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.