Wine and food are a Godlike combination, but when truffles are on the list, the Earth stops spinning for a second and the world is breathing flavors in. Tasting Room by Ethic Wine embodied this type of atmosphere on the evening of April 9th at “Qu’est-ce que Trufe?” event, a truffles and premium wines tasting organized by ReVino.ro.

Radu Rughiniș, importer and distributor of truffle-based Italian dishes Giuliano Tartufi, presented the dishes. He also explained to the public what a truffle actually is: a rare and extremely aromatic mushroom that grows on the roots of certain forest trees. Truffles are extremely hard to find, being picked by proficient collectors, trained dogs or even pigs. Truffles come out during spring-summer, and Radu says that blooming lindens are a sign that these rare mushrooms should appear. It is known that truffles are one of the most expensive nourishments in the world, but it is still little known that Romania is one of the main producers of “diamonds of the Earth”. Truf Art, Radu Rughiniș’s project, focuses on aboriginal truffles’ hunt and on Romanian dishes, such as zacusca with truffles.

Each dish was paired with a matching wine, as such:

Alira Rose 2013 wine had the honor of enhancing the savor of: crostini with mushrooms and tartufata, beans cream soup with white truffle and slow-cooked sous-vide egg with truffle slices. Alira Rose 2013, which is said to be the best Rose in Romania (Tastevin Wine Society), perfectly matched the white truffles and fresh dishes, as fresh as the wine’s flavors.

Alira Grand Vin Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, in its magnificence, greeted the buttered risotto with white truffle and the buttered steak with mashed truffles. Wines were introduced by Alira spokesman, Marian Ivănescu, which delighted us with stories about the winery and wines in general.

The dessert marked the climax of the evening. Home-made truffle chocolate, together with Alira Grand Vin Fetească Neagră 2011 and the appearance of Alira French winemaker Marc Dworkin generated continuous acclaim and praise. Marc ended the night relating his vision on wines, complimented by the public.

Photos: www.alinaiancu.ro