Wine Dinner #2

Appetizer: We first started the three course meal off by opening the three bottles of wine a couple hours beforehand. I have found over the last couple weeks that doing this allows the wine to breathe and takes some of the heat from the alcohol away so you can just focus on the flavor profile. The first course included my mom's homemade meatballs that featured sirloin veal pork. I felt that the acronym wine went very well with the meatballs because they were both pretty sweet. I especially like the vanilla component to the wine and thought it went very well with the veal component of the meatballs. 

Name: Acronym

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 

Region: California

Country: United Staes

Year: 2012

Price: $10.00

Winery Review: "The Acronym Cabernet Sauvignon is a laid back red loaded with dark fruit character and a hint of spice. This Cab can be paired with heartier fare or enjoyed simply on its own. 

My Review: This wine had a big plum and vanilla component on my pallet and finished with a little taste of spice.

Creamy Skillet Lasagna:  This dish consisted of campenelle pasta, tomato sauce, turkey, and an array of different spices including oregano, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil. We paired with this a Cabernet Sauvignon from the great continent of Australia. This cab sauv did not go as well with the pasta as I would of thought. Both the wine and pasta were strong in their respective taste. The pasta had a lot of spice and the wine packed some heat. I would of like it if the wine brought down the taste of the pasta a little as I am not a big fan of spicy food.

Name: Benefactor Cellars
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 
Region: South Eastern
Country: Australia
Year: 2012
Price: $5.95
Winery Review: "A juicy, ripe and fresh Cabernet Sauvignon, with notes of cola, cherry pie topping and fig paste. Surprisingly fresh with acid to balance out the pancake syrup, charcoal and plum cake flavors."

My Review: We tasted this wine right when we opened the bottle and it had a very high tannin structure and therefore packed some heat. However after we let it sit for awhile, it calmed down a lot and we could pull out flavors of fruit and coke cola.

Dessert: For the last course we paired chocolate cake with a Chianti from Italy. The cake was very rich and needed something to take the richness off of it. The wine was able to do that a little. The wine has a chocolate component to it which I do not think paired well with chocolate cake. Too much chocolate!! However I did think the strawberry component of the wine paired excellently with the cake. I also enjoyed the saltiness of the wine with the cake.









Name: Gaetano D'Aquino
Variety: Chianti
Region: Firenze
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $4.95
Winery Review: " Dark red color, but with a big change to light magenta at the rim. The nose is of course young, and somewhat unyielding. What we do get is a brooding orange juice meets red fruit with some charcoal, graphite, and even mushroom aromas. Just barely medium bodied, there is plenty of reticent fruit needing air and bottle age to assert itself. A little too thin and weak to get a big score, this one is still basically complete and competent. The finish has graphite type dry tannins affecting the not so exertive black cherry and blackberry fruit."

My Review: The nose of this wine was very interesting. It had aromas of charcoal as well as a salted chocolate pretzel nose as well. The taste had a little strawberry and some other fruits in there as well. 

Wine Tasting (Week 13)

Name: Yealands Estate
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Seaview Vineyard
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "This aromatic wine shows lifted flavours of blackcurrant with underlying notes of wet stone and thyme. The palate is elegant yet full with sufficient weight and texture, balanced by a flinty minerality. This wine is a fantastic match with foods such as cheese salad, poultry dishes and a wide range of seafood dishes including freshly shucked natural oysters, prawns, green lip mussels and creamy scallops."
My Review: This wine had a distinct smell of vegetables and salted nuts. The taste did not reflect this however and had a small dark fruit taste on my pallet.

Name: Angrove
Variety: Viognier
Region: Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Winery Review: "Bright light straw in colour with some green hues, this wine has a lush ripe tropical fruit aroma. This is a fuller bodied white which fills the mouth with heady flavours of apricot, peach and citrus.  Angove Nine Vines Viognier is perfect for today's relaxed life-style and is the ideal accompaniment to grilled prawns with chilli and garlic or roast pork."

My Review: This was my first tasting of viognier and I was not impressed. The wine was clear as water and it tasted just like water, nothing. The wine had a little fruit on the nose. It packed a lot of heat on the finish. 

Name:  Ironstone 
Variety: Old Vine Zinfandel
Region: Lodi
Country: California
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "Grown in vineyards that are over 45 years old, this medium-bodied Zin has exceptional varietal character with lovely aromas of dark fruit and blackberry. Subtle pepper spice mingles with richly concentrated fruit flavors of blackberry, ripe plums and fresh red raspberries. Barrel aging created its smooth, silky finish and unprecedented depth.  A wonderful wine pairing for variety of dishes. Any type of meat - whether its pork, beef or game - is ideal with this wine. Cioppino is another amazing complement or try it with tomato-based pastas, hearty stews or a plate of strong, aged cheeses."

My Review: It is important to know I am not a big fan of zinfandel in the first place. This wine had a very interesting new store smell to it. This wine had really nothing for a taste component but it was a dry wine. 

Name: Rosemount Estate
Variety: Moscato
Region: Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2012
Price: $3.95
Winery Review: "Clear, medium-lemon yellow in appearance; lovely citrus and honeysuckle aromas with lemon, honeysuckle, apple and ripe yellow plum flavours. Serve chilled with angel food cake or fresh fruit and mild cheeses."
My Review: This wine was very clear and had a sugar smell on the nose. On the pallet this wine had a big lemon component to it and was a little citrusy. 

Name: Librandi Ciro
Variety: Rosso Classico
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: "Don’t let the pale garnet color fool you:  this is a substantial wine.  Aromas of red fruits and spice complement undertones of cranberries, wild berries, and plums.  On the palate, ripe tannins and good body make for an incredibly rich, yet easygoing red wine.  Pair this wine with sausage, spicy curry sauces, hot soppressata, and tandoori chicken."
My Review: This wine had a big fruit and chocolate component to the nose. However the wine was very dry and did not have much taste to me.