Wine Dinner Blog

 

This week, a few friends and I got together to try some food and wine pairings. Fortunately, my friend Mary's aunt lives in Blacksburg and decided to help us out in her kitchen! The three wines we selected for this even were Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. In selecting our food pairings, we did our best to compliment the flavors of the particular wines we bought.

Course 1: Crackers With Blueberry Goat Cheese and Boursin Paired With Cupcake Chardonnay

As we are all fans of white wines, we decided to pair different white with our food for our first wine dinner. Chardonnay is a new favorite of mine and I was excited to try it with food. The Chardonnay we selected was by the brand Cupcake and was in their 'Light Hearted' line which features lower calorie options. This particular Chardonnay was less oaky and creamy than other ones I have tried, but I was pleasantly surprised by the strong apple/pear undertones it still had. The buttery texture and fruit addition to the goat cheese paired greatly with this wine and helped me appreciate the fruity flavors of the wine more. I was not the biggest fan of the Boursin as it was very flavorful and overshadowed the Chardonnay in my opinion. All and all, this was a great first course that I would definitely indulge in again. 

Course 2: Blue Cheese Pecan Salad Paired With Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Our second course was a salad which we paired with the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. We thought the fresh grass cut flavors of this wine would go perfectly with the salad we prepared. The salad incorporated blue cheese, pecans, spring mix, and a light maple vinaigrette. Although both the wine and the salad were fantastic, I wished we prepared more of a tangy-lemony dish to go with the Sauvignon Blanc instead of a sweeter one like we did. This particular Sauvignon Blanc was recommended by Mary's aunt, who claims it's one of her favorites. When trying it, I definitely picked up on some of the traditional Sauvignon Blanc favors like lemon, herb and grass, but I also picked up on a few others. Specifically, I could sense some melon and grapefruit flavors on my palette. It was very acidic and full-bodied for a white, making me appreciate the flavors even more. I would like to purchase this wine again and pair it with a fresh seafood or chicken dish. 

Course 3: Lemon Chicken Orzo Paired with Sterling Pinot Grigio

The final course we indulged in was my favorite; a lemon chicken orzo with a Pinot Grigio. I haven't had too much Pinot Grigio since starting to drink wine but think it's one of my favorites after having this bottle. This particular Pinot Grigio paired perfectly with this dish was they were both citrusy and light, complimenting each other perfectly. Because the wine and dish had a lot of similar flavors, I was able to appreciate them more. Upon tasting this wine, I picked up on notes of apple and lemon. It was a very fresh and lighter bodied wine which went well with the lighter pasta dish. This was definitely the standout of the night and something I will make again in the future. I'd additionally like to try more Pinot Grigio's and find more food pairings to try with the wine. 

The biggest takeaway I got from having this dinner is how much I would like to do it again. Next month, we have made plans to try some reds with some foods and hopefully gain a new appreciate for more different types of wine.