Cheese Dinner and Wine Pairing

On Friday, I had a wine and cheese dinner to myself.  My boyfriend was out of town, so perfect opportunity for some peace and quiet.  I chose 3 wines - a Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfindel, and a Cherry wine.

 

Specifically, I chose the Open Kimono Sauvignon Blanc (above, left) 2014 vintage.  It was on sale for $10 at Kroger (down from the usual $20!).  I honestly chose this one because of the label.  It's really pretty and my favorite colors, but I was also seriously looking for a white wine.  The Zinfindel is the Pinetti 2014 vintage - $7 at Kroger.  Lastly, the Chauteau Morissette cherry wine was on sale for $10.  I chose a sweet dessert wine "just for kicks" because I don't usually like sweet wines, but it was also inspired by my recent visit to the Chateau Morrissette winery a few weeks ago.  

I'm still only a college kid, but I do have a few wine glasses and tried to choose appropriate ones for the different wines - a large glass with a narrow mouth for the white wine, a wide globe for the red wine, and a small, tight glass for the cherry wine.

When I bought the wine I also made my cheese selections at Kroger.  I chose a goat brie, a blue cheese, and instead of a third cheese, I bought a hard sausage.  I also picked up a pear, apple, a small loaf of bread, and some dark chocolate (they were on sale and everyone needs a treat once in a while).  

  

I opened the cheeses up and let them warm up to room temperature for 45 min - 1 hour.  I also opened the Zinfindel and made sure the white wine and cherry wine were appropriately chilled.  Then I poured myself a glass of each.

The Sauvignon Blanc was very fruity, and tasted of ocean water almost.  It had a light acidic bite.

The Zinfindel was very earthy and tannic.  I felt like it should have been aerated for the best taste, as it still felt young.  

The cherry wine was sweet, and smelled of grapes, but tasted like cherry juice.  It was surprisingly good.

Then I tasted the wines with the cheeses and sausage.  The Sauvignon Blanc went best with the blue cheese, it complimented the sharp taste but also mellowed it out, whereas the Zinfindel went best with the sausage.  It brought out a moldy aged taste in the cured meat.  NONE of the wines went well with the goat brie cheese - I knew goat was a very strong flavor, but both the white wine and the red clashed horribly.  I had to eat several bites of bread and fruit to clear the flavor out of my mouth.

Plating arrangement - I felt so classy!

The cherry wine, however, went really well with the dark chocolate.  A friend had recommended I try the combination - it was delicious!  

Winery Tour - Whitebarrel Winery

This past Friday I toured the Whitebarrel Winery, located in Christiansburg, VA.  It was only about a half hour drive from the VT campus.  The weather was not very pleasant that day - it was pouring rain and I was concerned that the tour would be cancelled.  The below pictures I snagged from the internet, as the rain prohibited me capturing my own photos.

Whitebarrel Winery
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Main tasting room. Very home-y and casual environment.

My tour guide was a 2014 graduate from the Pamplin College of Business, and I enjoyed talking with her.  She started me off on the tour (which is $5 - totally reasonable for the amount of information they provide and the overall experience.  I also personally love supporting local/regional businesses) by describing how they grow their vines.  There was a "mother vine" attached to the main building that they used to graft/grow new vines.  She explained the different flowering-stages of the grapes.

After that, we moved to what was described as the barn.  This featured the processing unit.  There was a section for where the grapes were stripped from the vines, where the grapes were juiced, the fermenters, and the oak barrels.  My tour guide explained that the oak barrels came from a variety of places but were generally American oak.  The average cost was $1500 for a barrel, so she stressed how wine making is not a cheap venture.  

Where the grapes are juiced and let sit so the skins impart their color.

Oak barrels.

The barn also had a huge stock of vines - the winery was preparing for their planting ceremony on Sunday, April 24th.  

Vines for planting ceremony. 

Currently Whitebarrel does not bottle their own wine (unlike some of the larger wineries), so they make a reservation with a traveling bottling company.  The company has a giant truck they'll drive on-site and bottle all the wine for Whitebarrel.  It's a very tight turnaround and nothing can go wrong, because these companies book up rapidly and usually have appointments back to back with other wineries and distilleries.  

After the tour, I wound back up in the tasting room.  I chose not to taste wine that day as I didn't have a buddy with me to drive back if need be (I'm a lightweight).  I listened to a bit about their wines though and examined the labels.  

Part of Whitebarrel's stock of wine.

I really enjoyed Whitebarrel.  They are a much smaller operation than some wineries I've visited as a kid or more recently as a college student.  

Dinner - Palisades Restaurant Portugal Theme

This past Wednesday, April 20th, I dragged my boyfriend out to the Palisades restaurant in Eggleston, VA.  We both wanted to go, as it was on our own personal bucket lists, and I'd wanted to go on a Wednesday evening for a wine and food pairing, but we both have Wednesday evening classes this semester.  Finally we both had a week where both our classes got cancelled and we could go!

It was a pretty 30-min drive (took a while because I was the one driving).  When we got there, Boyer was making the rounds talking to students and other restaurant customers.  It was too funny running into him this week - my dad had seen Boyer in Williamsburg, VA - clear across the state, 2 nights before!  

