Wine Dinner - at home

This past weekend four of my friends and I decided to have our own homemade wine dinner.  We picked out a menu and then went to the vintage cellar and asked for help pairing wines with the food. We prepared all the food and invited eight of our friends to eat and drink with us. We even taught our friends some of the things we've been learning about wine in class.

Menu: 
1st Course: Bree, gouda, cheddar, colby-jack and crackers with Chateau de Roquefort Cotes de Provence Corail Rose
2nd Course: Bruschetta with gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio
3rd Course: Pasta Primavera with Monte Antico Toscana red blend
4th Course: Apple crisp and ice cream with Eudald Massana Noya Familia Brut Cava


Wine Details: 

Chateau de Roquefort Cotes de Provence Corail Rose:
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Vermentino, and Clairette
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

gPg Garganega Pinot Grigio:
Variety: Garganega and Pinot Grigio
Region: Venezie
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95
Bottle notes: gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of north-eastern Italy. A clean crisp palate with plenty of texture and weight follows aromas of apples and zesty lemons.  It's perfect with grilled white fish or a light risotto. 

Monte Antico Toscana:
Variety: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2007
Price: $13.95
Bottle notes:  This blend is a result of the synergy between Italian wine specialist Neil Empson and renowned winemaker Franco Bernabei. From the finest grapes and prime Tuscan hillsides, fruit and soil selection allow the wine to achieve consistent quality with each vintage. aged 1 year in oak and 6 months in bottle, its full body and lush, fruity flavor make this a perfect match for cheese, pasta and all meat dishes.

Eudald Massana Noya Familia Brut Cava:
Variety: 58% Macabeu, 19% Parellada, 23% Xarel·lo
Region: Cava
Country: Spain
Year: Non Vintage
Price: $14.95



My thoughts on the pairings:

The Cotes de Provence Rose smelled slightly floral and had strong citrus flavors.  I thought it paired well with the bree and the gouda but not very well with the cheddar or colby-jack.  The wine wasn't extremely sharp or bold but drinking the wine with the cheese definitely too the slightly sharp edge off the wine and mellowed it out. 

The Garaganega Pinot Grigio with the bruschetta was my favorite pairing of the night.  The wine had a tangy aroma and flavor but was a little hot and bitter alone.  With the bruschetta the wine became much more mellow and easy to drink and the acidity paired really well with the garlic and tomato of the bruscheta.  together with the bruchetta the wine was crisp and summery tasting. 

The Monte Antico Toscana had the aroma of dark cherries and prunes and a lot of oak flavor.  It had a fairly thin body which was good for pairing with the light pasta dish, which was spring veggies cooked in stock and paired with wheat pasta. 

The Eudald Massana Noya Brut with the apple crisp was my least favorite pairing.  This sparkling wine was citrusy and tangy but overall pretty dry, which didn't pair well with the sweet apple crisp.  Drinking the wine alone after eating the crisp was a nice finish to the meal but it wasn't good for drinking while eating the crisp. 

With our dinner we were able to learn a little about food and wine pairings and to try four very different wines, and compare our thoughts with each other.  Overall, the dinner was a very enjoyable night of wine, food, and conversation.