Wine adds synergy to food and vice versa. In mathematical terms, if they are perceptibly paired well, 10+10 should make 21 or more. In our wine dinners there is an extra variable. An excellent service can add a point or two and the converse is equally true.

At the wine dinner at ACSA, the U.S. Embassy restaurant ( I still can't remember what ACSA stands for. I could tell you about the Spanish DO, DO Pago or DOCa, Italian DOC or DOCG but I always seem to forget what this acronym stands for) this was certainly where 10+10 became 23.

The record attendance gave us a few anxious moments initially. But when the 60 odd persons settled down to devour different dishes crafted by Chef Vinod and served with warmth and efficiency by the staff, one relaxed to have another memorable experience.

We believe in experimenting with food and wine and choose and pair them to the best of our ability and the mood to be adventurous, limited only by the wine availability and our budgets. The first thing Arun Sharma, our member thanks to whom the concept, design and execution of the project took place, Mr. Mukesh Balodhi, the highly motivated F & B manager at ACSA, and I did was to select a menu which one would appreciate at a reasonable up market restaurant in the US. Deciding on the dishes was not difficult. The availability of wines was a limiting factor. Much to our chagrin, we had to settle for what was available. And I had to settle for another date in future when we could showcase only American wines and also cherish some better Californians.

Next on the agenda was pairing of wines with food. This turned out to be the easiest and best part of planning as we could do the most classic pairings. Jalapeno cheese balls (and the fish sticks) with medium bodied Freixenet Cava gave us the perfect start at the pole . When we overshot our normal drinking quota, we knew it was time to move on, to the restaurant specially reserved for us.

I don't know of better orchestration of Sauvignon Blanc than with poached shrimps or   asparagus. The garlic sauce was a tad too overbearing with the delicate Chilean but a gentle foot   on the brake on sauce quantity brought a proper balance between the two. I never did ask   Mukesh though why it is called garlic ice-cream sauce; perhaps due to the appearance.

The lobster soup with the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was like ‘a marriage made in heaven'. The aroma of wine gave only small hints of how Mr. Jackson has made millions selling this wine in practically every restaurant in the US claiming to offer decent wines with food. A clean, no-nonsensical wine which would go well with the Norwegian salmon, the main dish too. Of course for the tenderloin lovers, the KJ Cab was yummmmm..

Lindemans Pinot was certainly no Penfolds Grange (the famous red blend from Penfold, also owned by its parent Southcorp which was bought over by Foster's last week to become the second biggest wine company in the world). But it accompanied both the Salmon and the glazed chicken dishes so well that I saw many people asking for more.

When you know that the old and young alike (actually, the young were raving more about the evening with many superlatives) had an eclectic time you know that the adage , ‘one can have fun with wines' must be true, especially with food of excellent quality and in the company of members of the Delhi Wine Club members who are but an extended wine loving family. Here is the Menu that should make you salivate again, especially if you were there: