Wine Dinner - Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

Sunday, Mar. 16, 2024

Yesterday, ten of my friends from our Campus Ministry, several of whom are taking this course with me, organized our second wine dinner. The evening was not as extravagant as our first dinner, but nonetheless a delightful way to enjoy some good company, good food, and good wine. The theme was "Italian - sort of" as was expressed primarily in the appetizer and main course. Unfortunately I forgot to take as many pictures as I would have liked for the blog, and many are from after dinner when I remembered - maybe I was having too good a time just being there.

Appetizer - Gnocchi with Pesto and Salad + a White Zinfandel Rosé

Appetizer - Gnocchi.

We had a selection of two whites and a rosé for the appetizer; I chose to have the rosé.

Appetizer Wine - Winking Owl California White Zinfandel.

The wine. I quite enjoyed this wine. It was probably the cheapest I've ever had, at about $3 from Aldi, but, at least to my taste, great quality. Perhaps not the most complex, I could pick out floral notes, something I've never properly experienced in the wines I've drunk before. I would like to say it reminded me of hibiscus or lavender, but I am not familiar enough with those tastes and smells at the moment to be certain. It was certainly a light, refreshing, relatively sweet wine - the opposite of any red Zinfandel I've had. It was less tart than most whites I've had, which I enjoyed. Rosés are something I'll need to look into in the future - they provide a lovely blend of the red flavors I enjoy, with the lightness and refreshment of a white wine.

The pairing. The potato gnocchi and pesto brought very dull, smooth flavors, with some dull vegetable from the gnocchi. These, I found, did not match the zestier, more acidic touches from the rosé. On the other hand, the salad we had, which came with an Italian vinaigrette and some crunchier lettuce and croutons, paired splendidly. I realized this while having a sip of the white Zinfandel after a bite of the salad. The acidity match especially served this, and the floral and citrus flavors in the wine provided a good complement to the vinaigrette.

Main Course - Spaghetti and Meatballs with Bread + Two Italian Reds

Main Course - Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garlic Bread.

We had a selection of two Italian reds, a lighter Veneto Rosso and a darker 2016 Montefalco Rosso. I chose to have the Rischio Reale Veneto Rosso, and tasted the Montefalco as well.

Main Course Wine - Rischio Reale Veneto Rosso.

Main Course Wine - 2016 Montefalco Rosso.

The wine. The Rischio Reale was a decent red, though not exactly to my tastes. It was extremely dry and tannic, sucking the moisture from my mouth with each sip. Its flavors were rich and dark; I could taste some (black?)berry and perhaps cherry notes. After having finished the main course I tried the Montefalco wine, which many of my friends were saying was one of the best they'd ever tasted - it was even heavier and drier than this one! It had a lot more flavor and complexity, including a spiciness that was unknown to me, which I enjoyed, but overall this wine was too big for my taste.

The pairing. I enjoyed the combination of these reds with the meal - the food certainly helped me enjoy the wine. I found that the wine, which coated the mouth and sucked it dry, prepared my palate for the warm softness of the tomato sauce (made from the Godfather movie recipe, according to my friend Eric who is from New Jersey). The spaghetti, with its olive oil coating, added to this smoothness and provided a good base for all the flavors without getting in the way (there's nothing quite like having your mouth full of pasta with a little tomato sauce and a meatball!). The meatballs themselves were also delicious, and their rich juiciness was delightful after a mouthful of the dry wine. The Rischio Reale and the food paired well in that neither was overly complex, but the comfort and warmth of the food balanced the dark nip of the wine, and so each sip and bite would pull the mouthfeel back and forth, making for a dynamic meal.

Dessert - Vanilla/Chocolate Cake + Sherry

Dessert - Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting (Happy Birthday, Eric and Chuck!)

We all had a glass of Spanish Cream Sherry to go with the cake.

Dessert Wine - Savory & James Cream Sherry from Spain

The wine. This might be the highlight of the evening for me. I didn't know what sherry was or tasted like until yesterday, so I wasn't sure what to expect before trying this. It was much like the port from last month, and what I enjoyed about the port, I enjoyed even more about this sherry. It was sweet, a bit spicy or oaky, viscous, and smooth. Also more alcoholic than regular wine, but not quite as extreme as the port (perhaps this is just a matter of style; I think our sherry was 17.5% to the port's 22% or something along those lines). I could still feel and taste some of the sherry even late last night, hours after dinner. I am looking forward to getting a bottle of cream sherry later today to continue experimenting and pairing and enjoying! Tonight's plan - how does a bowl of ice cream pair?

