Wine Dinner Blog #1 - Katie Williams

Wine Dinner Blog #1

    First ever dinner wine blog! I decided to treat myself to my own dinner blog night. I really wanted to have a chance to think about each of the flavors I was trying by myself. I thought this was a super fun experience and would love to try it with friends next time. However, it was easier to understand the flavors when I was able to think about it on my own and see what was right for my pallet. Still very interesting to have tried this using different foods and wines. The meal I made was orange chicken for my main meal with fried rice and avocado on the side. One of my favorite college meals I make because not only is it quick it was so delicious. I add hot sauce on top of my rice and avocado to add a bit extra flavor and my orange chicken had the tangy dressing. 

    The three wines I chose were all white wines, Barefoot resiling, Bay Moon sauvignon blanc, and Avaline white wine. I felt that these would have been best due to the fact orange chicken has a very rich, sweet, and tangy flavor. The fried rice was warm and had very unique flavors and the avocado was smooth and creamy. I was surprised when reading the Wine Folly textbook from pages 60-63 they do not recommend any of the foods I tried with the resiling. Surprised that I enjoyed the orange chicken so much with it!

 

Barefoot Resiling

Vintage year: 2017

Variety of grape: Resiling

Country of origin: USA

Region of origin: CA

Price: $8.50

• Smells: Peach with hints of orange. Very sweet smells and it reminded me of tropical fruits.

• Flavor: Tasted like orange and a few hints of citrus. Overall I think it was a very nice flavor but it could be too sweet for my pallet.

Orange chicken: I thought this was my favorite pairing! The orange flavors balanced each other out so well and it was absolutely yum! Since the orange chicken was tangy and the sweetness of the resiling balanced them so perfectly.

Fried rice: I thought that this was my second favorite flavor. I thought that the spicy and sweet went hand and hand leveling out each of the flavors but enhancing them at the same time. The back of the bottle even recommends it paired with spicy foods and they were not wrong.

Avocado: The flavors did not go well together at all. I felt that they were both so over powering flavors and textures that there was a clash with each of them. I think the avocado could go better with maybe a drier wine or something less sweet.

Bay Moon

Vintage year: 2023

Variety of grape: Sauvignon blanc

Country of origin: USA

Region of origin: CA

Price: $10

• Smells: Green apple and citrus of some sort. Could be smells of lime or lemon. Had hints of melon but I cant tell if it would be a cantaloupe or honey due melon.

• Flavor: It was bitter at first and leveled out into a very nice flavor. It tasted like sour apple and lemon. Had hints of cantaloupe melon I believe.

Orange chicken: I thought the flavors of this wine were very unique. Because the chicken had some spice and orange tang to this I didn't think it would pair well. However, the citrus I think helped make the orange more vibrant. I felt like it enhanced the flavors more and I could taste the orange and citrus.

Fried rice: I dont think the flavors went well together too much in my opinion. The fried rice had other tastes in it like edamame, carrots and egg. I think that with all those flavors and the saltiness from the soy sauce and spiciness from hot sauce it was a lot. There was not really a balance between all of them and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Avocado: The flavors of these two went very well together! Because of the creamy avocado pairing with the crispy and citrusy sauvignon blanc, they both balanced each other well. It felt like I was eating avocado toast at one point. It was cool to close my eyes and taste all of the new flavors.

 

Avaline

Vintage year: Unknown

Variety of grape: Unknown but potentially Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc

Country of origin: Spain

Region of origin: Catalonia

Price: $19

• Smells: Citrus scents with apple notes but it was not very vibrant with smells more so with the taste.

• Flavor: I loved the flavor of this wine. Super light and flavorful. Had notes of apple and pear. It felt very airy and clean. I also like how there are organic grapes in this wine.

Orange chicken: On page 61 of the Wine Folly textbook it gives a check mark by chicken. I was very excited to try this and see where the flavors will lead. Because Avaline has such a sweet but at the same time bitter taste this wine went very well together with the orange chicken. Because of the tangy and spice while being warm from cooking in a stove, the flavors were almost brought to life.

Fried rice: The flavors together were outstanding. The wine did not over power the rice and all of the flavors it had. Instead I think each of them enhanced for a delicious fried rice that was very flavorful. I liked how the light wine added a fruity and citrusy taste to the rice as well as enhancing the saltiness of the soy sauce.