Finally met Professor Boyer

Wednesday's night theme was Portugal.  The waiter brought out the 3 wines - an Alvarinho, a red blend, and a port.  I sipped each before the food arrived to get an idea of how the wines tasted without the food.

Tasting Menu

Wine selection from left to right - Alvarinho, red blend, and port

I enjoyed the Alvarinho (2013, Conde Villar).  The menu described it as having "elegant floral scents paired with pleasant and fresh fragrances of lemon...combined with tropical aromas, nice structure with a fully body and soft feel."  It had a very yellow color - my boyfriend vocalized it best, "it looks like pee."  It was pleasantly effervescent, had a lemon peel aspect and could be an enjoyable sipping wine.  

The Red Portuguese Blend (Dao - Quinta das Camelia) was also very intriguing.  It was described as a "dark ruby-purple.  Fragrant floral nose with hints of evergreen."  I picked up the pine-y-ness, and an almost Windex smell at the end.  It was also oaky and floral on the tongue.  

The Port (Ferrera, 2005) was pleasant as well.  I don't enjoy sweet wines or fortified wines much beyond the occasional glass of sherry, but this had a very crisp, fruity aspect.  It had a golden honey feel, and looked like liquid gold or honey.

While waiting for the food, my boyfriend and I talked for a bit and looked around.  The restaurant itself was very pretty.  Definitely out in the middle of nowhere, but worth the drive.  

Palisades Restaurant - seating area

The food finally arrived - very simple presentation.  

Top - Caldo Verde
Bottom Right - Rojoes
Left - Queljadas

We tried the food on its own, then with the wine.   The caldo verde is best described as a "Portuguese green soup".  It was delicious!  Very hearty, and to quote the boyfriend again "just like momma made it."  With the Alvarinho, it brought out the citrus in the wine.  It also calmed the wine so it wasn't overly acidic.

The "rojoes" or pork, was phenomenal.  It was slow cooked with garlic and wine.  On its own I could have eaten an entire bowl of it.  With the red blend wine, it made the pork seem more hearty and gamey.  It also made the wine taste more oaky.

The dessert was pretty good, the cake seemed a little dry but it was really good.   It was like a yellow cupcake, topped with a berry jam and an unsweetened whipped cream.  On its own it was light and delightful.  With the port, the fortified wine rounded out the flavors and made the dessert seem fuller.  The port had a very crisp finish that almost cleansed the palate.

Overall a fantastic experience!  I would definitely return for a full meal.  

Wine Tasting - Baci Dolci Mosto Di Uve Parzialmente Fementato Non Vintage

Name:  Baci Dolci
Variety:  Mosto Di Uve Parzialmente Fermentato Non Vintage
Region:  Colli Euganei
Country:  Italy
Year:  N/A
Price:  $10
Winery review:  A blend of 50% Marzemino 50% Merlot.  A delicate, slightly frizzante wine with an intense, ruby red color. Fresh strawberry & black cherry aromas with hints of roses. Cherry pie flavors, medium-full bodied with refreshing sparkle to balance the semi- sweet finish.
Additional winemaker notes:  I actually enjoyed this wine.  It was lightly sweet, smelled strongly of prune juice, and was very floral - roses were what I picked up.  It was also very grape-y (it is made with grapes...).  I did not try this wine with food.

Wine Tasting - Oasis del Cuyo Malbec

Name:  Oasis del Cuyo
Variety:  Malbec
Region:  Mendoza
Country:  Argentina
Year:  2012
Price:  $7
Winery review:  Deep ruby color. Appealing red fruit nose with hints of tobacco. Medium bodied with a smooth and lush mouth-feel. Finishes dry with lasting flavors. Excellent choice for a young and fruity everyday wine. Enjoy as an aperitif or with meats and pasta dishes.
Additional winemaker notes:  Very oaky and dry, couldn't get a lot of nose on this wine.  It was good, but probably better with food.  I did not try this wine with food.

Wine Tasting - Terranoble Cabernet Sauvignon

Name:  Terranoble
Variety:  Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:  Central Valley
Country:  Chile
Year:  2013
Price:  $9
Winery review:  This Cabernet Sauvignon offers an intense and deep color and lovely aromas of red fruit, pepper and tobacco. It has smooth tannins, very freshness and rich fruit, which gives the wine a good balance. Pair with barbecued beef ribs, grilled sea bass, or spaghetti alla Bolognese.
Additional winemaker notes:  This wine smelled strongly of game and/or raw venison.  It was peppery, dry, and kind of floral - almost like violet?  I did not try this wine with food.

Wine Tasting - Terranoble Chardonnay

Name:  Terranoble
Variety:  Chardonnay
Region:  Central Valley
Country:  Chile
Year:  2014
Price:  $9
Winery review:  This Chardonnay offers a wine with an attractive color and lovely aromas, such as ripe pear and pineapple, mixed with butter and vanilla notes. It is a fresh style of white wine, with medium persistence in mouth. Ideal as an aperitif.
Additional winemaker notes:  This wine had some grapefruit notes and a buttery mouth feel.  Not a lot of oak-monster.  Very pretty color as described above.  I did not try this wine with food.