Wine Dinner #3

It is with a wistful sigh that I must admit that this will be my very last blog post. I enjoy critiquing the wines for this course, but I only write this prose for the grade. However, I had to go out with a bang: our last wine dinner! I have to say, I really put my foot in this one.

Course #1

We started our three course meal with an appetizer of my own design: sourdough crostinis topped with a feta yogurt blend, a strawberry balsamic reduction, and garnished with fresh basil. The wine paired with this was a Simonet Rose Sec sparkling wine from France. This wine cost $12 at Vintage Cellar, had a alcohol content of 12%, and was chilled prior to serving. The wine was a pale copper color, and had an aroma of strawberries and apples. Like many sparkling wines, the nose reminds me of a bubbly apple cider, like a Bold Rock.

Without food, the wine had subtle notes of strawberry. It was not overly dry, but it was crisp and refreshing. It was tart with a noticeable tannic component, meaning it felt a little rounder and tongue-bitey.

Initially, the strawberry reduction on the crostinis was very sweet and a bit overwhelming. The tart wine acted well as a palate cleanser between bites. The sweetness and acidity from the balsamic strawberry reduction overpowers the subtleness of the feta blend. However, after messing with the ratio of cheese to strawberry on the crostini, I found the perfect bite to pair with the wine. Increasing the cheese blend brought the creaminess to the forefront, and the sparkling Rose really elevated that salty creaminess from the feta, lending it a smoother mouthfeel and sweetness.

Course #2

While my friend Sophie wanted to take on the main course for this meal, she did not actually leave herself enough time to cook. As a result, we were forced to eat Digiornio three meat pizza with a rising crust. However, she made up for it with the wine: Cantine Castelvecchio Piemonte Rosso, a red blend from Italy. The wine was $8 from Kroger, and had 13% ABV.

The color of the wine was a medium ruby. It had a pretty potent fruity aroma of black cherry, blackberry, and blueberry. There was also plenty of heat on the nose from the alcohol. It also smelled somewhat of baking spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

The taste on its own was very pleasant. It had a light body and was very smooth. It was a dry wine and had a slight tannic component, but was very easy to drink. The main flavors noted were fruit: blackberry and cherries. However, there was also a strong aftertaste of baking spices. In my opinion, the wine was lacking a bit of a backbone, and could have benefited from more acidic or tannic components.

With the pizza, it tasted a bit more acidic which I liked. The wine was so smooth and light that it felt a little bit like drinking Kool-Aid with pizza. Not that that's a bad thing, but I was appreciative that I could still detect the spicy, fruity character underneath it.

Course #3

Lastly, our pastry chef and Zeppoli plug Jessica brought freshly made cannolis. We paired this with a Geyser Peak Chardonnay, vintage 2020. The wine comes to us from California, it retails for around $30, and has an alcohol content of 13.5%.

The color was of a lovely golden hue and the bottle had been chilled prior. The aroma was rich and tropical, with notes of pineapple, mango, and guava. And the taste... the taste was heavenly. This may be my new favorite Chardonnay. It had a cool, thick, honeyed texture and a silky mouthfeel. It had a heavy full body with very subtle tropical fruit flavor. It was surprisingly only slightly acidic.

They were an unexpected hit with the cannolis. Once the mascarpone cream of the cannoli reaches the wine, whatever acidic component was there instantly evaporates. The only thing you can taste is smooth honey and dark chocolate. This may be my favorite pairing of the year, and one I was not prepared for. This meal was the perfect way to end this assignment and my time in this course. 

Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio 2021

While I was home last to visit my parents, my mom and I bonded over our newfound love for wine. I had always known her to drink dry, oaky California Chardonnays, but it seemed that she had moved on to Pinot Grigio since I saw her last. We decided to open a bottle of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, vintage 2021. The wine comes from delle Venezie (, a geographic location situated in northwestern Italy. The wine retails for $12 online, and has an alcohol content of 12.5%.

From community reviews found on the website Vivino, the wine tastes of pear, green apple, and mineral. It also has a scent of white peach, with ripe cantaloupe and lemon zest. It is described as crisp and refreshing, with citrus notes.

