Pairing Night #2 Hosted by the McDonald’s

Wine #1:  Girard 2011 Chardonnay Russian River Valley

First taste comments:

Bob “Oak or Steel?”

Andy, Karen “Steel”

Bob “Crisp. Not buttery.”
Becky “I think it has a butter finish”

Andy, Elizabeth “Smooth”

Karen “I don’t like the smell. Smells like straw.”

Mike “I don’t get straw from this”

Becky “I taste some apple – golden delicious”

Elizabeth “Crisp”

Robert “A tart aftertaste”

Winemaker notes:

Hints of toasted hazelnuts, orange blossom, honey, and lemon curd on the nose. Follows with a palate of lime rind and tangerine that lingers with a balanced body of acid and stone fruit. Pair this wine with roasted chicken spiced with toasted spice rub & paired with herbed potatoes and wild mushrooms.

Food #1 – Honey Lavender Goat cheese on thin water crackers



Comments:

Becky “I can taste the cheese in the wine!”
Elizabeth “More smooth. Less crisp.”

Karen “Smoother with the cheese. Less citris-y”

Mike “Makes the wine tart”

Robert “Good cheese! Didn’t change the taste of the wine much for me.”





Food #2 – Shrimp with lemon & capers on French bread

Comments:

Karen “I don’t think it changes the wine at all”

Mike “Tastes much better”
Elizabeth “Retains more of the flavor and crispness”

Robert “The wine is less tart with this food”

WINE #1 VOTES*

0: None

1: Karen, Becky, Elizabeth

2: Bob, Mike, Andy, Robert

Wine #2:  Girard 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel Napa Valley

First taste comments:

Andy “Thick….Dense sounds better. Full.”

Becky “Mocha or something…”

Andy “Plum”

Karen “I get wood. Oak-y”

Mike “Heavier”

Karen “A nice dryness”

Elizabeth “Surprisingly dry for a Zinfandel. Not sweet.”

Bob “It’s a Karen wine”

Karen “A sweet undertone”

Becky “A little spice to it”

Karen “This is a Stephen wine. When I drink it, I think of him.”

Robert “Pretty good. Not too sweet. Not too dry. Not Mehhh.”

Winemaker notes:

The Petite Sirah helps present a dark ruby color. The aromas offer dark chocolate covered cherries, lush blueberries and ripe plums. Winter spices and underlying layers of mocha round out this powerful wine. The tannins will present a soft structure and are well integrated in the wine.

Food #1 – Brushetta on crispy French bread

Comments:

Becky “Mellows out the wine. Smoother. Less spicy.”

Elizabeth “Decreased the boldness of the flavor”

Mike “I like the wine better without the food.”

Robert “Makes it sour at the end.”

Food #2 – Sweet Italian sausage on crisp French bread

Comments:

Becky “The spice is back!”

Karen “Makes the wine drier”

Andy “This wine is growing on me. At first it was a big contrast from the first wine”

Robert “Tarter but less sour”

WINE #2 VOTES*

0: Robert

1: none

2: Bob, Karen, Mike, Becky, Andy, Elizabeth

Wine #3:  Girard 2010 Petite Sirah Napa Valley

First taste comments:

Elizabeth “It’s smooth. I like it.”

Becky “I taste vanilla.”
Mike “That’s my word!”

Elizabeth “A little blackberry. And cocoa.”

Mike “Black currant & cherry”

Andy “Deep red fruit. Plums. Currants”

Bob “Tobacco”

Karen “Tart. Sour.”

Robert “A little tart. Not dry or sweet.”

Winemaker notes:

Aromatics unfold with olives, anise, coffee, thyme and dark fruits. On the palate the wine showcases a rich mouthful of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, blackberry cobbler, dusty cinnamon and mocha. The finish evolves with bright acidity and inky tannins that integrate with intense savory fruit. Recommended Food Pairings: Pour a glass with an espresso and cocoa rubbed pork loin.

Food #1 – Bleu Cheese on a Crostini

Comments:

Bob “It will tame the wild beast”

Becky “The cheese is so strong I can’t taste the wine”

Bob “Super with the cheese”

Andy “The bleu cheese is transformational”

Robert “It overpowers the wine”

Food #2 – Pork Tenderloin rubbed with cocoa and espresso on French bread & crushed tomatoes

Comments:

Bob “Good food. But doesn’t change the wine.”
Karen “Complements the wine”

Becky “The wine is harsher with the pork”

Robert “A nice aftertaste. Doesn’t take away from the wine.”

WINE #3 VOTES*

0: Mike

1: Bob, Becky, Elizabeth

2: Karen, Andy, Robert

* Legend

0 = Wine tastes best alone

1 = Wine tastes best with food #1

2 = Wine tastes best with food #2

FOOD & WINE Pairings - Check it out!

We started a new series of wine tastings this week which we are calling “Pairings”. The news “Rules” are as follows:

1.      The Host must provide 3 different wines

2.      At least two of the three wines must come from the same Vineyard or Winemaker

3.      Each wine will be paired with 2 different foods

Wine tasting steps:

1.      Taste the wine before eating any food

2.      Describe the wine

3.      The Host then reads how the winemaker describes the wine

4.      Taste the wine with each of the 2 foods chosen by the Host

5.      Votes are then cast according to the following legend:

a.      0 = Wine tastes best alone

b.      1 = Wine tastes best with food #1

c.      2 = Wine tastes best with food #2

NOTE: The wines are not hidden from view!!

