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.