Pairing wine with vegetarian fare — often with very strong flavors — is not easy. But that was just the challenge handed to Matthew McLaughlin of Prestige Wine Cellars at a recent event in Houston.

The dinner was held at Beaver's and the 12 plus dishes — all vegan — were created by some of the city's best chefs.
Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Vigneto Bucerchiale Riserva 2006 was paired with Abalone mushroom lasagna and Texas eggplant Bolognese
McLaughlin chose Claiborne & Churchill 2006 Gewürztraminer Central Coast Dry "Alsatian Style" to pair with a roasted red bell pepper and garlic hummus created by Russell Kirkham and Jonathan Jones' pumpkin-cushaw squash and ginger risotto.
The wine had a nice and light aroma of honey, some citrus and a lot of freshness and its slightly tangy acidity balanced well with the two Beavers-born dishes. It went particularly well with smokiness of the corn in the risotto.

A very nice Chilean Chard — Errazuriz Chardonnay Casablanca Valley Estate 2007 — was nice and toasty on the nose and well-balanced for the smokiness of heirloom grits cooked in “in the style of bacon” by Randy Rucker of Tenacity Supper Club.

Bold barbecue sauce is another challenging pairing. McLaughlin went with El Chaparral Garnacha 2008 from the De Vega Sindoa winery in Navarra, Spain, just north of Rioja, for two courses, Jones' salt-cured smoked Tofu with sloppy barbecue wild mushrooms and Rucker's potato risotto. This wine was a nice mouth-soother for the spicy barbecue sauce and it also went smoothly with the al dente potatoes and tobacco elements in the risotto.

The Chianti of the evening was Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Vigneto Bucerchiale Riserva 2006. It was paired with Jones' Abalone mushroom “lasagna” with smoked turnip “cheese” and Texas eggplant Bolognese. The earthy Chianti could not have been a better choice for the vegan “pasta” dish.

McLaughlin chose the Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo 2003 — a dark golden, full-bodied, sweet and aromatic vintage — to pair with two desserts — a roasted pear tart and sweet potato beignets — by Plinio Sandalio, pastry chef at Textile. And to wrap up the night, Jorge Ordonez & Co. No 2 Victoria 2007, a 100 percent Muscat Alexandria, was paired with an autumn cake with candid carrots and pistachio and a “Hostess Cupcake” with vegan "butter cream" created by Jody Stevens of JodyCakes.
The clear yellow wine had a sweet honey comb freshness and a nice long smooth finish.

Now sometimes pairing wines with vegan dishes can be too challenging. That's why McLaughlin went with a cocktail for the dinner's starters created by Monica Pope of T’afia. Pope's dishes — Brussel sprouts with chestnut pesto and a salad of persimmon, radish and arugula — were delicious but had very strong, bitter flavors.

This gin-based cocktail with pink Meyer lemon juice, Texas navel orange juice and basil proved the perfect accompaniment to some tough dishes.

Gin Cocktail
Mix the juice from a La Porte Texas navel orange and a variegated Meyer lemon
• 3/4 oz Citrus mix juice
• 2 oz Citadelle Gin
• 3/4 oz Simple syrup (for a basic simple syrup mix 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water)
• 4-5 Basil leaves
Shake well over ice and pour into a Collins glass.