Wine Dinner #1

Last Friday, myself and four of my friends had our first wine dinner. We decided to do something of an Italian dinner, which consisted of bread and oil for an appetizer, Chicken Penne alla Vodka for the main course, and chocolate cake for dessert. With this in mind, we made a journey to the Vintage Cellar and asked one of the employees what they thought would pair best with each course. They recommended pretty much anything for bread, a white wine for the main course, and a rich red wine for the dessert. We settled on a Pinot Noir for the appetizer, a Chardonnay for the main course, and a Port for the dessert. 

Below I will give a description of each dish, wine, and how they paired. 

Appetizer

Food: French style baguette with olive oil. I used extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned it with ground pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. 

The bread was typical baguette. A bit salty and dry, with a tough crust. The oil added some perceived moisture, spice from the pepper and oregano, as well as a bit of tartness from the balsamic reduction. 

Wine: Beringer Pinot Noir, California, 2020

The wine was a medium to dark ruby color, and was almost completely opaque. On the nose I got tart, almost balsamic vinegar smell at first, which I think was due to me having just prepared the reduction. I also got notes of red fruit, specifically raspberry. On my first I immediately noticed the astringency. The wine was medium bodied, with notes of light fruit, I specifically noted clementine. It had a quick finish with a hint of spice. Pairing the two, I didn't notice much of a difference in the bread, but I did for the wine. With the bread and oil, the wine lost some of its fruity flavors and the spiciness was more prominent. Overall, my friends and I greatly enjoyed the food, wine, and pairing of the two. I would definitely have this appetizer with a future meal. 

Main Course

Food: Chicken Penne alla Vodka

Wine: Robert Hall Chardonnay, Paso Robles, California, 2019

My roommate made the Penne alla Vodka at home, using store bought ingredients, and a recipe he found on the internet. I think he did a pretty good job. The noodles were cooked correctly, and the sauce was creamy with a little bit of spice. The chicken was a tad dry, but the sauce made up for it. I would definitely have it again. The wine was a light golden color and was very clear. I got scents of light fruit, including pineapple, apple, and pear. on the palate I got a somewhat buttery sensation, characteristic of oaked California Chardonnay. I also got notes of apple and pear, with a medium length finish.  With the dish, I found that the wine lost some of its fruity flavor, becoming more bitter. The pasta became much more spicy when paired with the wine, which I quite enjoyed. Myself and my friends enjoyed this part of the meal, and it was probably the best example of wine changing the nature of the dish I noticed throughout the meal.

Dessert

Food: Chocolate Tuxedo cake

Wine: Taylor Fladgate Fine Ruby Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal  

The cake we got was store-bought. It was a tuxedo style cake, with multiple layers of different alternating being white and dark chocolate. The cake was good on its own, not being to rich. However, I was pretty full from the previous courses, so it took me a while to finish my slice. The port wine was very dark red and opaque. On the nose, I got a good amount of alcohol, along with rich notes of red fruit and sweetness, almost like grenadine syrup. On the palate I was hit with a wall of sweetness and dark/red fruit. The wine was full bodies, both due to the richness of the flavor and the strength of the alcohol. This was the first time I'd ever tried port, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Though I did like it, I would not want to have more than a glass of it at a time, given how rich it was. Paired with the cake, I didn't notice a big difference in the taste of either. The wine was a little bit sweeter, with a slightly different flavor profile, more like raspberries. I think that this pairing was not ideal. I think we should have chosen a lighter bodied wine, or a richer cake. This does leave me wanting to try more dessert and wine combinations.

All together, I enjoyed the experience of the wine dinner. Finding the wines and the ingredients for the food was a fun little adventure, and having a dinner at home with friends was a pleasant departure from my typical quick and cheap college student meals. I look forward to the next couple of wine dinners!