Newport Is Cooking Tonight

Wichita is blessed with many great restaurants, and Newport is undeniably one of the best. It was our destination the other night for an adult family dinner, and we started off the night with our favorite appetizer, the shrimp cigares. If you haven't had them, you should get there as soon as possible and try them. DELICIOUS.

We opted to try a Sauvignon Blanc with these, as Sauvignon Blanc often goes so well with seafood. Sauvignon Blanc is most commonly seen from France, where it was born, and where it tends to be more minerally, or from New Zealand where it is often more tropical and fruity. We tried the Decibel Sauvignon Blanc from Hawke's Bay (New Zealand) off the by-the-glass list. This is a bright, crisp, fruity Sauv Blanc that smells like green bell pepper and lemon/lime citrus, and it's a really enjoyable glass of wine.

We also decided to get a little experimental and try a rose. We chose the 'La Danse du Chateau Paradis' Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rose, which is a dry rose from Provence in southern France. This one actually smells like roses and has a light, bright flavor of cherries and raspberries. This would be so wonderful to drink on a warm day out on the deck, enjoying a beautiful afternoon.

So how well do our chosen wines pair with our shrimp cigares? To be honest, as nice as the rose was on its own, it lost its freshness and fruitiness with the cigares and became a little bland. But the Decibel? PERFECT. The wine brought out the flavor of the shrimp, and the wine tasted even fruitier. It was absolutely delicious, and we made everyone at our table taste the combo. We would order these two together again in a heartbeat.

But we didn't come to Newport just for the appetizers. Time for dinner! Fortunately for us, Newport has a rockstar sommelier (Stephen Brumble) who has made wine pairing suggestions for their main entrees. We made the smart decision to pair our dinners with his recommended wines, and we're glad we did.

Bart chose the trout amandine, and with it, he went back to a Sauvignon Blanc. But this time, he got a Sauv Blanc from Sancerre, France, in the Loire Valley. The Laporte Sancerre Le Rochoy was crisp and clean, and true to form from Sancerre, there was a fair amount of mineral in it (this is a good thing). It was lightly citrusy and Bart's immediate impression was "That's GOOD." When he drank it with the fabulous trout, it took the tart out of the wine and made it fruitier, in a wonderfully delicious way. Great pairing.

As much as Katie loves the trout, this time she went with her other favorite, the mahi mahi with the gnudi. Guys, it's so good. With this one, Stephen recommends the Cerro Anon Rioja Reserva, and as Katie loves Rioja, it's a perfect suggestion for her. This Rioja, as all good Riojas are, is earthy and lovely and tastes of dried red fruits. While she could drink this Rioja all day long on its own, it reaches a whole new level with the mahi mahi. Enjoyed together, the Rioja almost becomes more earthy (in a really good way) and makes all the flavors of the mahi even better. Stephen hit a home run with this pairing.

We'll be back to Newport soon to taste more amazing food and wine (tough task, I know), but in the meantime, if you're at Newport and need some wine ideas, Stephen will steer you right every time. Enjoy!