Dining in Maui can be an adventure!

There are so many choices when dining in Maui.  Maui has so much to offer for any vacation.   I love wine and participated in a Wine Class at Pulehu Italian Grill in Maui last night.  The class was billed as “Monday Mixology” but I was thrilled to learn that James Hansen, General Manager of Pulehu, was just featuring wine last night.    I enjoyed a food pairing – presented by Chef Wesley Holder- along with insightful facts about wine presented by Jim.

I learned some interesting facts about wine.  For instance…..

* How many grapes does it take to make a bottle of wine?

  (Answer:  400 to 600 grapes) 

* What is the proper way to hold a wine glass?

(Answer:  Always by the stem)

* What percentage of the total California wine does Napa produce?  ( We all guessed over 80%)

 (Answer:  About 5 %)

* How much of the California wine is exported to other countries?  ( We all said not much because we are all doing our part to drink it!!)      

 (Answer:  90%)

Jim, who seems to escape my camera, introduced our happy tasting group to three wonderful wines.

The first ( which is now one of my favorites) was:

Orin Swift’s “The Prisoner”

This is a big, bold and satisfying Zinfandel blend from California  was a real crowd pleaser!

Next we enjoyed Tikal Amorio, a Malbec from Mendoza Argentina.  This wine, produced by Ernesto Catena is named Amorio, or “Love Affair” to convey the deep love the Argentine people have toward the Malbec grape.

 Lastly, Jim presented:

Montes Purple Angel

A Carmenere blend from Chile, South America.  This wine was full bodied with a combination of dark fruit flavors and some lively hints of spice.  I especially enjoyed this wine because I toured the Montes Winery in Chile about 7 years ago and fell in love with the wine and the people.

Chef Wes prepared a beautiful pairing for the tasting made from purple Okinawan sweet potatoes.

The evening was delightful , very informative, and reasonably priced.  It was a great way to meet new people who share my passion for wine and great food.

  This is  my honest review of the wine tasting offered at Pulehu Italian Restaurant in Maui.