Dinner #1 - An Italian Affair

My friends and I had a lovely Italian dinner last night. It was full of laughs, good food, and, of course, wine!

Course 1

Our dinner spread

We started the evening with a couple appetizers and a 2017 "Decoy" Sauvignon Blanc. On its own, the Sauvignon Blanc had aromas and flavors of lemon and green apple. It was very acidic/tart, fairly light, and dry. We first paired this wine with a caesar salad. The creaminess of the caesar dressing definitely cut through the acidity of the wine and brought out the fruity lemon, pear, and green apple flavors more. On the flip side, the acidity of the wine helped balance the creaminess of the salad. While both the salad and wine were tasty on their own, they were even better together. All in all, it was an ideal pairing!

2017 "Decoy" Sauvignon Blanc
Sonoma County, California, USA
Price: $16
Label Description: "This bright and aromatic wine offers enticing
layers of lemon and lime zest, as well as lovely notes of honeydew
and nectarine. On the palate, refreshing acidity mingles with a
subtle undercurrent of sweet fruit that carries through to a 
refreshing, vibrant finish."

Next, we indulged in bruschetta (toasted French baguette with olive oil, garlic, tomato, and basil). On its own, the bruschetta was delicious. The fat from the olive oil balanced the acidic tomato perfectly. When we tried it with the Sauvignon Blanc, however, the flavors didn't really work. I think the acidic tomato with the acidic wine had a compounding effect and made both the wine and bruschetta taste extra sour. Our experimentation in this case definitely did not pay off.

How we felt about that last pairing

Bruschetta w/ 2017 "Decoy" Sauvignon Blanc = Not great

2017 Z. Alexander Brown "Uncaged" Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley (Monterey, Napa, and Sonoma
Counties), California, USA
Price: $11
Label Description: "The wine shows intense aromas
of ripe raspberry, caramel, and toasty oak. It's lush and
layered and smooth with supple tannins, robust flavors
of fresh Bing cherry and strawberry and complemented
by silky underpinnings of mocha and caramel."

Course 2

For the second course, we drank a 2017 "Uncaged" Pinot Noir. On its own, this wine had subtle aromas of pepper, cedar, and cherry. The flavors were bolder than expected and were earthy and buttery. It was pretty dry and tannic with a noticeable oak influence. This was by far the most aggressive Pinot Noir I have ever tasted, as I am used to Pinot Noir being a lighter style red. We paired it with linguine and chicken parmesan in a marinara sauce (although I personally do not like chicken parm, so I went with just the linguine and sauce). By itself, the linguine was pretty good, but the sauce wasn't my favorite (everything pales in comparison to my mom's homemade sauce). Pairing the starchy linguine with this Pinot Noir made the wine slightly less aggressive and more drinkable, but it still wasn't great. The wine also did not do anything to improve the dish. The general consensus was that this wine was just too strong for this dish, which is very unusual for a Pinot Noir. This pairing was just an overall flop.

Linguine and marinara w/ 2017 "Uncaged" Pinot Noir = not great

"Rosatello" Sweet Italian Moscato
Provincia Di Pavia, Italy
Price: $8
Label Description: "This perfectly sweet white
wine romances you with irresistible aromas of
oranges and a touch of mint. With each taste,
you'll revel in flavors of juicy peaches and
candied orange." 

Course 3

For our last course, we decided to go sweet with a "Rosatello" white Moscato. On its own, this Moscato had a very subtle aroma and flavor of peach and it was sparkling, which was a nice surprise. In truth though, this wine was too sweet for my tastes. We paired it with a red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting. The cake was delicious on its own, as well as with this wine. The slight acidity in the wine and the sparkling component helped cut the richness of the cake and the frosting. The wine was also better with the cake. While the wine was unbearably sweet on its own, pairing it with a sweet dessert actually cancelled out some of the sweetness in the wine, which made it much more palatable. This was definitely another successful pairing! 

Red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting w/
"Rosatello" Moscato = delicious!

"Shepherd" feeling left out

"Shepherd" also thought dessert was delicious

"Shepherd" feeling guilty after eating some of the dessert

Overall Impressions and the "Afterparty"

Overall, my friends and I had a wonderful experience! For one of the first times in our young adult lives, we felt like we were successful in having a mature, sophisticated, fun dinner party. We listened to jazz music, cooked real food, and spoke the language of wine. Even though some of the pairings didn't work, I'm not discouraged. I can't wait to keep experimenting and try new pairings, because some pairings truly were magical.

The gang enjoying a wonderful wine evening

After dinner, the fun wasn't over for me. I decided to take a "Tipsy Tappers" tap class with some of my other friends. The concept is similar to "wine and paint," but instead of painting, we tap dance. I tapped the night away while sipping a 2017 "Pinetti Notte" Pinot Grigio from Italy. (Check out my Tasting blog post for more info about this wine). It was the perfect end to my wine-filled evening.

Me enjoying my 2017 "Pinetti Notte" Pinot Grigio while tap dancing