The pairing. The cake was good as far as cakes go - I don't actually like cake myself, but I'll eat it when it's polite to do so. I found the flavors didn't quite match (especially the chocolate; perhaps the vanilla matched with the oak and spice in the sherry), but the sweetness of the wine and the cake went great together. The cake was certainly more basic than the wine, and it wasn't needed to enable the wine's feel or taste to come through. I'd say the pairing was alright, but considering my attitude toward cake and cream sherry as I described, the sherry would be just fine without the cake.

Tasting - Stefano Di Blasi Syrah/Nero D'Avola

Name: Stefano Di Blasi Syrah/Nero d'Avola 2021

Variety: 60% Syrah, 40% Nero d'Avola

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy

Year: 2021

Price: $12.99

Winery review (from Naked Wines): This powerhouse red is flush with luscious dark fruit flavors like a juicy bite of ripe plum, with a hint of warming spice and an elegant, long-lasting finish – easy drinking is an understatement!

Wine Folly: from pp. 172-173 (Syrah): A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhone Valley of France. Full-bodied, high in alcohol, acidity, and tannins; very dry. Flavors include blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn.

from pp. 145 (Nero d'Avola): Sicily’s most important red wine variety is often likened to Cabernet Sauvignon due to its full-bodied style and flavors of black cherry and tobacco. Flavors include black cherry, black plum, licorice, tobacco, and chili pepper.

My review: This was one of the better reds I've had. It was very fruity including some cherry, but not especially tart. Some hints of chocolate were evident. I enjoyed the smoothness along with the full body - the wine coated my mouth even long after I had finished it, but it lacked the acidic or tannic bite that I often consider intrusive. Interestingly, I think this was a less-flavorful, almost a bit watery, wine compared to the reds I have had thus far, and yet I actually enjoyed that aspect a lot. Not having had this with food, it made for easy drinking, and I could take larger sips. Additionally, this was my first blended wine for which I have been actively paying close attention to all the flavors and profiles - perhaps something to keep in mind when buying wines in the future!

Wine Dinner - Salmon Wellington

Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024

Saturday, Feb. 17 several of my friends, some taking this course and others enjoying wine alongside the rest of us, and I organized a modest three-course dinner with wines to go with each course. Our friend Long had studied cooking in his native Vietnam, and offered to prepare our main dish: Salmon Wellington with Fondant Potatoes and Butternut Squash Soup on the side - fish in honor of the Lenten season. Our friend Hannah made her famous Pierogi, and Nick brought a homemade Chocolate Mousse. We all chipped in and helped out in the kitchen, and so ten of us dined well last night.

Ten friends and I at our formal wine dinner, 02/18/2024.

Appetizer - Pierogi with Riesling

Appetizer - Pierogi.

We shared two different Rieslings due to the number of people who attended, and so I enjoyed the 2022 Landkastel Mosel Riesling.

Appetizer wine - 2022 "Landkastel" Mosel Riesling.

The wine. I, surprisingly, enjoyed this white wine. Perhaps it is because I am German, and as at a previous wine tasting involving a Grüner Veltliner, this Riesling initially reminded me of Apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice), a common and delicious German refreshment during the summer. It smelled perhaps floral and fresh - refreshing is the word that I associate with the smell. Upon tasting it, cool and light as it was, I could pick out hints of pear and apple. It had a bit of bite that made me think it was sparkling - again reminding me of Apfelschorle. However, it had a light bitterness as well, and alongside its sweetness, the acid was most evident.

The pairing. To be honest, I prefer the wine on its own rather than with food, at least the Pierogi we paired it with. Both were individually delicious beyond doubt, but they felt mismatched here. The Pierogi, being flour- and potato-based, were quite bland when compared to the wine. The acidity of the Riesling sharply contrasted with the smooth, dull taste of the Pierogi. My association of the Riesling with a light summer refreshment likewise clashed with the warm savor of the Pierogi, with which I would not pair a floral or fruity wine. One of my friends agreed, and furthermore those who had tasted the other Riesling as well, which was a drier sort, came to the conclusion that it paired much better. Nevertheless, both the wine and the Pierogi could be enjoyed individually with ease.

Main Course - Salmon Wellington with Pinot Noir

Main course - Salmon Wellington, Fondant Potatoes [not shown], Butternut Squash Soup.

We again had a selection of two reds now, a Pinot Noir and a darker Italian variety. I chose to have the 2017 Carpe Diem Pinot Noir.

Main course wine - 2017 "Carpe Diem" Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.

