Wine Dinner Blog due 3/20

Wine Dinner Blog 

Course 1: Bruschetta and Pinot Grigio

My friends (photographer not in geography of wine) and I began our meal with an appetizer of bruschetta. Salt, pepper, basil, tomatoes, garlic sautéed in olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette on a toasted baguette. We paired this dish with Cavit Pinot Grigio (2020, $6) (far left in picture above). We only had Burgundy glasses and used them for all three wines. This was a varietal wine imported from Italy. The aroma of the wine smelled strongly of apple with hints of pear. These flavors were also evident when tasting the wine, and were accompanied by hints of lemon. When pairing the wine with the bruschetta, the food covered the taste of apple but made the citrus flavors more pronounced. The wine did not pair well with the food; it made the tomatoes taste almost bitter. This wine had no tannins and medium-high acidity. I think the acidity is what led to the poor taste of the tomato. Since both tomatoes and the wine were acidic, it made both flavors overwhelming. I think that the wine overpowered the food and I would not pair these two again. Instead, I would try pairing this wine with a less acidic dish. I have heard that sushi pairs well with pinot grigio and since sushi rarely has acidic flavors, I would love to try that pairing.

Course 2: Pesto Pasta and Sauvignon Blanc

Our second meal was pesto pasta which we paired with a varietal Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (2021, $13) (middle in the picture above) from Marlborough, New Zealand. I made the pesto and added lemon juice. The wine smelled very peachy, crisp, and grassy. When we tasted it, it was initially very peachy and crisp and continued with tropical flavors of pineapple and passionfruit. It was a very good wine in my opinion. The food mellowed out the crisp aspect of the wine and made it taste less tropical, specifically less like pineapple. The food allowed the wine to keep its peachy taste and hints of passionfruit also lingered. The wine brought out the lemon flavor of the food. The wine had low-mild acidity, which I think allowed it to accentuate the lemon flavors in the food. It had no tannins and a medium body. I thought the wine paired well with the food since they brought out opposite flavors in each other (acidity in the food, more neutral flavors in the wine), but the food slightly overpowered the wine and I would have liked to taste more of the tropical elements throughout the meal. If I were to pair this wine with food again in the future, I might pair it with roasted vegetables seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice.

Course 3: Lemon Cake with Prosecco

Our dessert was a lemon cake with (an invisible) lemon glaze on top. We paired it with La Marca prosecco from Italy (year unspecified, $13) (far right in the picture above). This prosecco is made from the Glera grape in Treviso, Italy. The wine smelled of green apple, peach, and citrus, and tasted overwhelmingly citrusy. I did not pick up on any green apple flavors and only tasted the smallest hint of peach. The cake complimented the wine and made it taste lighter and more like citrus. The wine also complimented the cake by pleasantly bringing out the lemon flavor and making it taste sweeter. This wine had low-mild acidity, but the sweetness of the cake exaggerated its citrusy taste. It had no tannins and a small-medium body. This was my first time pairing sparkling wine with dessert and I think the sparkling effect further contributed to the opposing flavors. I thought that this prosecco and the lemon cake paired very well together and I would definitely pair them again in the future. 

After trying these three white wines, I can confidently say my favorite was the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and I would like to try pairing it with other light dishes this spring and summer.