Tasting - Masseria Pertuso Avelium White Blend

 

This wine is the 2019 Masseria Pertuso Avelium from Puglia, Italy and it was $9. It is a white blend of 90% Bambino Bianco and 10% Chardonnay. 

Online tasting notes say "Avelium 2019 has appealing apples and pear drop aromas and a fresh crisp palate." Wine folly does not have a page for Bambino Bianco, but describes chardonnay as medium body and acidity, no tannins, dry, with notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter.

From my tasting, I found it had a pale yellow color and had aromas of pear, green apple, and floral notes especially honeysuckle. Upon tasting, it was smooth, dry, acidic, rounded, and full bodied. 

Wine Dinner #3

 For this dinner, we started with an appetizer of feta yogurt and strawberry balsamic reduction on sourdough crostinis paired with Simonet Rose Sparkling Wine. The sparkling wine was a pale copper color and was $12. It had aromas of strawberry and cidery apple. The taste was very light and crisp. It was off dry, tart, and had light tannins and acidity. With the feta and strawberry, it was a fairly nice pairing. This crispness of the wine cut the sweetness of the strawberry, and the creaminess of the feta contrasted nicely with the light, crisp wine.

Next was a Digorno three-meat pizza paired with a Castelvecchio Piedmonte Rosso which was $8. The wine was a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. It had a medium ruby color and had aromas of black cherry, blackberry, nuttiness, and baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It tasted very smooth, with a medium body and slight tannins. It was very fruit forward and balanced, and easy drink. With the pizza, it was a very neutral pairing, not much added or lost. If anything there was a bit more acidity when tasting with the pizza, but the wine was so smooth I barely noticed. 

For dessert, we had homemade chocolate chip cannolis with a Geyser Peak Chardonnay which was $29. The wine was a stunning golden yellow and smelled very tropical, lots of mango, pineapple, and guava coming through. Upon tasting, it was silky smooth with the tropical fruitiness making the wine sweet, but not overpowering. It had a fully body, no tannins and medium acidity. With the cannoli, it removed most if not all acidity from the wine, and made it a bit sweeter as well. The chocolate with the tropical fruit was a beautiful flavor combination. Best pairing of the night in my opinion. 

Tasting - Luna di Luna

 

This is the Luna di Luna Red Blend from 2020. It was $7 and has a 12% abv. It is a blend of 10% Merlot and 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from Veneto, Italy. Tasting notes from tastings.com describe it as "Dusty ruby color. Aromas of diced bell pepper, cherry jam, and moss with a satiny, crisp, dry-yet-fruity light body and a silky, brisk juicy plum and toast finish with light oak flavor. A juicy Italian red that will easily pair with weeknight meals."

Wine folly describes cabernet sauvignon as full bodied, dry, medium-high tannins, medium acidity, with notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. Wine folly describes merlot as medium-full bodied, bone-dry, medium-high tannins, medium acidity, with notes of cherry, plum, chocolate, bay leaf, and vanilla.

From my tasting, I found it to have a dark ruby red color. It had aromas of cherry, baking spices, and even licorice. Upon tasting, I found it to be dry with medium body and medium tannins, but a bit higher on the acidity than expected. It was very fruit forward, but also earthy with some notes of leather and spices. I also tried this wine with feta-stuffed olives, which made the wine very smooth and mellow.

Tasting - The Y Series Viongnier

 

This is the 2021 Y Series Viognier. It retails for $17 and is from Southern Australia. The tasting notes claim it is "attractive, floral, heady, perfumed aromas of peach & apricot skins. The wine is dry with loads of peach & pear fruit & an underlying pineapple freshness. It is medium to full bodied with quite rich, oily fruit supported by fresh acidity that cuts through giving balance. There are exotic notes of tropical blossom. Alcohol is balanced to warm & the freshness ensures the flavors last." Wine Folly describes a Viognier to be an off-dry, medium bodied white wine with notes of tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle, and rose. From my tasting, I found the color to be a pale yellow, and the aroma to be... generally unpleasant. I finally understood Boyer's description of "cat pee" with this wine as my initial thought after smelling it was "this smells like a diaper". Other than the diaper smell, I noticed some aromas of pear and vegetal scents like asparagus and grass. The taste was much better than the smell, thankfully, with more vegetal and herbal notes showing, as well as some honeysuckle notes. It had a medium body and was dry to off-dry. Although, I don't understand the peach and apricot that the tasting notes described. This was definitely a different experience than most white wines I've tried, but as a drank it grew on my more and I am excited to try more wines to open up my palate a bit more. 

Tasting - Mondavi Cabernet Sauvingion

 

This is the 2021 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon. It was $12 and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dunnigan Hills AVA in California, USA. The tasting notes of this wine say it is "rich with cherry and blackberry flavors that are perfectly balanced with a hint of oak and a long fruit finish." Wine folly claims an average cab sav will have black cherry and black currant notes, with a full body, medium-high tannins, and medium acidity. From my tasting, I found it to have a deep purply red color with a fruit forward scent. Upon tasting, the blackberry and cherry notes came through strongly with an oaky, woody aftertaste. It had a full body that was pleasantly tannic but balanced, with a slight acidity. Overall, a very pleasant wine. 

Wine Dinner #2

 This wine dinner included three courses: Bruschetta with a Zinopolis Zinfandel, burgers with a Breca Garnacha, and Sfogliatelle with a Barrel Oak Goldie. 

