Duxoup Winemaker’s Dinner

By Nikki Berglund
Staff Writer

It isn’t every day that a winemaker comes to visit us here in little old Fargo. We aren’t exactly considered a Mecca of oenophiles (wine lovers) despite the fact that there are a lot of us around. That’s why it is such a privilege to welcome Andy Cutter, owner and winemaker of Duxoup (pronounced Duck Soup) to town next week for a five-course, Italian-themed dinner featuring the wines of Duxoup and hosted by The Hilton Garden Inn and sponsored by Bernie’s Wines and Liquors.

Andy and his wife Deb started their California winery about 30 years ago intending to immerse themselves completely in the creation of their wines by getting involved in every aspect of the operation from start to finish. To this day, they still run a two-person operation, doing everything themselves, from overseeing the vineyard operations, to the harvest, to the crush, and most importantly by providing the TLC needed for the actual making of their wines. According to Andy, “this direct control of each and every phase of the grape growing and winemaking helps keep the high level of quality” that Duxoup has become synonymous with.

The Duxoup winery is an “all gravity operation” meaning the weight of the grapes themselves rather than machines are used throughout the winemaking process. When I asked about the benefits of this system, Andy explained, “An all gravity winery is more gentle on the wines. Wine flavors are delicate parts of any wines and easily lost with excessive or heavy-handed processing. There are just the two of us at Duxoup, and we are very used to handling the grapes and wine in our custom built (we built it ourselves) winery. Without all the pumps and other expensive and ‘sophisticated’ wine equipment, we concentrate on our wine.” Another benefit to using this method is the increased energy efficiency, something important to the Cutters. Also, all of the electricity used throughout the winery is supplied via a photovsola.

The Duxoup Winery produces a mere 1,000 cases of all of their wines combined each year. That makes the fact that they give some to us Fargoans all the more special. Surprisingly, Andy told me that North Dakota is actually one of their better markets. As it turns out, when Andy and Deb first got into making wine, Andy’s sister was living in Moorhead. As fate would have it one of our local distributors, Ed Phillips and Sons had recently added a fine wine division, and a partnership that still exists today was formed. Andy told me, “My favorite thing about the North Dakota market is the great people I meet when I come to visit and thank the retailers and restaurateurs for selling our wines. North Dakota is filled with lots and lots of great characters.”

Duxoup has four unique varietals: Dolcetto, Syrah, Charbono and the Gennaio Sangiovese. They don’t actually have their own vineyards on site, so they are very picky about where their grapes come from. When asked about why they choose to source their fruit rather than grow their own grapes, Andy responded: “The best fruit grows in the best soil. These vineyards do not come for sale. We have worked closely with two Italian families for over three decades in one case and 25 years in the other. We are able to get the exact same vines each year. Also, we work closely with the growers all year round.”

My husband Paul and I had the extreme pleasure of having all four varietals to play around with during the weekend. They were all absolutely incredible, and I don’t even know if I could pick a favorite. Of the four, I had previously only tried the Charbono, which I believe can still be found by the bottle at the HoDo. Throughout the weekend we tried the wines with everything from beef stew to gnocchi with vodka sauce (an article for another day) and all four were well balanced and extremely food friendly.

It is precisely this type of romantic wine story that makes me love to drink, learn and write about wine, and I can’t wait to meet Andy in person! Although being a small fish in a big pond can be challenging, the future looks bright for the Cutters and their Duxoup Winery. Andy sums things up this way: “Even though the world wine economy has been in very bad shape, we have had a series of really good vintages from 1997 to date. So we are offering very yummy and balanced wines in spite of the market. A great time to be a wine buyer and wine drinker!”

For Chef Chris D’Agostino, creating an Italian-themed menu to complement these unique varietals was right up his alley. Before coming on board at The Hilton Garden Inn, D’Agostino was the head chef at Sarello’s for 10 years and feels that Italian food is really where he shines. So be prepared for a mouthwatering food and wine pairing experience. Here is a sneak peak at what the night has in store:

DUXOUP WINEMAKER’S DINNER MENU:

Stuzzichini Social: An assortment of mini crab cakes, shrimp cocktail and prosciutto wrapped melon. Served with Tosti Prosecco

Panzanella: Traditional Italian bread salad served on hearts of romaine and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Served with Duxoup Dolcetto

Gnocchi Arabiatta: Handmade potato dumplings topped with a zesty arabiatta sauce and fresh parmesan. Served with Gennaio Sangiovese

Pork Scallopine: Pork tenderloin topped with a cranberry chutney and accompanied by sweet potato puree. Served with Duxoup Charbono

Rack of Lamb: Roasted rack of Colorado lamb with a rosemary and garlic demi-glace, mascarpone polenta and asparagus. Served with Duxoup Syrah

Mixed Berry Trifle: Whipped vanilla sauce layered with sponge cake, berries and berry puree. Served with Tosti Bracato

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IF YOU GO:
What: Duxoup Winemaker’s Dinner
Who: Hosted by The Hilton Garden Inn and Sponsored by Bernie’s Wines and Liquors
When: Thursday, March 3, 6:30 p.m. social, dinner at 7 p.m.
Where: The Hilton Garden Inn - For reservations (required) please call 701-499-6000
How much: $60 per person plus tax and gratuity