Roommate Wine Dinner

This week I decided to do make a dinner with wine with my roommate! It was her birthday this week as well, so it also doubled as a pre-birthday dinner. The three wines I paired with dinner was a Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangria, and Moscato. I've listed some of the information on these wines:

Name: Lolailo Sangria

Variety: Red Table wine

Region: n/a

Country: Spain

Year: Not given

Price: ~$8

Winery Review: "Lolailo Sangria is the perfect marriage of wine and sweet citrus fruit. The result is an excellent refreshing drink that is low in alcohol."

Name: Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, CA

Country: U.S.A

Year: 2012

Price: Sale $4.95

Winery Review: "Inky purple; notes of plum, blackberry, and vanilla; palate follows nose with dark fruit character and a soft vanilla and chocolate finish."

Name: Castello Del Poggio Moscato

Variety: Moscato

Region: Asti

Country: Italy

Price: $8.99

Winery Review: " Nice balance of stone fruit, citrus, florals, creamy, light carbonation, light sweetness, light acidity... probably fresher a year ago but still tasty & goes down way too easily"

For starters, we had wheat bread toast with a peppered pate spread paired with the Lolailo sangria made in Spain.  Although sangria is primarily used for casual drinking, it actually paired pretty well with the peppers and spice of the pate. On the nose there was plenty of berries and tropical fruit. It was a full-bodied wine with these tropical, exotic flavors such as thyme leaves, mandarin, and mangoes. The finish was quite short, but it was a sweet and delicious choice. The sweet notes of the sangria worked well with the spiced, meaty tones of the liver pate spread. Although I did enjoy the sangria with the appetizer, I'd like to later have this chilled with frozen fruits and ice. It will be perfect for the pending summertime! 

  

Along with the pate, we ate toast with what is the Vietnamese equivalent of bologna. It is a mix of chicken and pork, and it is called "Cha". It is hard for me to describe the flavor because it is unique to my Vietnamese-trained palate... but it has a more muted taste than bologna. It tastes more like chicken than pork, and the consistency is that of processed meat. The sangria overpowered the subtle taste of the Cha, and did not pair as well with it as it did with the toast/pate. Because the pate had stronger, bolder flavors, it complemented the flavors of the sangria.

For the second course, I made an elbow pasta with sundried tomato sauce with a variety of herbs sprinkled on top, including oregano, thyme, and garlic. Paired with this was the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet had a predominant fruit nose, but I was also getting peppers and oak bark that was mirrored on the palate. There were dominant tones of jammy fruit and pomegranate seeds, but it was the subtle pepper notes that won and ultimately took this pairing to to excellence. Some people may not like the fruit and savory pairing, but I actually thought it worked well. The surface texture was smooth and full-bodied, with a good balance of tannins. It was perfect with the sundried tomato, and added an extra dimension to the variety of herbs I added to the pasta. Next time, I'll have this pasta with a Shyrah- a robust and spicy wine- that I think would pair even better with the savory, full tones of the tomato sauce.

We had a healthy dessert of fresh mango and berries. Paired with this was the Castello del Poggio Moscato. On the nose there was a floral bouquet with plenty of rose and honeysuckle. On the palate, I was getting plump yellow fruit such as pineapple, lemons, canteloupe, and some tones of hay. It was overall a moderately sweet, delightful moscato. It paired perfectly with the fresh fruit, although I think it would also pair well with light pastries, ice cream, or fruit tart. I don't think it was too much sweetness, because the fruit added a type of watery, quenching effect while the moscato added a sprightly, youthful effect.

 

Overall, I think this wine dinner was a success! All of the wines paired fairly well with their respective dishes, and it gave me a chance to have some nice, roommate bonding time over some good food and drinks. There is no question that I will be making a homemade dinner with wine outside of this class.