First was the 2020 Zinopolis Zinfandel. This wine had a medium purpley red color, and smelled strongly of red fruit, specifically raspberry and cherry. Upon tasting it, the notes of red fruit came through strongly, with some spicier notes as well, specifically cloves. It was somewhat full bodied, dry, and tannic, with some slight vegetal notes. When tasting it with the bruschetta, the clove flavor came through even more, as well as some of the fruitier elements. What really made this pair great was how the acidity of the tomatoes cut the tannins of the wine and made the pairing very balanced.

Second was the 2016 Breca Grenacha. This wine had a brownish ruby color. From smelling it was very fragrant and perfumey, with notes of blackberry and cherry, and was very jammy. Upon tasting, it was very fruit forward with the jammy blackberry and cherry coming through, as well as some citrus notes, It was definitely full bodied, dry, and tannic, with some acidity coming through as well. My initial tasting with the cheeseburger was fairly simple, the tannins were a bit stronger and the berry flavors did not show as much. However, when my tasting partner and friend mentioned that his burger had mustard on it and he noticed a lot more complexity, I immediately added some spicy honey dijon mustard to my burger. When I tasted the wine again after a bite of my mustardy burger, my world was changed. Suddenly, the was a distinct sweetness to the wine I had not noticed before, while maintaining the strong tannic structure, The mustard on the burger also amplified the fruitiness and spice I had been tasting before. Overall, a very good pairing with the proper toppings.

The last wine was a 2013 Barrel Oak Goldie. This wine had a gold straw color, that was very fitting for its name. It smelled strongly of green apples, as well as pear, citrus, grassy, and melon. It is a blend of 50% Traminette, 50% Petit Manseng. Upon tasting, there was a very strong honey flavor and was only slightly acidic, but definitely very sweet, as it is a dessert wine. It had a medium to light body and also tasted of green apple, citrus, and melon especially honeydew. We paired this with a sfogliatelle, which is a traditional southern Italian pastry with a orangy citrus, creamy ricotta filling. The honey flavor complimented the crunchiness of the pastry well, and since the pastry is not overly sweet is was a delightful pairing. The citrus of the wine with the orange pastry filling was magnificent and it made a great dessert for our dinner. Alone, this wine was very sweet, but with the subtlety of the pastry it balanced very well.

We had a great night with each of our food and wine pairings, and I think we are definitely getting better at knowing which wines to bring for which types of food! 

Wine Dinner #1

 

My stunning chef/wine snob friends

Cheers! Featuring Cole and his goofy smile :)

For our first wine dinner, we had a casual night where we each prepared a dish and brought a wine to go with it. The three dishes and wines we had were a chicken and spinach alfredo pizza with a balsamic glaze that we ate with a Pinot Grigio, linguine with clams paired with a Vouvray, and finally a vanilla crème brûlée paired with an Aged Tawny Port. 

The first wine was the 2021 Jermann Pinot Grigio. It had an aroma of citrus, apple, pear, and honeysuckle. Upon tasting, it was off-dry with a medium body and fairly smooth, with the crisp apple and honeysuckle flavors coming. Paired with the pizza, it brought out some acidity in the wine that cut the alfredo cheesiness and some woody flavors when I got a big bite of the fluffy crust. The balsamic glaze amplified the fruitiness and added some tartness as well. Overall, this was a beautiful pairing and I compliment my friend Jess on her amazing chef skills.

Next is the 2021 Vignobles Lacheteau Vouvray which is of the varietal chenin blanc, and a Trader Joes exclusive that I brought with me from my home in Virginia Beach. This is my favorite wine and I drink it very regularly, but I tried to approach this tasting with an objective viewpoint. It had an almost perfumed aroma that was bright and appley. It was super smooth, semi-sweet, and not at all acidic. We paired this with linguine with clams that I prepared using some of this wine. This dish is a staple in my family so I got this recipe directly from my Napoletano father. The sauce is mostly clam juice and pasta water that is thickened and flavored with thinly sliced onion and lots of garlic. The onion helps to bring out the sweetness and fruitiness of the wine, while the garlic and clams make the wine feel more buttery in the mouth. The wine also helps to bring out the saltiness of the clams and pasta. As objective as I tried to be, this pairing is my all time favorite meal and I highly recommend it. Let me know if you want the recipe ;)

For dessert, we tasted a Maynard's Aged Tawny Port that was bottled in 2022, but aged for ten years and is a blend of 30% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Touriga Nacional & 20% Other. Immediately after opening the bottle, the scent of alcohol was thick, that was only enhanced when swirled. It also smelled strongly of caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla. These flavors came through in the tasting, though the vanilla seemed more artificial, like a vanilla extract. It was sweet, smooth, and thick, but not quite heavy, more medium body but on the heavy side. The crème brûlée was delicious but unfortunately did not have enough time in the fridge to set completely. Unfortunately, the port was completely overpowered by the sweetness of the crème brûlée. The port was somewhat sweet, but with an abv of  20%, the only thing you could taste was the straight alcohol, I couldn't even finish my glass (especially since I had to drive home afterwards). We poured our glasses just after opening, using an aerator, but perhaps the bottle just needed more time to breathe and mellow out. I think this port would pair better with a less sweet dessert so you can truly appreciate the various flavors and complexity. 

Overall, this was a fun experience! We all enjoyed cooking and sharing some our favorite dishes together and researching what we should pair with our chosen dish. Despite the somewhat unfortunate ending, it was a successful dinner! :)