Dinner - Simple meal

 

Welcome to my first wine dinner blog. The three wines acquired to accompany the 3-course meal were:

Course one: Charcuterie Board

Wine 1: Spanish Rioja

• Name: CVNE Rioja
• Variety: Tempranillo
• Region: La Rioja
• Country: Spain
• Vintage: 2019
• price: $14.35
• Label Description: CVNE is committed to respecting nature and the environment. This wine is produced from handpicked tempranillo grapes using organic farming practices

This wine was chosen for this first course as it is a semi-dry wine with medium-high acidity. This was important as it was paired with cheeses and meat. The acidity of the wine cuts through the fats of the cheese and meats.

Charcuterie board contents:

• Sliced homemade french baguette
• Cheese
• Cheddar (I haven't delved into the realm of cheese, so I started off with a simple cheese)
• Butterkase (A german cheese 
• Meat
• Uncured beef salami
• Proscuitto

Personal tasting notes

The wine in general: I chose to decant this, following the tips given in the wine folly textbook. Trying this wine before decanting, you get red berries like cherry. I didn't get a lot of the vanilla notes mentioned in the text until it was decanted, allowing you to really see through the initial acidity and access those softer undertones.

The wine with charcuterie: To be honest, I did not really enjoy the wine with the cheddar. It made everything taste sour and acidic. With the butterkase, as it is more of a fatty cheese, the wine became very smooth. It also made the cheese taste incredibly creamy

Second Course: Grilled chicken with garlic roasted potatoes

Wine 2: New Zealand Sauvignon blanc

• Name: Sea Pearl
• Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
• Region: Marlborough
• Country: New Zealand
• Vintage: 2022
• price: $13.45
• Label Description: This  Sauvignon Blanc is full of fresh aromas and flavors of citrus, passion fruit, and grassy notes. Its medium body and crisp acidity allow it to pair well with a variety of dishes, including summer salads, spicy Asian cuisine or grilled fish &seafood.

This wine was chosen for this course as the citrusy notes really emphasize the herbs in the potatoes and chicken. Though it is also extremely light so it doesn't overpower anything only adds to it

Main course contents:

• Roasted chicken
• Oregano 
• thyme
• salt
• pepper
• Maple garlic roasted potatoes
• Vanilla infused maple syrup
• oil
• oregano
• pepper 
• garlic

Personal tasting notes

The wine in general: This smelt great, tasting the wine on its own while I was cooking this meal got me extremely excited. On the nose, it really gave me the same vibes as my backyard, Fresh cut grass, as well as sour tropical fruits and berries, mostly lime and passionfruit (my favorite fruit by the way) . Drinking the wine it is very acidic, but not in a bad way. I find the wine extremely balanced and delicious, this wine may be a go to in the future for me. 

Wine with the meal: Immediately drinking this wine with the food, it is almost magical to me, i don't know how else to explain that. The acidity and fruitiness of the wine really dances with the herbal nature of the actual dish, making the wine a lot more mellow, and brings all of the passionfruit. It also makes the chicken taste delightful. 

Third course: New York style cheesecake

  Wine 3: tawny port

• Name: Maynards Aged Tawny porto
• Variety: Touriga Franca
• Region: Oporto
• Country: Portugal
• Vintage: 20 year old
• price: $33.25
• Label Description: Honouring the ehistory of Walter Maynard, this fine aged tawny shows deep amber hues in the glass. Enjoy its silken texture and long, rich nut-laden finish lightly-chilled as a pre-dinner drink or indulge in a glass when the occasion warrants.

Personal tasting notes

The wine in general:  Main notes of this wine was raisin, and a bit of vanilla on the nose. The taste is more reminiscent of ripe apricots and raisins, I don't get much vanilla or caramel on the taste.

Wine with the meal: When drinking this wine with the cheesecake, it almost tasted like a completely different wine. The caramel and vanilla are really accentuated by the soft cream cheese from the cake. The wine becomes this super wide open palette to allow for the food to dictate where it goes, though it is not entirely submissive.

Me and the winner of tonight's tasting!

Thank you for reading!