Avocado: On page 62 of the Wine Folly textbook it mentioned how a light bodied white wine would go well with avocado so I was surprised by this. I thought this pairing was okay and maybe there was not enough avocado left. There was some salt and pepper on this with a bit of hot sauce and although it was an interesting flavor with the pairing it was not my favorite. The wines fruity and floral scents with the avocado seemed to mess well but it felt like it was missing something.

• 
  
  To conclude, I really had a great time with my first ever dinner blog. Although its fun doing this with friends I really enjoyed getting a chance to do this on my own and taste each of the pairings. I never really thought about tasting orange chicken, fried rice, or avocado to white wines but I am very glad I did. I feel whenever I go out to eat or dinners at home, meals that pair best with wines are Italian. A good old chicken parmesan or caesar salad I find always needs to be accommodated by a glass of wine. So it was very nice to get out of my comfort zone and try an entirely new category of cuisine with wine. My final picks for each of the pairings would have to be:

• Barefoot Resiling --> Orange chicken

• Bay Moon --> Tie between orange chicken and avocado

• Avaline --> Fried rice

Tasting- Apothic Chard Chardonnay

Apothic Chard 

Variety of grape: Chardonnay

Country of origin: USA

Region of origin: CA

Vintage year: 2022

Price: $9.99

Shop/wine critic/winery review of the wine: "If you're looking for a top-rated Chardonnay, Apothic Chardonnay should be at the top of your list. Its rich, complex flavors and exceptional quality make it a standout in the crowded world of California wines. Whether you're a seasoned wine connoisseur or a newcomer to the world of wine, you'll appreciate the exceptional quality and taste of Apothic Chardonnay." The Best of Wine Store

Reference from Wine Folly text: The reference I found from the book from page 96 on Chardonnay include, secondary flavors of butter, included with that is tree fruit and melon flavors because of the pear and apple. Because the chardonnay had oak and smokey flavors it wouls be pulled between tertiary and primary. 

My personal review of the wine: I love anything chardonnay. I think this has been more of a favorite for me. I think the tastes of apple, oak, pear, and some smokey textures were really delicious. The flavors had really come to life after I swirled it in the glass. After the smells were very oaky and smokey. I didn't really smell the apple or pear flavors until I tried it but I could also taste the oaky and smokey flavors. I would 100% buy this wine again and would recommend it to my friends. I think that this would pair very well to fish dishes and chicken dishes. 

Tasting- Barren Ridge Chardonnay

Barren Ridge

Variety of grape: Chardonnay 

Country of origin: USA

Region of origin: Shenandoah Valley

Vintage year: 2020

Price: Gifted to me. estimated price $25

Shop/wine critic/winery review of the wine: "Loral and buttery nose. Body is buttery with a little lemon. I would not have guessed his was a VA Chard - done in a very CA style." From a wine critic with over 14,232 reviews Vivino.

Reference from Wine Folly text: The reference I found from the book from page 96 on Chardonnay include, tree fruit and melon as well as citrus. It mentioned Santa Barbara, CA which has riper grapes with fruit flavors which makes sense why I was getting the pear and apple flavors. 

My personal review of the wine: I really thought this wine was unique and had a bitter first taste. While drinking it had a smooth texture which tasted like lemon, apple and pear had some citrus flavors and notes. The smell had very zesty and citrusy scents and very bold aromas like apple. On first sip it didn't have any taste but then as you drank a couple more sips you could taste the flavors coming through. I don't think I would get this bottle personally but it was nice to try as a gift. It was very interesting to see how not only it was tree fruit and melon as well as citrus and a bit of lime peel. Although chardonnay is one of my favorites this wine I would more than likely go for a buttery chardonnay over a citrusy one.

Wine and Cheese Blog Report #1 Feb

                                        

As my first wine and cheese experience I was left surprised. There were many traits about the cheese and wines that shocked me. My friends Ella, Andrew, and Sarah all came together for a late-night wine and cheese tasting. It was a great group experience shared with lots of laughs. The three wines we brought were: Matua Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio, and Quarter Cut Bourbon Barrel Aged red blend wine. For the cheeses we had: Grana Padano, creamy goat, and asiago cheese. At first, we laid everything on the table. We ate cheese got its own plate and we each had our own wine glass. From there we started by tasting each of the wines individually. My thoughts about the smells and tastes are as follows. 

 

Matua 

Vintage year: 2023 

Variety of grape: Sauvignon Blanc 

Country of origin: New Zealand 

Region of origin: Marlborough 

Price: $13.99 

• Smells: notes of grapefruit, passion fruit, citrus. 