The wine. This was not your average Pinot Noir. For a Pinot, it was surprisingly dark and tannic, I found. It had the bite and mouthfeel of a darker red than I expected, and I had trouble picking out any obvious flavors. Perhaps hints of cherry and dark fruit were evident, but my wine tasting experience was too limited to go deeper than this. Overall this was not my preferred red wine.

The pairing. The Salmon was good, but again I don't know that this pairing quite suited my tastes. As far as fish goes, which is not among my favorite dishes generally, Salmon is one of the more enjoyable kinds, so the baseline for this pairing was only moderately high in terms of whether I'd enjoy it. 

The fish had a delicate and mild mouthfeel, which I felt that the Pinot somewhat overpowered. Nevertheless, even with the wine in my mouth, the Salmon's flavors lingered well and weren't washed away entirely. I might even say that I enjoyed the food a little more as a result of the wine, and that perhaps the type of wine simply didn't match perfectly. Unfortunately the boiled egg that was layered into the Salmon Wellington didn't pair well with the wine at all, in my opinion - the flavors simply did not complement each other. The potatoes, which had more spice (especially pepper) were a better match for the dark wine, and perhaps a spicier course in general would have paired better, while a lighter red or a rose might have suited the salmon better.

Dessert - Chocolate Mousse with Port

[image of Chocolate Mousse]

We all had a small glass of 5-year-old Henriques & Henriques Doce Generoso Madeira of the Tinta Negra variety with our dessert.

5-year-old "Henriques & Henriques" Madeira.

The wine. I had never had Port wine before this, and it was certainly unlike any other! I had always wondered how the "high-sweetness, high-alcohol, high-everything" styles could possibly coexist, and I suppose the result is exactly as it's described - alcoholic, then sweet, but again alcoholic, and yet sweet! It was more similar to a dessert liquor than a wine (in this regard I've only had a Baileys over Ice on one occasion, which I quite enjoyed; otherwise I can't stand most liquor). Immediately upon sniffing and tasting, and even looking at the tawny brown color, I thought of rum. The tastes I got from this Port included molasses and a smoky vanilla. There was some flavor association I had on the tip of my tongue which I never quite articulated; perhaps rum is the closest I could get. I quite enjoy Port, slowly and in small sips, and will probably try it more often!

The pairing. The Chocolate Mousse was rich and thick. Its sweetness was well-matched with the Port's sweetness. I found that the smokiness of the wine somewhat overpowered the smooth Mousse, and the complexity in flavors the Port brought was likewise unmatched by the more uniform, creamy Mousse. This pairing was certainly the best of the three tonight, and yet I don't think it was quite to my tastes. The Mousse was delicious on its own, and I'm not sure the Port helped with that, and likewise I wonder if the wine could have used a more complex dessert, maybe chocolate truffles that bring a bit more earthiness and nip. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed my first experimentation with Port wine to finish out a night of wine tasting and matching.

Tasting - "Miriam Syrah"

Name: Miriam California Syrah 2020

Variety: Syrah

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 2020

Price: $23.99 (I got it discounted)

Winery review (from Naked Wines): This lively, bright Syrah is a fresh set of ripe red and black berry flavors balanced with a light touch of oak and a soft, easy-drinking finish that rounds out every sip. ... This Syrah’s vibrant fruity flavors and touch of oaky spice make the pairing combinations endless! Take Alex’s word for it: “You won't find a dish this wine doesn’t pair well with.”

Wine Folly: from pp. 172-173 (Syrah): A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhone Valley of France. Full-bodied, high in alcohol, acidity, and tannins; very dry. Flavors include blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn.

My review: I had this wine with an Italian dinner called Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter's chicken) - chicken and mushrooms in a tomato-based sauce, over linguine (one of my favorite dinners to make). I used the wine in the dish itself as well as drinking it. Theoretically, white wine was called for and might traditionally pair with lighter meat like chicken, but I don't buy white wine so I decided to just make it with this Syrah. The sauce was delightful - the winey flavor was evident but not overpowering, and it paired beautifully with the spices included (thyme, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, salt, pepper). I also found it complemented the mushrooms well, though perhaps this is because I love mushrooms generally.

