For this wine dinner, it felt like the wines paired quite well with the foods. Part of it was that the food tasted quite good, but I think the pairings worked pretty well also. Below is a picture of part of the group.
For the first course, we had a salad with nuts, parmesan, peppers, and balsamic vinaigrette paired with a red storyteller zinfandel.
Name: Storyteller Zinfandel 2020
Variety: Zinfandel
Country: USA
Region: Sonoma County, California
Vintage: 2020
Price: $14
Winery Review: This California Zinfandel delivers aromas of blackberry dark cherry, and savory spices give way to milk chocolate and sweet caramel notes. Robust mixed berry flavors are complemented by lush and soft tannins. A medium-bodied wine, every sip lingers on the palette thanks to a spicy finish. (kroger.com)
Wine Folly: The book described blackberry, strawberry, and cinnamon which I could pick up on a little bit. I could not distinguish between the berry flavors, and I knew I could taste some form of spice in there with the cinnamon.
My Review: The wine had a neat red berry and vanilla flavor combination that was good. This wine was not too dry, had a little in the way of tannins, and was overall a good wine on its own. When consumed with the salad though, both emphasized each other's flavors, not necessarily when eaten together, but more so when I had had one and then the other. The zinfandel added a fruity spiciness to the salad, and it helped bring out the flavors of the nuts and parmesan in between bites, as well as the peppers. Ended with a spicy finish, that left a good taste in the palate.
For the second course, we had a lemon and herb roasted chicken dish with some potatoes, paired with a La Crema Chardonnay.
Name: La Crema Monterey Chardonnay 2021
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: USA
Region: Monterey, California
Vintage: 2021
Price: $16
Winery Review: "The nose is all lemons and creamy yogurt. It’s a very welcoming waft. The palate is soft, calm and deep with the acidity in the background making sure your sips are refreshing. Cracking through that refreshment is the soft weight of a creamy mouthfeel. This is a wine you buy a case of and have on hand to sip with friends and raise eyebrows." (vinepair.com)
Wine Folly: The book had yellow apple, vanilla, butter, starfruit, and pineapple as the main flavors. I could pick up the apple and vanilla quite easily. I picked up a little bit of citrusy fruit as well.
My Review: By itself, this wine tasted a like some of the other white wines we had had, with apple type flavors. The vanilla was a little new for this one though. I enjoyed the apple and vanilla pairing of flavors, with hints of a citrus fruit thrown in. The lemon roasted chicken tasted herby and was quite heavy, so it paired well with this light and fruity wine. It added a buttery component to the chicken and potatoes which was quite good, and brought out some of the flavors of both. Taken with the food, it lost that sharp edge that it had and made the experience of both better.
For the final course, we had lemon bars paired with a Josh prosecco.
Name: Josh Cellars Prosecco
Variety: Prosecco
Country: Italy
Region: Northeastern Italy
Vintage: Not visible
Price: $15
Winery Review: "Italy- The wine has refreshing acidity and a touch of sweetness from the ripe fruit. It has aromas of pear, green apples and citrus and light the effervescence provides a vibrant and crisp taste." (totalwine.com)
Wine Folly: The book had green apple, pear, cream, lager, and honeydew as some of the main flavors. I could easily pick up on the tart green apple flavor. Had a hard time picking up on any others, although pear does not surprise me either.
My Review: This wine was very acidic, had a strong tart green apple flavor which was a little strong on its own. Overall pretty light though, and it was just the acidity which was hard to get past. When paired with the food, eaten at the same time it felt like the flavors of both just got dulled. The lemon flavors in the lemon bars got weaker, as well as some of the fruity component of the wine. Thankfully, the acid feeling decreased when taken together. Again though, this showed a case of two things, when taken separately, they emphasized the other's flavors through contrast. The lemon was stronger after having a sip of wine and the apple was stronger after having a bite of lemon bar.
This was an enjoyable experience, and I would do it again.
