Wine Dinner #2: 4/11/2014

Our Second Wine Dinner

I must day, this wine dinner was one of the best dinner's I have ever had! For my second wine dinner we did more research and actually asked for guidance on what type of wines would match with the dishes we had in mind to cook; and it helped TREMENDOUSLY. This wine dinner was phenomenal and the wines we paired with the foods we cooked/served really made this a tremendous experience.

Our three chosen wines

We had three different wine and food pairings: Wrongo Dongo Monastrell with a Manchego cheese, cracker, and Old Boar Ham paring; A Renwood red Zinfandel that went with a pulled pork Jack Daniels BBQ platter; and finally, an Avery Quinn Chardonnay that we paired with some Fettuccine Alfredo pasta. All of these were phenomenal together!

The Manchego cheese, Old Boar Ham, and Crackers appetizer

Me doing the swirl, sniff, and drink

The first pairing was the appetizer of the Wrongo Dongo Monastrell (aka Mourvedre) with some Manchego cheese, crackers, and Old Boar sliced ham. The Wrongo Dongo had a powerful, fruity nose with a bit of



berry aroma that I found quite pleasing. It was pretty dry b
ut had a long, pleasant finish. The Wrong Dongo had a thick, viscousy texture that was supple and fleshy yet, chewy. The pairing of the appetizer and Monastrell wine was absolutely amazing! The wine really enhanced the taste of the appetizer and vice versa. The thickness and taste of the Manchego cheese really helped with the taste of this wine and asserted itself in the finish. This pairing was absolutely worth it, and I give all the credit to one of the experts at the Vintage Cellar for recommending this pairing. The best word I could use to describe this pairing would be "POW!!!" because it absolutely knocks your socks off.

The Jack Daniels Pulled Pork BBQ

The second pairing was the red Renwood Zinfandel and the Jack Daniels pulled pork BBQ. This pairing was also PHENOMENAL! The Zinfandel had a full and fruity aroma that really enthralled me with this wine. I think this was my favorite of the 3 wines we had that night when it was drank by itself. The Zin was full-bodied  and had a spicy taste that was a little bitter. The Zin had a long, hot finish due to its high alcohol content. The pairing however, only made me love this wine even more. The BBQ and Zinfandel really were perfect together. It seemed that the pairing would enhance the good parts of each food/wine and minimize the bad parts; example- the Zin's  hot finish was minimized by the BBQ, but the sweetness of the BBQ was enhanced by the dryness of the Zin. I found it incredible how these two wines and foods could benefit so well to the palate. This was by far my favorite pairing of the night.

Johnny and T-Smalls Showcasing the Zin and BBQ

Me showcasing the Avery Quinn Chardonnay

The third pairing was the Avery Quinn Chardonnay and the Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta. The Avery Quinn Chardonnay had a sweet apple-juice/pear aroma. I thought of this wine as a summer wine because of its fruity aroma and sweet/smooth taste. This Chardonnay paired well with the Alfredo's creaminess but did not do much to enrich the flavor of the pasta and vice versa. The two most definitely pair well but lacked the same kick and luster of the prior two food pairings. I thought the creamy Alfredo overpowered the thin texture of the Chardonnay and neither benefited really from the other. Not a bad pairing though at all. It might have just been the "cheerleader effect" of the other two wines that made this pairing seem so much less adequate.

Trying to open the bottle
(Actually broke the cork inside)

Me and Johnny showcasing the Alfredo and Chardonnay
(Might have had a little buzz going by this time)

Feedback:
I learned a lot from this experience of matching and pairing wines with foods. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this and I believe this is a phenomenal idea that opens people's minds and palates. I enjoyed it immensely!