Traverse City Record-Eagle,  July 18, 2003
Mawby and Hattie's: a Perfect Pairing
Almost every summer we are irresistibly drawn to the Leelanau vineyard where Larry Mawby makes his marvelous sparkling wines. Partly, it is because he is so very articulate and passionate about his vines, grapes and wines. But partly, also, it's because two or three times each summer Jim Milliman and his crew from Hattie's in Suttons Bay produce a "sparkling wine dinner" in the vineyard, pairing their best with Mawby's.
   It has always been a delight, but this year's first such event two weeks ago just plain knocked the socks off the 70-odd food lovers who showed up. Our tablemates that night were from all over the map. Many were frequent repeaters at these events, and all we heard from them afterwards was that it was the best such meal they'd ever enjoyed.
   Our sentiments exactly.
   Start to finish, it was an instructional tour de force of Milliman's elegantly simple style and Mawby's dedication to the science, tradition, and sentiment of the winemaker's art. Mawby described each wine as it was poured, and after dinner he treated his guests to an informative vineyard tour.
    On arrival each of us received a champagne flute for the aperitif and strolled out to the vineyard, where Mawby and his wife, Lois, greeted us by pouring a bit of his "Conservancy" wine. Mawby and other Leelanau wineries produce a special "Conservancy" bottling each year and for each bottle sold donate $2 to the Leelanau Conservancy's Farmland Preservation Fund. Knowing of this philanthropy only added effervescence.
    Nearby stretched two picnic tables with a score of places a side. The indoor formality of their crisp white tablecloths, white tricorn napkins, simple silverware and water goblets somehow seemed in perfect harmony with the earthy vineyard, and suggested pleasures to come. Beyond the tent, in what amounted to a field kitchen, Milliman and his crew were plating our first course.
   The menu described it as "grilled sea scallops with mango salad," but once the small regiment of well-drilled servers had served it, we realized just how understated Hattie's menus can be. The scallops were crisply seared outside, sweet and molten within, and were twinned on fresh mango slivers that had been tossed with orange zest, lime juice and fresh ginger. Mawby's Blanc de Blanc matched both the tang of the citrus and the sweet fruit of the mango almost word for word. Murmurs of appreciation rippled up and down the table as we parsed the subtlety of the dish.
   Course followed on course¾five in all. No sooner had we ooh-ed and aah-ed over the scallops than Milliman presented us with slices of chilled pork-loin roulade, spooned with a sweet apricot chutney and stuffed with herbed spinach, pecans, carrot and celery, all chopped almost microscopically fine. Mawby's choice for this was his estate-grown, oak fermented, Cremant Brut, whose fruitiness carried on what the apricot chutney started.
   Then came a veggie course, a won-ton cup of stir-fried shiitake mushrooms tossed with ginger and chopped tomato. Paired with the big flavor of Mawby's Talismon, it was a fine interlude before the grilled duck breast that followed¾fanned slices, all perfectly pink with crisp edges and garnished with a julienne of zucchini vinaigrette. With that we enjoyed a flute of Mawby's lushly soft 1997 Mille.
   Dessert was a final thrill in which the food and wine were all of a piece: Atop an almond tuile were a spoonful of lemon-thyme mascarpone topped with strawberries, which mirrored the softness and fruit of a pink sparkling wine labeled "Sex."
   Sex, as you might imagine, is a story unto itself. Suffice it to say that when Mawby discovered that no other winemaker had the name registered, he seized the opportunity. Marketing value aside, the name provides an happy outlet for Mawby's wry and gentle wit. The wine¾bone-dry and pink¾was a perfect finish to close our evening.
   Our dinner would have been outrageously good served in a restaurant. Coming from a virtual field kitchen it was astonishing, and it transcended mere "dinner" to become an experience that we and our tablemates will treasure in memory and (God willing) repeat often!

DATA: Mawby and Hattie's pair up in the vineyard several times a summer; the dinners are $70, including wine. Darren Hawley of Stubbs Sweetwater Grill in Northport caters $40 picnic luncheons at Mawby's as well. For the schedule, tickets or information, call 231-271-3522 or www.lmawby.com. Hattie's (231-271-6222) is in downtown Suttons Bay and on the web at www.hatties.com.