My roommates and I are all taking this class, so for our first wine dinner we decided to a three course Italian themed dinner with a few of our mutual friends. My two roommates and I were all in charge of one course each. My roommate max was in charge of the appetizer and made us a bread and olive oil with balsamic glaze and spices, my roommate Ryan made the entree and made a delicious Penne al la Vodka with Chicken, and I was in charge of Desert and got us a chocolate tuxedo cake and also set the table and acted as a server.
Obviously we paired a wine with each course. For the appetizer we paired it with a Beringer California Pinot Noir 2020 vintage from Napa Valley.
Max chose this as the wine as through his researching he found that Pinot Noir paired well with bread and olive oil. By itself it had a mild sweet scent mixed with cherry. Before the bread it had a berry and tart taste and was slightly dry. However with the bread it tasted more acidic and some of the complexity was lost but with an increase in the spice taste. This is a wine that is worth revisiting even by itself due to its complex flavors.
To pair with our Entree Ryan chose a 2019 Robert Hall Chardonnay from Parlier California. Ryan chose this as through our reading we found that a white wine pairs well with chicken and pasta and specifically California whites.
The wine had a light gold color and not much smell, but had light notes of apple and a very light pear note. It was very easy on the taste buds and had a light buttery / creamy taste. When paired with the entree it accentuated the spice flavors and notes and a peach flavor came out when paired with the food. An almost pineapple after taste was present as well. Overall this is a white worth revisiting when paired with this dish, however not on its own.
To pair with our dessert I chose a Taylor Fladgate Fine Ruby Porto from the Douro Valley in Portugal. I chose this because as ports are naturally sweeter and most often consumed with desserts, I figured it was the perfect match as well as ready it paired well with chocolates and heavy cakes. Before being paired it had a very strong sugary smell, with heavy notes of fruit. The color was almost blood red and looked heavy. It was very full bodied and almost over overpoweringly sweet. When paired with the cake it was too sweet, and most of the taste just disappeared and only sugar was left. Overall I would get this port again but try a much less sweet, much lighter dessert to pair it with.
Overall the 5 of us all very much enjoyed the wine dinner and are looking forward to doing our next. This time with our new knowledge we will be able to choose wines better suited for our pairings but overall were happy/content with what we got on our first try.
No comments:
Post a Comment