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! :)