have 'just' dinner and swirl wine around your tongue, but end up having your taste buds titillated to the extent that days after you still eat, sleep and dream the occasion?

Well, that is exactly what happened recently when I had my appetite satiated by the culinary rebirth of Half Moon's Il Giardino Italian restaurant and the wines of distinction from the country's most prolific distributor, Caribbean Producers Jamaica Limited (CPJ).

In collaboration with RBTT, CPJ and the foodies at Half Moon created hot waves at their event tagged 'The best of Italy in Jamaica'.

The third in a series of wine dinners marking CPJ's 15th anniversary celebration was amazingly orgasmic, enhanced by the innovativeness of the food aficionados who opted to pair two wines with one meal.

It was a superb seven-course feat that climaxed what was a superbly fantastic evening.

Appetite opener

Half Moon's brand new Italian chef, Antonio Petrefesa, opened the evening with a delicate mixture of peppers, ham and goat cheese, which went particularly well with Villa Antinori wine selected by wine buff, Chris Reckord.

Obviously, the perfect start to an unforgettable evening served up with surprise after surprise, the true test of the culinary geniuses that play host in the resort's kitchen won over their foodie audience with open-face Ravioli with lobster, shrimp and scallops and white wine and vanilla foam.

This was no ordinary Ravioli. The bottom pasta was black, while the vanilla foam topping was made with a slight touch of Lecithi helping to stabilise the conditions. A very light, very elegant Pinot Grigio from the house of Banfi was paired with this gorgeous dish.

Course three

This next meal could easily have passed for the main course: a Parmesian-crusted grouper with sautéed spinach over tomato broth. Chef Petrefesas used a light sauce, which allowed guests to taste the grouper and connoisseur Chris Reckord selected a 100-per-cent, full-bodied Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is about alcohol and fruits; which was not the case in the earlier pinot grigio.

A palate-cleansing lemon sorbet was the right shot before the arrival of the main course, a classic Tuscan braised wild boar, with porcini mushrooms and rare black truffle risotto.

Two great wines, 'queen of wines' Bolla Amarone Valpolicella and 'king of wines' Antinori Solaia, were selected with this amazingly delicious meal.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com

Parmesan-crusted grouper with sautéed spinach over tomato broth with fresh basil paired with 2008 Castello Della Sala Bramito Chardonnay. - Photos by Janet Silvera

Grilled red peppers proscuitto di parma and goat cheese terrine paired with 2007 Villa Antinori.

Caribbean Producers-distributed wines 'chilling out'.

Open-face Ravioli with lobster, shrimp and scallops, paired with 2007 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio.