Wine Dinner Blog #1

Tonight, my friends and I got together to enjoy a good dinner! Several of them are very good cooks, so it was very enjoyable and tasty. 

For the first course, we enjoyed some fresh cooked oysters with a onion sauce. I also enjoyed adding a little bit of hot sauce on the side of mine. The oyster was excellent by itself, but the wine paired with it made it even better. We chose to pair 2020 Saint Hilaire Limoux Blanc de Blanc Brut. I got lots of citrus notes in the sparkling wine which I think balanced the oyster sauce very well. The wine toned down the fishy-ness and brought forward the fruity notes in the sauce. It was a really balanced duo and I would love to have it again!

Name: Saint Hilaire Limoux Blanc de Blanc Brut

Variety: Champagne

Region: Limoux

Country: France

Vintage: 2020

Winemaker Notes: "Saint-Hilaire Brut displays aromatic flavors of peach, pear and green apple skins with a wonderful, full, creamy mouthfeel. Think non vintage Champagne for a fraction of the cost." 

https://www.wine.com/product/saint-hilaire-limoux-blanc-de-blanc-brut-2020/1099773

For the second course of the evening, we had pork chops. Since this is a red meat, it made sense to pair it with a red wine. Our wine of choice was a 2019 Catena Appellation Vista Flores Malbec. This was a dark fruit, full bodied wine that balanced the meat very nicely. The pork had very little seasoning on it, so the earthy notes in the wine brought some flavors in the pork that I did not taste before. I also got some hints of mocha in the wine which I think gave a slight sweetness in the pork.

Name: Catena Appellation Vista Flores Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Vintage: 2019

Winemaker Notes: "The Catena Malbec Appellation Vista Flores shows a dark violet color with black reflections. The nose offers ripe, concentrated dark and red fruit aromas with delicate floral notes of lavender and violet, and mocha. The mouthfeel is rich and full with notes of sweet spice and a touch of leather. The finish presents soft, well-integrated tannins with bright, crisp acidity that gives the wine exceptional length." 

https://www.saratogawine.com/Catena-Zapata-Malbec-Vista-Flores-2019-750ml.html

For the final course, we had a delicious, rich chocolate and cherry cake. The cake was so chocolate-y and we decided to pair it with a sweet dessert type wine. In the end we chose a 2021 Perucchi Vermouth Bianco. I got lots of ginger aromas from this vermouth. It could also be all spice or cinnamon. Regardless of which spice it was, it smelled very nice. Like a Christmas cookie! I thought that the spice in the vermouth paired nicely with the rich chocolate cake. It broke up some of the darkness of the cake and revealed the layers beneath. I thought that it brought out the cherry flavor even more than before.

Name: Perucchi Vermouth Bianco

Variety: Bianco

Region: Catalunya

Country: Spain

Vintage: 2021

Winemaker Notes: "This Spanish vermouth exhibits some buttered pastries, cinnamon and cloves. The profile is much closer to a Bianco style and finishes with a twist of citrus. It’s a bit sweet, but not overtly so." 

https://www.astorwines.com/item/22496

I thoroughly enjoyed tasting the wines with this food. It is amazing to see how the different types of wines can bring out different flavors, textures, and feelings in the different foods. I can't wait for our next wine dinner!!