It seems starting at the beginning is the way to go, especially when a dinner had five parts to it, the surroundings were luxurious, the service exemplary, and… but I digress.

My husband and I were lucky enough to attend (yes, at our own expense!) the recent Cafe Boulud wine dinner featuring Steve Miles, noted expert on Spanish wines, and CB’s sommeliere Jenny Benzie’s terrific pairing of food and wine. The restaurant is in the Brazilian Court hotel on Palm Beach, so you know the setting is beautiful.

Steve, of Steve Miles Selections, was the perfect host, personable, knowledgeable and funny. He related each wine to the group by pointing out facts that meant something to everyone, whether you knew a lot about wine or not. Exactly the right attitude to take.

First was a 2003 Can Nadal Cava, a light sparkling wine paired with various appetizers. My previous Spanish experience had only been with Freixenet, and that was fine, but this seemed lighter, fairly dry and tasty. It sells for $22.99 at Chill Merchants (this store was supplying the dinner’s wine).

A dry, fruity white wine started dinner – Vina Somoza Godello Classico 2007 – that Steve said doesn’t see any oak at all, which is unusual for a white. This was paired with a number of tapas: shrimp and bacon croquettes, grilled marinated octopus, spicy mussels and a wonderful red onion and orange salad. The latter was so simple, but so perfect with this wine.

The Godello grape is one of the oldest, and so doesn't produce a lot of grapes at one time.

Said Steve about the Godello (which is the grape variety): “As Americans, we’re conditioned to think Spanish wines are strong wines that hit you in the face. This Godello is not like that.” It sells for $22.99.

Next was a red from the Acustic Cellar – Acustic Monstant 2006. Or, as Miles put it: “This is a lifestyle in a glass.” The passion the growers have is evident in this 45 percent Garnacha and 55 percent Samso, rich, fruity wine, with hints of black cherry. It was paired with mas tapas including hake, clams and chorizo, skate burrida and papas bravas. It sells for $28.99.

There’s really nothing like having food that perfectly complements the wine. Kudos to Jenny for hitting the mark all night long with the pairing. (And I was glad to hear Steve say: “I haven’t felt this comfortable with food pairings in a long time. What Jenny has done is amazing.”)

Poured next from San Cristobal cellars was Conde De San Cristobal 2005.

The San Cristobal is so fragrant, you just want to sink into it.

Unbelievable wine.

The first thing everyone at the long “royalty table” noticed was the bouquet. It was so wonderful and fragrant that nobody took a sip for a while. We just breathed. Don’t you love wines like that?

This was the highlight of the evening for me. Well, actually it was right up there with the $129.99 per bottle sherry, but more on that later. And at $29.99 per bottle, I figure I can squire away oh, more than a few bottles of the San Cristobal.

I know I caught licorice in this wine (one of my faves). Steve said this was the third vintage – it’s 10 percent Cab, 10 percent Merlot and 80 percent Tepranillo – and it’s peppery, spicy and you can sink into it.

This was served with a roast leg of lamb that dissolved on the tongue because it was so tender.

Last, but certainly not least, was the Bodegas Tradicion Palo Cortado 30-year-old sherry. I have had a few sherrys, but this is a standout. It was given the V.O.R.S. classification, which means Very Old Rare Sherry at least 30 years old. Every year was worth it.

This sherry is light, dry, toasty and perfect with dessert.

It was not a sweet sherry, which is what most are used to drinking. It was a pretty, light yellow-orangey color, smooth and dry. Steve said parts of the vines in this are 600 years old.

The sherry smelled and tasted of almonds, was toasty and reminded us of a cognac. We drank it with dessert tapas: creme catalana, churros with cinnamon, chocolate chiboust… divine.

That was the official end to the dinner, but the tasting, sipping and eating are still present on my taste buds almost a week later. Now that’s a dinner.

Cafe Boulud will have wine dinners monthly through the summer. I’ll be going back.