Wine Dinner Blog. Asian Fusion & Cheese Party

 This wine dinner party was a very spontaneous- yet  great event.  After shopping around Kroger me and 5 of my friends decided to do a dinner wine party!  The three wines chosen were

Name: Acronym

Variety: Blended White

Region: California

Country: California

Year: 2011

Price: 9.95

Name: Clos du Bois

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: California

Country: US

Year: 2011

Price: 13

Name: Monte Oton

Variety: Garnacha

YUMMM

Region: Moncaya

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

With the two reds we decided to eat 5 different cheeses. Kroger has this awesome selection of fine cheeses under $3 dollars. The Cheese we choose were Swiss, Creamy Goat,  Pepcorino Toscano,  Onion and Chive Cheddar, Smoked Gouda,  and a Garlic and herb cheddar.  

Wine and Cheese

The Clous du bois was AMAZING with the creamy goat cheese ! It was also good with the swiss and gouda- those cheeses seemed to have a creamier texture. On its own the Clos du Bois had alot of cherry and raspberry flavors with a hit of vanilla. The cheese seemed to bring out the fruitiness more and the wine balanced the heaviness of the cheese. 


The Monte Onton was better with the bitter cheeses. The wine had an earthier taste a little peppery and fruity and I found that that played off the bitterness of the drier cheeses like the toscano and the cheddar. 

Sweet & Sour Noodels & Fried Dumplings

From prior experience I know that crispy sweet fruity whites pair really with with spicy oriental cuisine. We stopped by Marco and Luca the new dumpling place near the empo and picked up fried dumplings with there special spicy soy sauce,  sweet and sour noodles with apples, cilantro and spicy sweet sauce  and a hot pork stuffed bun. As expected the white went great with the food especially the sweet and sour noodles. The white had alot of citrus flavors come through with some crisp apple and subtle

Hot Pork Bun

This wine dinner party gave us all the opportunity to see what wine highlighted about certain foods and vice versa. After this party I especially know what kinds of cheeses to pair with certain wines. And I will continue to keep my sweet crisp whites paired with my asian cuisine :) 

Vintage Cellar Wine Tasting 3/28/2013

1.

Name: Canyon Road

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California

Country: US

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

Store Review: Medium-bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice.  Delicious compliment to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses.

I enjoyed this wine. Really good for the price- I usually like chardonnys it seems as if the green apple came in a little to stong for my taste – but overall great buy for $6 dollars. I would have this with a light salad or chicken.

2.

Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence


Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault


Region: Provence


Country: France


Year: 2011


Price: $8.95   

Store Review: Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style.  Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes.  Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

I really liked this wine. I usually dont like rose because it is really sweet or too dry and "cheap" tasting. I liked this  rose because it was more like a red in the sense that its very balanced.  I got a lot of citrus and grapefruit notes as well as strawberry. I think itd be good with a seafood dish.

3.

Name: Montebuena

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Rioja

Country: Spain

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95    

Store Review: Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth.  Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy.  Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip.  Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it's an excellent value for Rioja.

I really liked this wine. I enjoyed the fruity flavors of cherry and raspberry , however I didn’t enjoy the bitterness of the wine. It could use a little more smoothness but overall a solid wine – I would eat this with  a meat dish.

 

4.

Name: Tres Ojos 

Variety: 50% Garnacha, 50% Tempranillo

Region: Calatayud

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95       

Store Review: This wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice, and white pepper.  The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich.  The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wine as extraordinary good quality.  This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness.  Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses, etc.

I enjoyed this wine but it was a little to peppery for me.  A little earthy for my liking but I’m sure if it opened up the slight fruitiness I tasted would be more poignant. Like the  montebuena I would eat this with a meaty dish.

5.

Name: Emeri de Bortoli

Variety: Sparkling Shiraz

Region: South Eastern

Country: Australia

Year: NV

Price: $9.95                    

Store Review: A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish. 

This was the first time I tried a sparkling red wine and I really liked it! It was sweet fruity and had a bit of vanilla in it. I think this would go great with chocolate or any dessert for that matter!