Drinking the wine was likewise enjoyable. It wasn't anything fantastic to my palate, but it went well with the food - this is certainly a wine I would (and do) drink with dinner rather than on its own. I enjoyed its smoothness in my mouth, and that it saved its acidic bite more so for the stomach. It had a boldness to its body, and I enjoyed "chewing" it, letting it coat my mouth and so bring out more sensation and flavor. The flavors were dark, perhaps tannic, and I couldn't pick out much. Certainly it leaned toward the tobacco/pepper listed in Wine Folly more than the fruity. As with many wines, I could not easily overlook the isopropyl alcohol taste resemblance. Perhaps because it isn't especially high quality, or perhaps because I am not yet sufficiently familiar with alcoholic drinks, this often comes up when I taste any sort of wine or liquor. Nevertheless, I have been having a glass of this Syrah with dinner the past few nights, and find it easy to drink and enjoy.

Tasting - "Paul D. Grüner Veltliner 1 Liter 2022"

Name: Paul D. Grüner Veltliner 1 Liter 2022

Variety: Grüner Veltliner

Region: Niederösterreich

Country: Austria

Year: 2022

Price: $12.98

Winery review (from Vintage Cellar): The great 2022 vintage shows here in captivating aromas of sliced apple, juicy peach, lime oil and savory white pepper. There's plenty of fruit on the palate, but the crisp pear, apple and pineapple flavors take back a seat to crushed chalk minerality and a burst of green citrus energy. Finishes fresh and tingly with good crisp bite. Really good stuff at a fantastically low price.

Wine Folly: from pp. 120 (Grüner Veltliner): Austria's most important wine is produced in a myriad of styles, the most popular of which are lean, herbaceous and peppery wines with mouth-watering acidity. Flavors include yellow apple, pear, asparagus, white pepper, and flint.

My review: For once I could pick out a distinct scent when I smelled this - it smelled exactly like apple juice, specifically Apfelschorle (apple juice with sparkling water, a common German drink). The taste was more complex, it didn't in fact taste like Apfelschorle. The alcohol and acidity overpowered any particular flavor, though it remained tart and citrusy, so the apple and pear made sense to me. Asparagus is not unthinkable either, but I'm not sure where to pick out pepper and flint. It was a rather light-bodied wine; the feel was pleasant and it was easy to drink. However, though I like Apfelschorle, I did not enjoy this wine. The flavors simply don't suit my taste, especially with the acidity and its being a wine--I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a white wine, and this one was no different.

Tasting - "El Parador Navarra Rosado 2021"

Name: El Parador Navarra Rosado 2021

Variety: 100% Garnacha (Grenache)

Region: Navarra

Country: Spain

Year: 2021

Price: $15

Winery review (from Wine Cellar): El Parador Rosado is made from 100% Garnacha. This wine shows a vivid and bright strawberry color, intense aromas, clean and very fruity with Strawberry and Raspberry aromas. In the mouth, the wine is tasty, balanced and fresh.

Wine Folly: from pp. 117 (Grenache): Produces rich, flavorful red wines as well as deep, ruby-tinted rose. High intensity flavors include stewed strawberry, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs, blood orange.

My review: "High intensity" is not at all how I would describe these flavors. The smell was light and fruity, but not especially strong even with swirling and repeated sniffing. I could pick out some citrus perhaps indicative of the blood orange, and hints of strawberry, though I have no idea what "stewed strawberry" means. It made me think of a fruity dessert, perhaps a strawberry yogurt. The wine was dry but light; I am pleasantly surprised by the lightness after having tasted mainly intense reds till now. There was some bite that almost made me think the wine was carbonated very lightly. I did not have food with this wine, and to me it is one that holds up quite well on its own--no food needed!

Tasting - "Mauricio Lorca Malbec"

Name: Mauricio Lorca Malbec 2022

Variety: 100% Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2022

Price: $18.99

Winery review (from NakedWines.com): Mauricio's Malbec is an Angel-favorite masterpiece overflowing with rich, dark berry flavors and a sultry finish.

It's a modern smooth red.

Hello, horsepower. These rich reds are gunning with rich, ravishing and refined flavors... and practically bursting with sumptuous charm!

Wines that are rounded out with a smidge of oak age are standard here, like Zinfandel, Grenache and Tempranillo.

Wine Folly: from pp. 125-126 (Malbec) and 126 (Mendoza, AG): Wines are loved for their bold fruit flavors and smooth, chocolatey finish.

My review: This wine had a rich, woody taste. I didn't taste much specific fruit, but there was some tartness. As noted in the textbook, I felt the wine was mildly acidic and certainly on the dry side. However, I don't know that I could pick out the body of the wine especially well. I would have considered it a bit lighter in body, but that likely reflects my lack of understanding and feel for wine body. This wine was moderately enjoyable. It didn't have the sweetness that I enjoy, nor did it have particularly defined flavors to make up for this, which made it a little bland for my liking.