Our first Cavs Wine and Gold event took place in September at Michael Angelo’s Winery in Richfield, Ohio. In the past we have been provided a couple events a year but due to everything that has gone on events had been put on hold. It was nice to be back together with our fellow Wine and Gold members and Cavs fans. I can’t believe the season is already here.
This is one winery I had never been to and I was excited to visit as I had heard it was really nice. The winery itself is pretty big with two indoor areas and a couple outdoor areas. It is also not just a winery but a bakery. The bakery area and main tasting bar is in the front building. It appeared the other building my be used for events or another dining area.
At this event we had the whole winery for our group. They provide 4 samples of wine each paired with food samples, one full glass of wine, a huge cheese and fruit table and a dessert table. My favorite wine that we sampled was the Cabernet Sauvignon. Which was shocking as I do drink red wine but normally prefer white wine.
We sat outside since it was a beautiful afternoon in between the two buildings. We started with the Cabernet Sauvignon, which was paired with the fig balsamic-glazed tenderloin skewers and Arancini with red sauce and basil. This was my favorite wine of the night and my two favorite food pairings. All three just worked really well together. The tenderloin melted in your mouth and the Arancini had the perfect amount of crunch and the red sauce complimented the dish perfectly.
The other wines we tried were the Sangiovese, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc was more on the sweeter side than I’m use to for this type of wine and the Riesling was more on the dry side and there was not much sweetness. It did really throw all of us off and we wondered if they had been switched up. They had not been. My suggestion is to try a sample of each to make sure you will like them. They were both okay just not what I was expecting from either. For my single glass I tried the gewürztraminer. I thought theirs had great flavor, providing that little bit of spice or kick on the back end of your sip.
As for food there were a couple other items that stood out. The prosciutto wrapped shrimp with Merlot BBQ sauce, if you like shrimp had great flavor. The prosciutto provided the right amount of saltiness and the merlot bbq sauce provided the right amount of sweetness. They added so much flavor to the shrimp. The butternut squash with walnut soup shooter was another dish. I was not sure about it but wow it was good. I appreciated the soup wasn’t too think and had some amazing flavors. I could have drank multiples of these. Lastly the sweet and sour chicken shooter. There isn’t much to describe here if you have had sweet and sour chicken it tasted like that but in a chicken nugget form. I will say the chicken was pretty fresh.
We tried all the other pairs and everything was okay but the above items really stood out. They also supplied us with a fruits, veggies, cheese and a bread table. There were multiple choices on this table and everything was super fresh. They did provide a dessert table but most of the items had chocolate on or in them so I really didn’t try much. It seem like everyone liked the items they were trying.
I love being a Cavs season ticket holder. I know the expectation for the team is low but it seems possible that they might prove everyone wrong. Aside from being a basketball fan, we have also gotten to meet so many amazing people we now call friends. I appreciate everything the Cavs and our ticket representatives put together for us. This whole event was free unless we decided to take wine home. It’s such a fun group to be a part of.
I also would like to try Michael Angelo’s regular food menu and try some of their baked items. Everything in the case looked so good!