It’s always been a perfect pairing – food and wine. And now Fogo de Chão in Woodland Hills has chosen a new vintage partner to complement their Brazilian menu. The highly-rated wines of VIK’s Chilean wines were introduced this month at Fogo with a special winemaker dinner. Each course was accompanied by a VIK special pairing. Fifteen-year-old VIK gets the inspiration for its wines from Bordeaux, as its head winemaker came from Chateau Margaux. They have 850 acres planted in Chile, and practice sustainable farming and holistic winemaking with wild yeast and natural flour, even making their own barrels from their own oak trees so they can choose their own toast. They are exclusively offering reds now, but hope to plant more of their 11,000 acres to produce whites. The first course of fresh branzino (Fogo de Chão also has fish – not just all-you-can-eat meat, which it’s known for!) was served with a 94 points 2024 La Piu Belle Rosé, which had a subtle hint of orange which complemented the fish. A 96 points 2021 Milla Cala red blend of cabernet sauvignon, carmenere, merlot and cabernet franc with hints of red and black fruits accompanied the picanha, a rich and tender top sirloin popular in Brazil. VIK’s 96 points 2021 La Piu Belle red blend of carmenere, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc set off the lamb chops, which were topped with a delicious chimichuri sauce. The fourth course of the Wagyu New York Strip came with the elegant and deep rich red 2021 VIK red blend, 100 points. By dessert and coffee we were sated, but thrilled to have been a few of the first to try Fogo de Chão’s new featured wines. As this was a specialty dinner, we didn’t peruse the giant market table of salads, soups and vegetables, but on our next visit we will indulge in that as well as our favorite meats – mine is definitely their lamb chops! Upcoming wine dinners at Woodland Hills Fogo de Chão feature The Prisoner on June 16 and Daou on August 14. There’s also a tequila and tomahawk dinner July 17. See you there! Fogo de Chão is located at 6263 Topanga Canyon Blvd. on the ground floor of the Q apartment building. Call (213) 282-6699 or visit fogodechao.com for more information.