My personal review is only slightly different. It was a very light yellow in color, and we had it chilled beforehand. The aroma was very fruity and sweet, almost tropical. It was a light but firm scent of peach, lemon, and even a sweet citrus like pineapple. What struck me about it upon tasting was the light and silky body. The sweetness of this wine is what I would consider to be off-dry; it was perfectly sweet to me. There was plenty of acidity present in this wine, with strong flavors of pineapple and guava, but surprisingly no peach. There was a certain minerality to it, perhaps slate. It was kind of tart, and only a tad astringent. 

According to page 149 of the text Wine Folly, Pinot Grigio (otherwise known as Pinot Gris) has flavors of white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, and crushed gravel. They have a wide range of sweetness, from dry to semi-sweet, and usually have a medium amount of acidity. The body is typically light and tannins are next to none.

Monte Degli Angeli Pinot Noir 2021

I realized the other day that I was almost to the end of this course, and had not tried one Pinot Noir. In order to rectify this travesty, I picked up a bottle of Italian Pinot Noir from the Vintage Cellar: Monte Degli Angeli (Mountain of Angels) Pinot Noir, vintage 2021, Baron's collection. It scored a 92 from wine critic James Suckling, cost about $14, and had an alcohol content of 13%. It comes from the Piedmont region of Italy and is a varietal wine made from the Pinot Noir grape.

According to the description put out by wine critic James Suckling, it is floral with fine tannins and a bright finish, as well as strawberry and stone notes. It is rich, silky, velvety, and soft with other fruit notes of cherry, raspberry, and tomato. Floral notes include violet and rose petal.

Upon opening and decanting the wine at room temperature, I noticed its deep ruby quality. The aroma given off was very fruit forward: cherry and plums with perhaps a hint of orange marmalade. There was also a subtle spiciness with floral notes, such as white pepper, sage, and hibiscus. The actual mouthfeel of the wine was delightful. It was medium-bodied and velvety smooth with soft tannins. It was slightly astringent, enough that I could feel the tannins sit on my tongue, but it was not off-putting.

The taste of the wine itself was fine. It was fruity and dry, with notes of cherry and plum. However, I believe it was missing some much needed acidity. It just came off kind of plain and dull; it needed complexity. It also had an interesting earthy aftertaste such as mushroom, but no real spice. For an old world style wine, it was actually pretty easy to drink which surprised me.

My friend and I enjoyed this bottle with some feta cheese stuffed olives, and that was a real treat. The olives really brought out the earthiness in the wine. The salt and fat from the olives boosted the perceivable sweetness of the wine, while downplaying the fruit quality. In combination, it gave the wine an even more appreciable mouthfeel.

From page 150 of Wine Folly, Pinot Noir is typically characterized by flavors such as cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. It is typically medium high in acidity, with medium to low levels of alcohol, body, sweetness, and tannins. Its the mid-range jumper of wines. This was a very inoffensive wine and I could see it pairing well with almost anything. However, next time I would try a bolder selection from somewhere like France or California.

Yalumba Y-Series Viognier 2021

Last week I got together with some friends to watch the hit-movie Sideways on HBO. We decided to enjoy our time with a glass of the Yalumba Y-Series Viognier, the 2021 vintage. I had heard that Viognier was a very floral white wine, and I was intrigued by what this might mean. It was a bit costly, about $17 at Vintage Cellar, and had an ABV of 13.5%. As a varietal wine, it is made from the Viognier grape. This particular bottle hails from South Australia.

From a review I found on wine.com, this wine has aromas of orange blossom with ginger, honeysuckle, and other floral notes. It is supposedly straw in color with green hues, elevating its flower forward nature. It is described as light and fresh, with apricot, fennel, white tea, and dried fig flavors.

We threw this bottle in the freezer for a bit to get a nice chill on it. It was a pale yellow in the glass that looked light green in a certain light. The aroma of this wine was off-putting to me: It had a strong, rough vegetable scent that I was not prepared for. In all honesty, it smelled like piss after eating asparagus. Not pee, piss, there's a difference. The taste was only a little better. It had a medium body that was kind of thick, which I found surprising. It tasted slightly herbal, with notes of bell pepper, tomato leaf, and very light honeysuckle. It did leave a grassy aftertaste however. The sweetness of the wine did help, it was what I would consider off-dry.

