Wine and Dinner Blog #3

Wine and Dinner Blog
April 9, 2016
By: Lucy Becker

Happy Easter, for those of you who celebrate this holiday! I was so excited to travel home for the holiday weekend the other day, and fortunately for me, my family does immediate family dinners (which is myself, two sisters, mom, and dad) and extended family dinners on different days. So what a better time to do a wine and dinner blog! 

One fun fact about my family is that we go all out when it comes to holiday dinners. We have several appetizers, several main dishes, several sides, and several desserts. I am excited to share with you two of my family favorite dishes that are authentically passed from generation to generation.

To start off, let me introduce the wine varieties for the night.

• Chardonnay

• Pinot Noir

• Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Muirwood - Chardonnay (2021)

$14.99 

Arroyo Seco, Monterey

Total Wine Review: "Crisp aromas of lime peel and pear flesh are lively on the nose of this bottling. There's a firm tightness to the sip, where more citrus and pome fruit flavors align against a vibrant acidity."

Self Review: I have never had chardonnay and for some reason was under the impression that it was similar to champagne. I was surprised by the crisp taste, maybe on the edge of fruity and tart. I would drink this wine again.

Courtney Benham - Pinot Noir (2020)

$19.99

Napa Valley, California 

Total Wine Review: “A bold expression of classic varietal character. Rich and opulent, with layered dark fruit highlighted by delicately earthy smoke and spice notes.”

Self Review: I would describe this medium bodied wine as dry and cherry flavored. I think that is why I was originally drawn to it, other than the fact that the worker at the store told me it is paired with turkey and red meat well. 

Dubourdieu Liaison - Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (2019)

$16.99

Bordeaux, France

Total Wine Review: “This shows notes of dried apricots, sliced tangerines, dried flowers and raw almonds. It has a clean and delicate palate with sweet stone fruits and a flavorful finish.”

Self Review: Automatically like it the most out of all of the wines. I agree with the idea that all humans are attracted to sweeter beverages, and I was attracted to the sweet peachy taste. When I was at the wine store, the worker told me that this wine is best for desserts, so I will only be drinking it with my desserts for the night.

NOW…let’s get to the food! I am starving!

Appetizer: Charcuterie Board

My family and I are very strong believers that a person can never go wrong with a charcuterie board as a quick finger food snack before an appetizing meal. On this charcuterie board, I used colby jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, salami, pepperoni, and ancient grains rice crackers. 

Chardonnay:

• Colby Jack: I think the sweetness of the cheese is complemented by the wine. It makes the semi-hard cheese tangy and creates a creamy, smooth sensation in my mouth.

• Pepper Jack: In comparison to the colby jack cheese, the pepper jack contrasts the wine with spice to more of a dullness. The spice is subdued per the wine. 

• Pepperoni: The wine tones down the pepperoni flavor almost as if it was a palette cleanser. There was no lingering spice, as pepperoni usually does have an ongoing taste. They contradict each other, imperfectly perfect.

• Salami: The wine really brings out the salami taste and makes it more bold in a complimentary way. 

Pinot Noir: 

• Colby Jack: The sweetness of the cheese makes wine more bold in flavor, while also getting rid of any lingering wine taste after drinking. I think this cheese pairs better with the red wines as opposed to white wines. 

• Pepper Jack: I am a fan of spicy foods but wow wow wow did the pinot noir bring the  spice out more! After nibbling on some cheese and a sip of wine, I felt a burning sensation (possibly from the spices in the cheese brought out) specifically on the sides of my tongue.

• Pepperoni: To my surprise, I felt as though the wine contradicts the meat, and that the wine actually took the spice out of pepperoni. Like mentioned before with the chardonnay, I felt as though it was a palette cleanser. 

• Salami: This one blew my mind. The deep and strong flavors of the salami made it taste rich. There was a boldness and aids in both the wine and salami.

Main Dishes:

St. Mary’s Stuffed Ham - This main dish is a smoked ham stuffed with onion, celery, kale, cabbage, and red pepper flakes.

• Chardonnay: I think the crispness of the wine helped embrace the fattiness of ham. The salty flavors were brought out, without changing the wine. 

• Pinot Noir: Like the chardonnay, the body of the pinot noir brings out the fat. Only difference was I got a tingly sensation on my tongue from pepper spices after drinking the wine. 

Halupki (pork and beef stuffed cabbage rolls) - This main dish is stuffed cabbage rolls with a mix of ground beef, ground pork, rice, onion, and ketchup, inside cabbage leaves, covered with sauerkraut, cooked in tomato sauce/juice.

• Chardonnay: I believe the wine complimented the meat mix perfectly, while the savory taste of the sauerkraut and cabbage was heightened by the dryness of wine.

• Pinot Noir: This wine makes food taste differently as a whole. There is not a single factor that wasn’t affected by the taste of the wine - made the cabbage bitter, cleanse the palette with the meat mix. The tartness from wine dries out at the end.

Side Dishes:

Green Bean Casserole - The savory, creamy casserole that most families make for holidays with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french onions sprinkled in and on top.

• Chardonnay: This wine went so well with the creaminess of the casserole while complimenting the cream of the soup as well as the green bean flavor. They meshed well in my mouth, leaving a savory taste at the end, making me want more.

• Pinot Noir: On the other hand, the pinot noir made the casserole have a bitter and tart aftertaste. I would assume that it would pair well with the creamy mushroom soup, however it made it more of a palette cleanse. 

Red-Skin Potato Salad - A red potato salad mixed with onions, scallions, and celery covered in a white wine vinaigrette, olive oil, dijon mustard, and mayonnaise dressing. 

• Chardonnay: There was a major contrast with Dijon mustard. I think the crispness of the wine and the sour, tartness of the dijon mustard and white wine vinegar don't compliment each other. 

• Pinot Noir: The pinot noir leaves a bitter aftertaste. Similarly to the chardonnay, the wine doesn’t compliment the vinegar, Dijon, and mayonnaise. Maybe the dryness of the alcohol doesn’t mesh well with the starch and tart factors of the potato salad dressing.

Dessert: Bundt Cakes

Mini Bundt Cakes! Freshly made from Nothing Bundt Cakes in Northern Virginia. My personal favorite is the white chocolate raspberry, so for dessert that is what I had with my wine!

This is the time for the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc to shine! 

• Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: Right off the bat, amazing! As per usual, I love sweet wines.The sweetness in the wine also brings out the sweetness of the cake. It was a sugar party in my mouth. The two flavors of raspberry and chocolate were enhanced by the peachy, tropical wine.

• Chardonnay: This wine did not pair with this dessert well at all. It actually made my mouth very dry and made me gag a little bit. Definitely not a pair for dessert, but it is for dinner! 

• Pinot Noir: The pinot noir also dried my mouth out, however not the same reaction as it was with the chardonnay. It was more bearable, but I also noticed it dulled the sweetness of the dessert. Perhaps dry to sweet brings it back to a middle area.

Overall, I would count this wine and dinner pairings a success! I thought it was fun to do and interesting to experience all the flavors mixed together. Now, I know what works well and what doesn’t and will use this to future use.