If you want to explore the ancient traditions and grape varietals of Eastern Europe, there’s no better guide than Shannon West of Cambridge’s East West Wines. She’s the leading local authority on family-owned wineries across Southeastern Europe crafting natural, low-intervention wines with native grape varietals, and you can spend the evening picking her brain on Tuesday, June 11th at Forage.
West and wine guru Stan Hilbert have four fabulous wines picked out to sip with some of chef Eric Cooper’s tasty eats for this week’s wine dinner, including pairings like Spanakopita with Narragansett Creamery Feta and Lambsquarters paired with 2022 Grasac/Tamjanika, “Doodle White” Aleksandar Todorovic, Serbia; and Lamb Chops with Fiorina Polenta, Yogurt Whey and Fennel Salad with 2019 Gamza, Borovitza, Danube Plain, Bulgaria (take a look at the full menu below).
Dinner costs $110 per person and you can grab a reservation for their Cambridge dining room here between 5:00 and 8:45pm (the patio is closed for renovations until August). If you fall in love with one of the bottles at dinner, be sure to stock up by bringing a few home for retail prices, or pop by Hilbert’s bottle shop, Satellite, in Dedham Square next time you’re west of the city.
East West Wine Dinner Menu
OMNIVORE
Spruce Tip Brulee
Spruce Curd, Raw Asparagus, Tart Shell
2023 Rkatsiteli/Dimyat, “Born to be Wild”, Santimenti, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
Spanakopita
Narragansett Creamery Feta, Lambsquarters
2022 Grasac/Tamjanika, “Doodle White” Aleksandar Todorovic, Serbia
Lamb Chops
Fiorina Polenta, Yogurt Whey, Fennel Salad
2019 Gamza, Borovitza, Danube Plain, Bulgaria
Sheep’s Milk, Vt Shepherd Co Seed Cake
Carraway & Fennel, Orange Zest, Toasted Pistachio
2019 Furmint, “Devas” Sagmeister, Fruska Gora, Serbia
VEGETARIAN
Spruce Tip Brulee
Spruce Curd, Raw Asparagus, Tart Shell
2023 Rkatsiteli/Dimyat, “Born to be Wild”, Santimenti, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
Spanakopita
Narragansett Creamery Feta, Lambsquarters
2022 Grasac/Tamjanika, “Doodle White” Aleksandar Todorovic, Serbia
Wine Cap Mushrooms
Fiorina Polenta, Yogurt Whey, Fennel
2019 Gamza, Borovitza, Danube Plain, Bulgaria
Sheep’s Milk, Vt Shepherd Co Seed Cake
Carraway & Fennel, Orange Zest, Toasted Pistachio
2019 Furmint, “Devas” Sagmeister, Fruska Gora, Serbia