From Wine Folly page 186, Viogniers are described as rich oily white wines. Common flavors of this varietal include tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle, and rose. There was no fruit characteristic to this particular brand that we could detect. Perhaps it would pair well with an Asian dish, but it was pretty rough on its own. For the price, I definitely would not buy again.

Anciano Tempranillo Clasico 2020

I wanted a rich red wine that was high in tannins, and so the good people at Vintage Cellar directed me to the Anciano Tempranillo Clasico, vintage 2020. This wine comes to us from Valencia, Spain. Most Tempranillos are a Spanish affair, and my knowledge in Spanish wines is severely lacking. The bottle was modestly priced at $9 and had an alcohol content of 13%.

From reviews I found online, this wine is described as having fruit notes of cherry and plum. It is noted as being smooth and silky with a medium body and soft, supple tannins. They also say it has a fruity aroma with a hint of spice.

Upon opening, I noticed the wine to be a pale purple color. The aroma was interesting: it was fruit forward as described with strong cherry and plum notes. However, it also smelled a bit like a nice perfume, perhaps due to the alcohol. It also had interesting secondary scents like acacia, cedar, and especially potting soil. It had a surprisingly light body, with a refreshing acidity. It tasted earthy and slightly astringent. It was dry, with flavors of tart cherry, blackberry, and a floral component that was hard to place. The closest I could come to identifying it was it tasted slightly of rosemary.

Tempranillos, according to Wine Folly page 175, have medium tannins, alcohol, body, and acidity with minimal sweetness. I found it to be in great balance. Common notes of this wine are cherry, dried fig, cedar, tobacco, and dill. It was a very interesting experience, and one that I would try again.

Rue de Perle Bordeaux 2020

Another wine that I enjoyed with family while I was home was the Rue de Perle Bordeaux vintage 2020. I got this bottle from Kroger for $10. My intention was to prepare Coq au Vin for my family with it, but I had a little bit left over so I thought "What the hell, guess I'll drink it." The wine comes from Bordeaux, France and has an ABV of 14.5%. Bordeaux is a red blend that consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc grape varietals.

From reviews online, this particular vintage has a lovely dark fruit aroma. It is a medium-bodied red with cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and spice notes. I decanted this bottle for 30 minutes before cooking with and drinking it. The aroma consisted of raspberry, blackberry, and spices such as clove and cinnamon. It also had hints of chocolate and boysenberry.

I myself thought the wine was rather full-bodied. It was very dry and astringent, which I would contribute to high tannins. It was a rather dark purple as well. However, it was fruity with strong blackberry flavor along with spice. It was actually rather easy to drink, and pretty enjoyable. It was the perfect dry red to use in my dish and it really elevated the earthy flavor of the mushrooms.

According to page 83 of Wine Folly, a Bordeaux blend typically has flavors ranging from blackcurrant and black cherry, to graphite, chocolate, and dried herbs. It is usually a wine high in tannins and body, which I agree with. I think I would buy this reasonably priced bottle again.

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz 2021

I bought the Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz vintage 2021when I was home for Spring Break visiting my parents. My intention was to pair this wine with the Coq au Vin I was cooking for my family. This particular wine comes from South Africa, and I acquired the bottle for $12 at Kroger. It had an alcohol content of 12.5% ABV and is a varietal wine that consists of Syrah grapes.

According to reviews online, this wine is semi-sweet with fresh fruit characteristics. It has notes of ripe berry with dark chocolate undertones. It is also said to be perfectly balanced between sweet and acidic, and pairs well with food.

I decided to have this wine chilled before serving. The aroma was very berry forward: raspberry, blueberry, boysenberry, and lots of sugar. It had a very fruity nose which I figured would translate into the flavor of the wine.

Upon tasting, it was extremely sweet, almost like a dessert wine. It was smooth like a grape juice and medium bodied. It was a bit astringent and dried my tongue out, but not too much. The acidity was fairly high initially, but got less acidic and sweeter as it warmed up. For a wine that calls itself Jam Jar, it definitely delivered on being jammy and fruity. However, I did not feel it was the right pairing with the earthy notes of my dish.

From Wine Folly page 172, Syrah grapes usually exhibit notes of blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn. However, this was not a very complex wine. The flavors best used to describe this wine are berry and sugar. I did not taste any hints of chocolate or other herbals from this brand.