Wine Dinner 3

 Wine Dinner 3

We started with a Free Reign sauvignon blanc from California (2020, $6.99). This wine had strong aromas of peach with hints of tropical fruits and tasted very sweet and overwhelmingly peachy with a small body. Unfortunately, we did not chill this wine as long as it should have been chilled and I think it would've been much better had it been properly chilled. We paired it with a lemon and dill dip and whole wheat ritz crackers. I read that sauvignon blanc pairs well with lemon and herb flavors and decided this affordable option would be a good pairing. The food complimented the wine in my opinion making it taste less sweet and brought out a more savory flavor. When tasting the wine with the food I detected an oaky flavor in the wine that I had not previously tasted. The wine did not necessarily complement the food, though. It did not make the food taste bad, it just did not enhance the flavor. I think this was because the food had a stronger flavor than the wine which allowed the food to take more control of the wine's taste. Overall, I did not care for this wine. This was our third wine dinner with a sauvignon blanc and this was my least favorite one. If I were to pair this dish with a sauvignon blanc again, I would choose the Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc.

Our second wine was a Dellatorri Chianti (2020, $8.99) which we paired with a cheesy risotto and roasted asparagus with parmesan. The wine smelled strongly of cherry with hints of vanilla. It tasted very strongly of vanilla and blackberry with a hint of cocoa. The wine was not dry, but not terribly sweet either with a medium-full body, medium-high acidity, and medium tannins. This wine paired very well with the food and was my favorite wine of the night. The wine made the food taste even cheesier and creamy and the food enhanced the flavors of the wine bringing out more of the berry taste. Chianti is typically paired with rich cheesy, or high acid foods since it comes from the Tuscan region of Italy, so I chose to pair this wine with this heavy dish. I would definitely pair this wine with this meal again since the parmesan and olive oil on the asparagus, creamy risotto, and acidic wine all complimented each other. 

For our final pairing (with a special guest who had just gotten a spray tan), we chose a Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi that had been aged in a bourbon barrel. This wine smelled of berry, cherry, and bourbon and tasted strongly of vanilla and brown sugar. This wine was very sweet and had a medium-full body with medium-low acidity. The bourbon flavors were easily detectable and it created an interesting layer of flavor in the wine that lingered on the tongue. We paired this wine with a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. When tasting the wine on its own, I was concerned that the sweetness of the wine would not pair well with the cake but they paired very well. The flavors of vanilla paired well with the rich chocolate, and the food brought out even more of the bourbon flavors in the wine. I enjoyed this pairing and this wine since it did not taste like any wine I had tried before. I enjoyed tasting this wine, but I do not think I would purchase it again simply because it was so sweet and I prefer drier wines. If I were to purchase it again, I would most likely use it as a dessert wine again since I do not think its sweet flavors would pair well with savory dishes.