Wine Dinner #3

My last wine dinner of the semester was another success. This time around, I joined up with some friends and we had a delicious meal of salad, Margherita Pizza, and chocolate pie paired with some interesting wine pairings.

Appetizer: Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette 

I can always appreciate a good salad and this was definitely one of those. It wasn't anything special, but it tasted great and the Balsamic Vinaigrette added a nice flavor to it. We paired this course with a Brut Rose.

Name: Arca Nove Rose
Variety: Alvarinho 60% & Trajadura 40%
Region: Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: 2017
Price: $7.99
Shop/Wine Critic Review:"On the dry side, but still with plenty of ripe red fruits, this is
an attractive fruity wine. Its acidity, prickle and fresh character are all ready to drink." (Wine Enthusiast)
My Review: I didn't expect this wine to be carbonated, but it was. It was semi-sweet and the overwhelming flavor for me was grapefruit. This was a pretty good wine and I definitely would try it again!
Paired with: Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pairing Review: To be honest, this pairing did not go well together. With the dressing, the salad became way too acidic and the Vinaigrette took all of the flavor out of the wine. The wine became pretty bland and tasted more like sparkling water when paired together. With this pairing, I learned that two acids really cancel each other out. 2/10 would not recommend.

Entree: Margherita Pizza

The pizza was great! Margherita pizza is always a good choice because it doesn't take long to make, yet it always tastes delicious. We paired this course with a Chianti.

Name: Villa Travignoli Chianti Rufina
Variety: Sangiovese
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95
Shop/Wine Critic Review: "Made entirely from Sangiovese, this informal red has subdued black cherry and vanilla aromas that carry over to the simple palate, where they're brightened by a hint of tangerine zest. It's easy-drinking, with soft, fleeting tannins. Enjoy soon." (Wine Enthusiast)
My Review: When I first smelled this wine, I only received hints of alcohol. However, when tasted it had a lot of oak, cherry, and tobacco. Additionally, for me it was very tannic and dry. I didn't like it very much.
Paired with: Margherita Pizza
Pairing Review: When paired with the pizza, the wine was a lot less dry and tannic. The pizza really brought out the smokiness in the wine which added a nice flavor. The creaminess of the mozzarella really smoothed out the wine and made me like the wine a lot more. 7/10 would recommend.

Dessert: Chocolate Pie

Chocolate is my favorite so I really enjoyed this pie. The pie was extremely sweet and rich so it was a little difficult to finish, but delicious nonetheless.

Name: Meridian Vineyards Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: Sonoma, CA
Country: USA
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $6.95
Shop/Wine Critic Review: "Meridian Merlot begins with aromas of black cherry, cedar and spice notes, which open up to rich plum and dark berry fruit flavors on the palate. A touch of spice lingers on a long, elegant finish." (Total Wine)
My Review: This wine was really jammy and semi-sweet. I definitely tasted a hint of tobacco, some smokiness, and it was a little tannic. It wasn't too bad.
Paired with: Chocolate pie
Pairing Review: When paired with the pie, the tobacco in the wine really came forward. The hint of jam disappeared which removed the sweetness. The pairing wasn't bad, however, it became a lot less sweet which made the wine unbalanced and not as delicious.  5/10 would recommend.

Overall, this wine dinner went pretty great! It was fun to meet up with friends and have a nice meal with one another. In college, it's not often that I get to have a 3 course meal so it was a nice change up to my normal ravioli dinners. After this class is finished, I want to keep this up and continue to have wine pairing dinners with my friends.