Apothic Red

I stumbled upon this 2011 wine in Kroger- It was the weekly special and had its  own mid aisle stand. Since I enjoyed the Apothic white I figured I couldn't go wrong with trying the red.  This wine is indeed sweeter- when I tried it I definately picked up on the fruity flavors. The bottle claims that it has layers of dark red fruit  with hints of vanilla and mocha. I didnt pick up on the vanilla and mocha immediately- but after reading the bottle I guess i could see where the flavors were hidden in the wine. The wine contains a Zinfendel, merlot, syrah and a cabernet. I really enjoyed sipping on this after a long day and it could easily pair with pizza or a "carby dish."

Apothic White 2011

Front label

This white wine is floating all over Blacksburg... everywhere from CVS to Kroger - I've heard nothing but great things about this $9 bottle of wine.  Its easy to enjoy this wine because of its mix of crispness and sweetness.  The bottle states that its a blended white of Riesling, Chardonnay & Moscato.  The other night I prepared a spicy Pad Thai dish that perfectly paired with this sweet white wine.  The bottle mentions flavors of vanilla and honey- I  definitely picked up on  the honey taste... but not so much the vanilla ( its a work in progress).  But I will definitely call on this wine for more spicy Asian dishes- the sweet defiantly offset the spicy!

Organic Red?

When encouraged to try different wines - I went out on a limb and tried an organic red wine. Since red wine is my favorutite- I thought it'd be interesting to taste the difference (if any) between organic and non organic. The big Kroger has a pretty extensive selection of organic wines but the one I picked up was  "Naked Earth 2009" made in the South of France.

Front Label

                        There wasn't much description of the flavor but  the bottle did note that all the grapes were organically harvested and grown.

This blended red consists of  50% Merlot,   25% Caberenet, Souviougn, 20% Grenache, and 5% Carignan. This wine appeared really dry to me with a hint of woody flavors.  I also noticed when drinking it - it didnt wiegh me down... or in other words, it wasnt heavy- rather light crisp and one can definately tell that is a less sugary product. Overall I enjoyed this wine. I would enjoy this with a light healthy entree.

Wine. My Drink of Choice :)

Breaux Vinyards

I enrolled in Geography of wine to be more versed about different kinds of wine and to impress my father and grandfather who are big "winos". I turned 21 just last February and before that the only exposure to wine I had was through my father and grandfather. They once tried to show me  a chart that corresponded with years and grapes and different regions but I never really embraced it, rather went along with whatever they said and drank whatever wine they offered me. But now as I can choose what a drink, rather than getting a sketchy older person to buy me alcohol or sneak alcohol from my parents like I had to when I was under 21, I have found a great love for wine.

Blacksbur's Brewfest

    Since my grandfather and father exposed me to many wines (including alot of reds) I find that I enjoy alot of reds like Cabernets and blended reds as well as blended crisp white wines.  Last summer, however,  I studied in France, Germany and Spain. While in France I was in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy- there I was able to enjoy some great wines. Although looking back I wish I had went on more wine tours since the Burgundy region is renown for its famous wines-In Spain I enjoyed all of their table red wines , and namely there sangria- so I at this point have developed my palette enough to enjoy a good red wine- actually... I prefer red wine.  However, in the context of college, I like to drink and ENJOY wine.. and if I get drunk.. awesome! - But I do NOT drink wine with the intention of getting drunk... that's what liquor is for :)
      This past year I have tried to expand my horizons by visiting vineyards and attending craft beer festivals. I went to Breaux vineyards in VA - a vineyard owned my by friend Maddie's father. I also went to Blacksburg's Brewfest- there I learned to enjoy more darker beers , since I have only liked lighter beers or ciders. But when it comes to wine, my favourite is a sweet light red wine.  Barefoot has a great one (Sweet Red) with cherry and raspberry flavors.
Nevertheless, I am excited to learn more about wine in this class. There is so much to drink and so little time :)