Food and Wine Pairings #1!! Hosted by the Mealeys

Wine #1:  Simi 2011 Sonoma County Chardonnay

First taste comments:

Elizabeth “Good Chardonnay”

Andy “Crisp. Steel Barrel as opposed to oak”

Karen “It’s a Wayne Chardonnay”

 Jess “Good summer wine”

 Mike “Smooth”

 Bob “Buttery…but it’s not”

Becky “Refreshing. Almost an apple.”

Winemaker notes:

Brilliant clear straw in color, this glimmering Chardonnay displays tropical aromas of guava, pineapple, bright nectarine, peach, green apple, and citrus delicately spiced with toasty oak. Supremely balanced and well-defined, this refreshing wine's nectarine, peach, and lemon flavors are lifted by notes of orange blossoms and a hint of smoke—adding a toasted warm oak character that reveals itself as sweet vanilla, hazelnut, nutmeg, and smoky bacon—before transcending to a delicate, zesty tangerine finish.

Enjoy with homemade tagliatelle with spot prawns and lemon thyme butter sauce, seared scallops with goat cheese and summer truffle ravioli, or baked chicken thigh with saffron garlic sauce.

Food #1 - Salmon and Olive on Bread

Comments:

Elizabeth “The wine is more mellow and stronger now”

Karen and Lauren “I like it better with the salmon and olive!”

Food #2 - Pesto and fresh mozzarella on crunchy french bread

Comments:

Mike “The wine seems harder”

Jess “The wine is crisper with #2 than with #1”

Elizabeth “This food doesn’t hide the flavor as much. More original flavor”

Jess “True. The flavor comes through.”

Andy “Flavor more intense”

WINE #1 VOTES*

0: None

1: Bob, Karen, Mike, Kara, Lauren, Stephen, Andy

2: Becky, Jess, Elizabeth

Wine #2:  Simi 2009 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

First taste comments:

Lauren “Musty. No fruit in that. Made out of wood.”

Karen “Dry. Currant.”

Stephen “A little bit of legs”

Elizabeth “Definitely dry”

Bob “Like chewing on a tree. This is a Karen wine, Becky.”

Jess “Berry”

Becky “Tobacco”

Andy “Fig”

Lauren “Cherry”

Mike, Elizabeth, Bob “Blackberry”

Stephen “Acorn. Pinecones”

Winemaker notes:

The Simi 2009 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon follows up on its deep, dark garnet color with lifted aromas of clove, cinnamon, hints of cedar, mint chocolate, and toasty oak notes that beautifully frame dark fruit. Compelling flavors of cassis, blackberry and plum along with black pepper, cedar, and clove keep this dark and somewhat brooding wine from being too serious. This medium-to full-bodied Cabernet will bring out the best in roasted mushroom and wild nettle pesto pizza, or charcoal-grilled beef carpaccio with asiago-onion salad.

Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot

Food #1 – Bread with Camembert cheese

Comments:

Bob “Drinks like water”

Elizabeth “Cuts the dry-ness”

Mike, Karen “I don’t like that it cut it”

Bob to Mike “You like it dry Mr. Sweetie?!?”

Becky “I like the cheese!”

Jess “It mellows the wine”

Elizabeth “Evidently I like this wine with the cheese. It’s going down fast!”

Bob “Chug-a-lug”

Food #2 – Bread with Raw Tuna (from Fresh Market)

Comments:

Jess “That’s good tuna!”

Karen “I like it. It keeps the dry”
Kara “That’s weird. The cheese took the dry away, and the tuna brings it right back”

Jess “I think it’s a little too dry, so it’s better with tuna”
Becky “The bread is too soft”

WINE #2 VOTES*

0: Bob, Karen, Mike, Kara, Andy

1: Lauren, Stephen, Elizabeth

2: Becky, Jess

Wine #3:  Warre’s Warrior Port Wine Reserve

First taste comments:

Kara “Smells like booze”
Bob “Smells like a very good evening”

Mike “Sweet”

Jess “Oh, yummy!”

Karen “It’s just like…yum”

Lauren “Licorice! Cherries”

Elizabeth “and Blackberries”

Andy “and Twizzlers”

Becky “I feel it in my brain”

Winemaker notes:

Dark red colour, with a seductive rich perfume of ripe plums and cherries. On the palate complex, with an excellent structure and a long lingering finish. Warrior is delicious served at the end of a meal, for example with rich, nutty or chocolate desserts, as well as strong cheese. Although usually served at room temperature, Reserve Ports are equally delicious when served slightly chilled in hot weather

Food #1 – Bread with Bleu Cheese

Comments:

Mike “Tastes the same to me”

Elizabeth “Mellows out the flavor”

Karen “Makes it sweeter”

Becky “I agree. Too sweet.”

Food #2 – Chocolate (dark and milk) Covered Cherries

Comments:

Becky “Good with the chocolate. Spicier. Not sweet.”

WINE #3 VOTES*

0: Bob, Karen, Mike, Lauren, Andy, Elizabeth

1: none

2: Becky, Jessica, Stephen

Kara abstained from voting – She didn’t like it so couldn’t vote!

* Legend

0 = Wine tastes best alone

1 = Wine tastes best with food #1

2 = Wine tastes best with food #2