Wine dinner at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort

The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa recently launched a monthly wine dinner series, Le Serate di Vino, featuring old world wines paired with a four course dinner. We were recently invited to check out one of these wine dinners and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

I had just finished a really long and stressful project and was hoping for a quick weekend getaway. This gave us a chance and excuse to explore Palm Springs more, which I’ve always wanted to do. Until now, it’s just been the city we pass by on our way to watch the PNB Paribas (Indian Wells) tennis tournament. (The Westin actually was the venue this year for the charity celebrity tournament, Desert Smash, which takes place right before the start of the PNB Paribas Open.)

I plan on sharing more photos from our weekend trip and exploring The Westin resort, but this post will focus on the dinner. Each of the dinner series features wines from different regions. We participated in a “Mediterranean Delight” themed dinner, which took us along the Mediterranean Coast with wines from Spain, France and Italy.

(Btw, Mr. K actually took this photo with his phone! He’s been practicing his photo skills and I am really enjoying the angles and perspectives he likes to use.)

I look forward to wine pairing dinners because I always get introduced to new wines that I enjoy and end up seeking out after the dinners.

Poached Lobster| Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino di Sardegna, 2011

Our first course was poached lobster, sitting on braised fennel and a creamy fennel sauce. The lobster was tender and light and paired well with the earthy, heavier fennel cream.

Carnaroli Risotto Pescatora| Mastroberardino Campania Aglianico Mastro, 2014

The second course was a seafood medley risotto in a tomato broth. I prefer my risotto to be a little firmer and did wish the sauce was heavier rather than a light tangy tomato broth, but I still polished off my bowl.

Casoulet de Carcassone in Clay Plot| E. Guigal Crozes Hermitage Red Rhone Blend

This was a hearty and bold French dish that I could see being especially good during cold winter nights. Of the four wines we tried, this was also my favorite wine. I seem to always have a preference for French wines.

Gateau Basque| Bodegas Dios Baco Elite Amontillado

Everyone oohed and ahhhed over the presentation of this traditional almond flour cake from the Basque region of France. The spun sugar was both beautiful and playful.

Overall, we had a really good time at this dinner. I can see this being a great option for guests staying at the resort. We discovered two new wines we really enjoyed and which I plan on purchasing soon. I do wish there was a way for guests to purchase the wines directly after dinner, as I definitely would have done that. It was also fun getting to know the people at our table. While making introductions, I learned that one of my tablemates actually went to the same high school as I did! It definitely is a very small world.

Menu:

The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa
71333 Dinah Shore Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Please note, as stated above, we were invited to this dinner and our meal was complimentary. All opinions expressed in this post remain my own.