Our Kind of Homework, A Wine Dinner

What did my friends say when I asked them to participate in my homework assignment?

"Umm, nah."

But, dear friends, what if said homework was drinking wine?

"So Tuesday, then? I'll bring a white. I think there's a good dip recipe around here..."

Callie, Trevor, Julia, & Lani- aspiring wine experts

Like true Virginia folk headed to a glorified pot-luck, we all brought a few things.

The food:

The smorgasbord of yummy foods and drinks.

• Cheeses
• Puave: a pepper soft white cheese
• Brie
• Habanero Jack
• Crackers
• Garlic bagel chips
• Jalapeno flat pretzels
• 7 Grain Pepper Crackers
• Other
• Roasted red pepper humus
• Mushroom/red pepper/greek yogurt dip
• Basil penne pasta with tomato sauce
• Dessert
• Cannoli
• Banana/white chocolate chips
• Triple Chocolate cake

And then there's the wines...

Name: Lost Vineyards "Vinho De Mesa Rose"

Variety: Rose mix
Region: Alentjo
Country: Portugal
Year: 2013
Price: $6.50
Best Pairing: Triple chocolate cake

What They Said: "If you enjoy the fruitiness of White Zinfandel, but are looking to try something new, Lost Vineyards Mesa Rosé is a delightful alternative.  We matched the sweetness and fruitiness level of classic California White Zin, but this wine is made from native Portuguese grapes — giving it a completely different flavor profile!  Bright and refreshing, it has flavors of sweet cherry, navel orange and tangerine with a hint of red berry."

What We Said: Often I have been successful with well-reviewed cheaper wines. However, this time it was not as great. It tasted a little sweet with some dryness on the finish without a lot of flavors I could pick up on except some floral notes on the front. Julia mentioned that should could almost imagine some mint. But when eaten with the chocolate cake, the cherry flavors came out quite strong. The sweetness of the cake must have tempered down the sweetness of the wine, making the flavors more visible to the palate. I could then taste a little citrus on the end with red berry. The chocolate texture also played with the feeling of the wine, making the wine feel lighter in the mouth by comparison. 

Name: Gnarly Head

Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $11
Best Pairing:  Basil penne pasta with tomato sauce

What They Said: "The Gnarly Head winemakers secretly call Pinot Noir “the heartbreak grape.” Notoriously difficult and challenging to grow and vinify, yet impossibly seductive on the palate, it takes a combination of daring winemaking skill and exceptional vineyards to wrest greatness from this alluring variety which we make in our own gnarly style.
Our Pinot Noir has voluptuous, sleek tannins and lush fruit with aromas and flavors of violet, black cherry and plum with hints of toasted oak, cigar box, earth and spice. Round up some friends, break out a bottle of Gnarly Pinot Noir and enjoy with grilled salmon, glazed pork ribs or roast turkey."

What We Said: The nose of this wine had a lot of plum and white pepper. The front was full again with the plum, but then was followed by an oak and light spices. It had a medium body that felt good in combo with dark plum flavors. The salty foods made this wine horrible, and the desserts taste rather good with it, but it followed the red wine tradition of tasting best with the pasta dish. The spices of the wine mixed with with the fresh basil and tomato in the pasta, making for a thick but enjoyable mix on the tongue. Lani really liked this one- she said the dark berry flavor she detected was rather refreshing. 

  

Name: Kungfu Girl

Variety: Riesling
Region: Columbia Valley
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $23.40
Best Pairing: Any cracker with the Mushroom/Yogurt dip

What They Said: "Lovely, expressive, bright and vibrant, with apple, lime and citrus blossom flavors, persisting enticingly as the off-dry finish lingers against natural acidity. Drink now through 2015." 90pts from Wine Spectator 

What We Said: The smell we all agreed was full of grapefruit, and a few of us thought there was a clean mineral-ish note there as well. The flavor was full of grapefruit as well as some blossom flavor. Trevor and Julia both agreed it was "grape-y." There was also a petulance to it, which I think is what helped it taste so good with the thick yogurt dip. Lani thought the cannoli made it taste awful, so I steered away from that. We all agreed this was the best, but we may have been a little biased because we all thought it had the coolest label, and it was the most expensive. With the chocolate cake it became a little more floral, which is why I thought the best pairing was the yogurt dip, since I'm not into very floral flavors. 

Sipping the red with the pasta

Modeling with our favorite label

Even with a few mishaps, we were plenty happy to keep trying different pairing combinations!

It was a lot of fun sharing what I knew about wine with my friends as we all trusted our taste buds to lead us to the best pairings. It was the best way to take a break from work for a little bit, while learning a little about the way wine changes and shifts depending on what you're enjoying it with. Also, not to be too mushy, even when we found a bad combination it was still enjoyable because of the company! 

Jaimie, unfortunately, is a minor and could only partake in the food. Maybe next time, kitty.