Dinner and Wine Pairing

This is the third dinner my boyfriend and I have done for the class: The first time it was Valentine’s Day themed, the second dinner was for my Mom’s birthday, and so we wanted to do something a little different this time around; therefore, we decided to go with a fast, yet healthy-ish, three-course meal. We chose the following dishes to be served:

       

Appetizer: Rotini with steamed vegetables in a light garlic butter sauce (above, left)

Main Dish: Tilapia seasoned with rosemary garlic lemon butter (above center)

Dessert: Angel hair cake with strawberries and fat free whipped topping (above, right)

The wines for the evening

I let my boyfriend pick out all of the wines and gave him instructions to choose two whites and a red wine. He chose the wines solely based on price and what he thought I would like. Once he went to that particular wine section (and the middle- to bottom- shelf, he chose them due to the designs on the label. He came back with a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Grigio, and a Merlot. Each wine is detailed below with Name, Variety, Year, Region, Country, Price, Wine Review, Personal Review, and how  each paired with the appetizer, main dish, and the dessert!

Wine 1: Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Monkey Bay Sav. Blanc

Name: Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Year: 2014

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Price: $13.95

Wine Review: Monkey Bay Wine is distinctively new Zealand – clean, fresh and easy drinking. Lovely tropical fruit flavors make it a great wine with chicken and seafood dishes or just to drink on its own

Personal Review: It had a pear smell to it. It was very light and refreshing. I think it would be the perfect summer wine. It was absolutely delicious, and I will have this wine again.

With Appetizer: The appetizer brought out the citrus, which made it a little bit sour, but not bitter. It wasn't bad, but the wine was better without the pairing with the appetizer.

With Main Course: This was absolutely phenomenal. It took out some of the citrus flavors and tartness that may have existed. It was crisp and smooth, and it was delicious. This was the best pairing for this wine.

With Dessert: The wine did not mix with the different parts of the strawberry short cake, but it wasn't terrible. This dessert definitely made the wine more sour.

Wine 2: Chalkboard Pinot Grigio

Name: Chalkboard Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Gris

Year: 2013

Monkey Bay Pinot Grigio

Region: Fossalta Di Piave

Country: Italy

Price: $7.95

Wine Review: This classic, dry Italian Pinot Grigio has a fruity bouquet, with a soft, well-balanced sweetness. Piars beautifully with a fresh green salad topped with grilled shrimp and avocado.

Personal Review: I was unpleasantly surprised with this Pinot Grigio. It was lacking big flavors and was just an overall flat/weak wine. It wasn’t bad, and I would drink it again maybe, but I would not spend my money on it.

With Appetizer: The appetizer brought out some of the apple flavorings, but it wasn more of a sour apple. This was very gross and sour, and I would never pair these together again.

With Main Course: With the tilapia, it was amazing! It was so good, very refreshing, and light. The wine was a lot sweeter, too, when paired with the main course. This was the best pairing for this wine.

With Dessert: This was a weird combination of tastes. The initial taste was very, very sour and absolutely terrible; however the after-taste was good and sweet. It was an interesting pairing.

Wine 3: Two Vines Merlot

Two Vines Merlot

Name: Two Vines Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Year: 2012

Region: California

Country: United States

Price: $8.99

Wine Review: Two Vines Merlot features aromas of cola, cream soda and caramel leading into expressions of vanilla and strawberry jam on the smooth palate. Flavors of spice round out the silky finish.

Personal Review: This wine smelled of sugar and vanilla, and I was excited to try it. The taste left a great after-taste. Because of the smell, I was expecting it to possibly be overpowering, but it was the perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness. This is the best red wine I have ever had.

With Appetizer: This appetizer brought out the spicy side of the fine and gave a huge punch in the body of the taste. The after-taste took it back down to a leveled taste. It was a very complex taste, and I kind of liked it.

With Main Course: The fish made the wine a little drier and brought out some of the spices as well. It finished off with flavors of vanilla and made the after-taste smooth and good.

With Dessert: This was a mix of sweet and spicy. The initial taste was kind of weird and spicy from the strawberry I believe. However once it got that vanilla after-taste mixed with the dessert, it was very good and left me wanting more. Although it was a weird mix, I thought this was the best.

Overall, we liked the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc the best, followed by the Two Vines Merlot, and the Chalkboard Pinot Grigio in last. The tilapia definitely paired pretty well with all three wines, which surprised me due to the seasoning on it. I will definitely be having the Two Vines Merlot and the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc in the future, as they are two of my favorite wines I have ever tasted. Despite David really just focusing on the labels, this was by far our most successful pairing of foods across the board. Even if the class is over, David and I plan to have wine-dinner pairings again in the future!