Overheard at Wednesday’s monthly wine dinner at Om: “I just love sitting down to a table with this many glasses!”

Well, I absolutely share that sentiment, an the Steltzner six-course wine dinner pairing red wines with Om’s contemporary Indian cuisine was not an exception.

The wines were presented by Allison Steltzner, the second generation to helm the family-owned Napa vineyard, established in 1965 and currently producing about 15,000 cases of wine annually.

“All of the wines you’ll be tasting tonight are red, which I know seems counter-intuitive. But think of the fruit in the wine sort of like chutney in Indian food, with the spice added in for fun. You don’t have to drink sweet, white wine with Indian food, and that’s a good thing.”



Four reds were poured with corresponding food pairings, the most intriguing being the 2006 Steltzner Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, paired with a grilled mango salad, the wine opening up a level of sweetness in the mango that made me think of a Jolly Rancher candy, or a tropical lightbulb going off inside my mouth. It was brilliant—a moment I’d like to recreate for all of my friends.



Crispy okra sticks, dusted with Indian spice and fried crisp as pomme frites, paired with a cayenne-tomato-palm sugar dipping sauce were the highlight of the menu, a perfect candidate for a paper cone on a summer day.

The next Om wine dinner takes place on Thursday April 15th at 6:30, and this time it’s no wine dinner at all but rather a Summit beer dinner. The dinners are a wonderful bargain at $60 for six courses plus pairings, as well as a bit of education about the food and the libation. I’d recommend it. 

Om will begin serving lunches on April 5th, and is adding a new late night happy hour from 9 to close, with $5 drink and food specials all evening long.