It was appropriately named the Secrets Wine Dinner.

Set on the Windsor Gardens Hotel property in Palm Beach Gardens, the Cocktails & Dreams Bistro is on busy U.S. 1, but still tucked away. The pretty wood, granite and stone dining area (with a gorgeous patio/pool setting right outside) sported orange flower arrangements and my favorite sight of multiple wine glasses at each plate.

We were there for Chef Joseph Angelucci and Kyle Pintarelli’s “Up in Smoke” wine dinner, featuring vino from Opici Wine Company of Florida. The chefs worked with Opici consultant Justin Cartlidge on the menu and the result was that the unexpected met the delicious in a win-win meal. (In the photo above, Kyle and Rachel Briggs of Rockstar Catering. Photo courtesy Windsor Gardens Hotel.)

Each wine and dish was introduced with a little background and explanation. Cigars were available from Sabor Havana cigars (to be smoked outside only, since there was plenty of smoke in the food). The service was excellent, and the wine and food… well, read on.

A fruit-forward, light Clayhouse Adobe White 2008 wine started the meal, and this was one of the big wine winners of the night. It is a light straw yellow, with a floral nose and a taste of pear, citrus and apples. A Paso Robles wine, it’s just a bit off-dry with a crisp, short finish. Thumbs up all around, said table companions Ramona, Ray, Bette Anne and Claire. “This is a Saturday afternoon wine,” said Bette Anne.

Interesting wine tidbit: The Clayhouse is made from 22 percent viognier, 18 percent sauvignon blanc, 17 percent grenache blanc, 16 percent roussanne, 6 percent chardonnay, 5 percent chenin blanc and 16 percent princess. Princess? Yes, it’s part of the blend, but not listed on the label because it’s not yet an approved varietal for table wine.

This tasty white was paired with a tequila-cured gravlax with smoked Dead Sea salt, gaufrette potatoes and white truffle aioli. The food was perfect with the Clayhouse White – the gravlax, salt and truffle and the wine together was a solid pairing by the chefs.

Next up was what I call a “label wine,” meaning the label sometimes get all the attention instead of the wine. It’s the Ass Kisser Fine Red 2007, a shiraz/grenache blend. In fact, this South Australian red wine deserved kudos based on its taste. It’s aged in French oak for 12 months, and had a light cherry nose, a smooth mouthfeel with some slight pepper, spice and dark berries. A nice wine, but not a huge standout for me.

We did need the “Kisser” with the food, a smoked chicken stuffed poblano w/chiffonade of corn tortilla and cilantro pesto. The dish was extremely spicy, and the best thing to cut the spice is wine. When I took the chicken out of the poblano, it became a really nice dish that was complemented nicely with the red wine.

Third up was the French red Clos La Coutale Cahors 2008, a nice, balanced wine. I pulled a lot of red berries on the nose and a smidgeon of spice on the taste. The 2007 version of this wine earned 90 from Wine Spectator, so while this wine is young, it’s said to have a lot of promise and aging potential. I think I’d stick it in the cellar (OK, wine closet) for a few years and then try it again. It was nice, but I’m partial to more than nice and this needs a few years to make me say “wow”.

The duo of pork dish with the Cahors included a pulled chipotle pork and smoked mozzarella croquette, and smoky hoison barbecue pork belly. As all the dishes, it was beautifully presented on the plate. A feast for the eyes and the palate.

The next bottle was the Elyse Nero Misto 2008. I’ve had a couple of other Elyse varietals and really liked them, so I was looking forward to the Nero Misto (“mixed black” in Italian). I wasn’t disappointed. Billed as the boldest wine on the menu, this lived up to its name: currants and plum on the nose, dark red fruit, full and smooth on taste. It had a medium-long finish and was sigh-worthy.

Made from 37 petite sirah, 25 percent zinfandel, 19 percent carignane, 12 percent primitivo and 7 percent charbono/barbera/validguie, it’s aged about 10 months in used French and American oak. It went beautifully with the ancho chili and Ghirardelli cocoa-rubbed, seared beef medallions, with fois gras emulsion.

Have you noticed that the menu took familiar foods and kicked them up a notch (to borrow a phrase from another famous chef)? That’s what I enjoyed about this dinner – Chefs Angelucci and Pintarelli introduced diners to a mixture of tastes that we may not have considered before. A lot of “this tastes great!” comments proved their combinations worked well.

Now for dessert: We were served a Brix Sweet Shirax, which I’d never tasted before – a Texas wine, from St. Genevieve, Peregrine Hill Winery! It was true to its name and had a nose of light cherries, very fruity and slightly sweet but not overdone, with a touch of the shiraz pepper in it. I liked it a lot, and will add it to my list of dessert options.

The sweet shiraz went well with the smokehouse almond praline with vanilla bean ice cream and Frangelico biscotti. Really, what can I say about a dish with that name? Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds.

So the Secret(s) is out – the wine dinners here are worth attending. Chef Pintarelli has the next one booked for August 19; call 561-844-8448 to reserve.

Cost info: The Secrets dinner was $45, with tip added at the end of the meal. All the wines were available for purchase (you always get a discount if you buy at a wine dinner) and all were definitely reasonable: available by case or bottle. Per bottle prices: Clayhouse was $12.17, the Cahors was $13.17, the Kisser was $9.33, the Elyse was $23.33 and the Brix was $9.33.