• Flavor: grapefruit, passion fruit, citrus. The grapefruit lingered and didn't leave my taste buds for a while.  

 

Friuli Grave 

Vintage year: 2023 

Variety of grape: Pinot Grigio  

Country of origin: Italy 

Region of origin: Friuli Grave 

Price: $4.99 

• Smell: Grape, apple, citrus, and hints melon. Strong smell of apple more so overpowers it. As a result, I had to swoosh my glass a few times.  

• Flavor: Bland, extremely dry, I honestly don't taste any flavor at all, I taste a little pear and apple. Crisp taste of apple mixed with pear. 

• 
  

 

Quarter Cut – Bourbon Barrel Aged Wine 

Vintage year: 2022 

Variety of grape: Zinfandel and merlot 

Country of origin: USA 

Region of origin: California 

Price: $15.99 

Super cool because this wine was aged in a bourbon barrel 

• Smell: Cherry, berry, raisin, earthy, smells of wood/oak. 

• Flavor: Sweet but with a bitter after taste, tart, flavorful, no bourbon tastes, plum. 

 

    After tasting each of the wines we moved on to tasting each of the cheeses. We tried each of them separately and cleared our palates with water after each bite. I really enjoyed this part because I love cheese! My favorite cheese was goat with a creamy texture. My least favorite cheese was the asiago because I felt it didn't reassemble other asiago cheeses ive had in the past. Overall, I thought these were a good selection for each of the wines to taste all the unique and different flavors. Below are the reviews of each of the cheeses I tried. 

Grana Padano Cheese 

• Flavor: Tastes like parmesan, sharp, good, gritty. 

• 
  
  
  

Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese 

• Flavor: Creamy, bitter, tart, more of a tangy taste with an earthy feel.  

• 

Asiago Cheese Private Selection  

• Flavor: Tastes like a sister to cheddar cheese, smooth texture with a tangy note at the end, and it was very rich but the after taste shouldn't have been there with a resemblance of old sock.  

 

    Finally, as a group we paired each of the wines with the cheeses. This was the part I was most excited for, and I thought it helped solidify each of the tastes as one. Although some of the flavors did not go together, I was very happy to try each of the wines with each of the different and unique types of cheeses. I added *** by the cheeses that I thought paired the best with the wine. Below are my opinions of each of the wines paired with the cheeses.  

 

Matua 

Asiago: Strong taste of nail polish, I don't think I this asiago cheese at all and we should have gotten a different cheese. The flavors did not pair well together and it created a bitter, milky, almost old taste in my mouth.  

***Goat: Mixed so well and was very light on the tongue with a great blend of grapefruit and goat. Very fresh taste and the Italy in the summer time.

Grana: This drowned out the flavor and honestly couldn't tell the difference. This wine has such a strong flavor that you can't really tell the difference and it would have been nice if it paired better. 

 

Friuli Grave 

Asiago: I think the pairing went well with this wine. It had a good balance and the cheese. However I still feel like this cheese wasn't a great pair for the wine. It had almost a small divide or barrier between flavors.

Goat: I didn't like this pairing at all together. The goat cheese and Friuli Grave almost separated in my mouth leaving behind a confusing mess. I think that this wine shouldnt be with something so creamy considering the wine is very apple and citrus flavored.

***Grana: Very good match with the flavors with it mixing very well. I think that this wine is the best paired together because of they complement the acidity and texture of each of the items. Each of the wines were so bold in flavor that they let both shine through so you can taste both of them equally.

 

 

Quarter Cut – Bourbon Barrel Aged Wine-Red Blend 

Asiago: I had an immediate nail polish remover taste and hated it. I felt as if these pairings were never supposed to go together. I tried it a second time and it was a bit easier to digest but over all I think nail polish is not a good taste.

***Goat: The red blend masked the bitterness of the goat cheese and really expanded the flavors. It blended together well and brought a balance to each of them. Although many people did not agree with my decision I thought by far this was the best cheese to go with it and on a cracker with some fig spread would be even better!

Grana: Very light mixed well together but didnt have each of the flavors shine through enough. It felt like the Grana was supposed to pair with a white wine almost.

    To conclude, I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to try the different wines and cheeses. I think while some of the combinations worked out great, it was nice to understand what bad flavors would have tasted like. Experimenting with each of the cheeses and wines was a fun way to explore new tastes and experiences with friends that was filled with lots of laughs and maybe a tear too!