Wine Dinner #1: Salad, Red Sauce Pasta, Dessert

This assignment made me feel like a chef. Three meals with THREE WINES?! A dream. But there was a downside to this....I did not like the wines I chose, you'll find out why soon. If you've been keeping up to date with my blogs, you'd find I am fond of Cabernet Sauvignon, but for this assignment, I wanted to try some new, special ones. 

                                                                (What we're working with) 

First Course: A Traditional Greek Salad with a Tangy, Citrus Dressi

Wine + Review: Josh Chardonnay 2023 (California), $7.99 half bottle (split)

I honestly though that half bottles of wine were cheaper, but I was at Gucci Kroger so maybe that made a difference. This wine was good for a white, since I normally don't reach for them anymore. It had a sweet, fruity aroma and didn't burn my nose after my sniff and swirl. I chilled it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving it and I enjoyed it's coolness. It had a slight mango taste, but I mostly noticed green apple. It was slightly acidic but not enough to make my mouth water. 

Pairing Review: I enjoyed this pairing. It was fresh, and I felt the green apple tartness matched the lemon and red wine vinegar in the dressing. It balanced out enough to cancel out these flavors and bring out the oregano seasoning and tomato. 

Second Course: Bolognese Meat Sauce Pasta 

Wine + Review: Zinfandel 2022, $9.99 (California)

This is a wine I am not confident in purchasing again, but I would try it again once my pallet has developed more. Maybe if I made a different sauce, a cream sauce per chance, or one that was not as sweet as this one, it would've been better. I don't think I am a fan of pepper flavor in wine, so I will stick to dark fruits and a little sweetness. This wine was very leathery with tobacco, licorice, and spice. 

Pairing Review: My goal of this pairing was to match the red meat sauce with bold fruitiness and a pepper finish to bring out the sweetness of the sauce, but it honestly clashed....hard. This was not a pairing I could recommend or have again, 3/10. I felt that the sweetness and pepper finish of the wine burned in my throat and not in a good, high tannins, acidity way. 

Third Course: Milk Chocolate Covered Strawberries 

Wine: Ruffino Prosecco (no year provided), $8.99 Split (Northeastern Italy)

This sparking wine was good in my opinion. This one also smelled like green apple and hints of pineapple. It had good tannins, light acidity and tartness on the sides of the mouth. It was crisp, clean, and also had a little peach flavor. 

Paring Review: This was my first time pairing a dessert and a wine, let alone a sparkling wine (I think this was my mistake). I enjoyed the flavors together, but did not like the bubbles paired with it. I didn't taste much of the richness in the chocolate but thought it brought out the fresh and sweetness of the strawberries. 

Let's EAT!