A gourmet evening of fine wine and dining

It was the ultimate dining experience for foodies like me — a gourmet five-course meal with wine pairings.

The event was held at Barracuda Grill on ­Saturday, with a menu by executive chef Derek Myers and wines selected by Christian Robertson of Discovery Wines.

All the wine was picked from the Deerfield Ranch Winery in Sonoma, California.

We were welcomed with a glass of Windsor Oaks 2007 Sauvignon Blanc.

Our first course, a pheasant breast with dried fruit sable and whipped foie gras, was then paired with a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Peterson Vineyard.

Neither my dining partner or I had eaten pheasant before and its texture was similar to turkey breast, only more moist.

Next, we had a 2008 Chardonnay from the Los Chamizal Vineyards to accompany hot smoked salmon, maple cured with cedar smoke, plus poppy seed pan perdu and rosemary crème fraiche.

Next was my favourite meat dish of the evening — mangalista pork with confit neck roll, dried cherry, lambs lettuce and sherry vinegar. The wine pairing was a 2002 Super T-Rex from North Coast.

This dish, while a little salty, was amazingly tender and succulent.

Before the next course, we sampled a Himalayan salt block with Parmesan and balsamic foam.

Venison New York Strip was then served, with osso bucco, parsnip puree, morels and fava beans.

The wine pairing was a North Coast 2002 DRX Meritage Red, similar to a Cabernet. This was followed by pumpkin pudding with granola, caramel and salted butter ice cream.

The dessert wine was a 2005 Deerfield Gold Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and will definitely be on the lookout for the next wine pairings event.