I recently completed the wine dinner assignment with my boyfriend. We decided to try three different European wines which each pair with a different European-inspired dish, and mix them together. The first course was Italian-inspired homemade "pizza bianca" which means white pizza. We planned it to pair with the valpolicella wine, which pairs well with aged cheeses (according to the wine folly textbook), such as the ricotta cheese that was part of the blend we put on the pizza.
For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake (a popular German dessert) which was meant to pair with the riesling wine. The dessert was the only thing that wasn't homemade, as they came frozen and we heated them up. They were delicious, and had a soft shortcake outside with a strawberry filling that tasted like pie filling.
Wine 1: Valpolicella
Name: Valpolicella
Producer: Bolla
Variety: Corvina
Country of Origin: Italy
Region: Veneto
Vintage: 2021
Price: $10.49
Review of the Wine: From WineSearcher.com, "Dusty, very slightly vegetal and green notes, with cherry fruit. Fruity, red fruits and cherry palate, dry, but slightly anonymous. Nice savory tannin and acidity, with a hint of spice though a slightly harsh finish."
My Review: I didn't really like this wine on its own, I thought it was too tannic and acidic. I thought that it could have been better balanced. I am sure it was not a flawed wine, but I thought that it had a burn that wasn't accompanied by any other redeeming flavors or characteristics. I could definitely taste spices and a slight fruity taste, but it was overall bitter.
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Wine 2: Chenin Blanc and Viognier
Name of the Wine: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier
Grapes in the Wine: Chenin Blanc and Viognier
Country of Origin: United States
Region of Origin: California
Vintage Year: 2021
Price: $13.99
Review of the Wine: From James Suckling, "A bright and fresh blend of 75% chenin and 25% viognier, offering white peach and hints of candied lemon. Lightly steely with bitter-lemon notes. Just slightly off-dry."
My Review: I really liked this wine, I thought it had the perfect blend of tart citrus flavor and sweetness. I could taste pear and apple in the wine, and it had a light, crisp taste. The acidity was strong but nowhere near overpowering, and it was complimented by the lack of tannins. It tasted great on its own, but paired well with the foods.
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Wine 3: Riesling
Name of the Wine: Childress Riesling
Grapes in the Wine: Riesling
Country of Origin: United States
Region of Origin: North Carolina
Vintage Year: n/a
Price: $9.79
Review of the Wine: From TotalWine.com, "The fresh, fruity and vivid personality of this off-dry white wine bursts with peach and floral aromas. Low residual sugar provides for the achieved off-dry characteristic desired by Riesling lovers."
My Review: This was my favorite wine from the dinner. It was sweet without tasting too sugary, had a fruity yet tart taste, and was lightly sparkling. It smelled like flowers and tasted like tropical fruits. It was light and and a bit acidic, but without the sharp and tart bite of some other similar wines.
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Valpolicella with Pizza: Since it was a white pizza, the extra flavors and spices of the valpolicella were complimented very nicely. This meal was the "canvas" that the strong flavors of the wine needed. The herbs and spices present in the wine were lessened and the chocolatey/plummy flavors of the wine were able to present themselves.
Valpolicella with Steak: These two paired decently well, but since the red pepper jelly, cheese, and steak were already very different (but delicious) combined flavors, this added one too many tastes to focus on. It was a bit darker with these, and made the steak taste worse than it actually did. This is probably because it felt like the baguette absorbed some of the wine, and I didn't really like that texture or taste.
Valpolicella with Strawberry Shortcake: I thought that the strawberry shortcake softened the valpolicella and made it taste better, but the valpolicella made the strawberry shortcake taste worse. If I had the chance to drink this wine with this dessert, I would take it. But if I had the choice between eating the dessert on its own or with wine, I would rather have the dessert on its own. That being said, the strawberry flavors brought out the fruity flavors of the wine, and the cream seemed to take in some of the wine and make it almost like a rootbeer float (but with cherry-flavored wine).
Best Pairing with Valpolicella: Pizza
Chenin/Viognier with Pizza: These two were great together, because they almost made the flavor combination of "baja Mexican food" (which, coincidentally, I do not like. However, this was pleasant). The combination of the savory pizza with the almost-sour lime taste was interesting and made me want more. I liked these two better than I thought I would, perhaps because the slightly dry wine was well-complimented by the fats in the cheese.
Chenin/Viognier with Steak: This was paired perfectly! The steak, pepper, and cheese along with the fruity flavors almost made this taste like a fancy salad. I tasted more honey when I had the wine with these flavors. Since it was chilled, it was even more refreshing with the dark flavors of the ribeye.
Chenin/Viognier with Strawberry Shortcake: These two tasted good together, but I'm not sure if they paired very well. At certain points during dessert, I made up my mind that they did, but at other times, I wasn't sure. I think that if I was very focused on the flavors, I didn't like them that much. But once I swallowed, the finish of the two were nice together. I tasted more of the sour flavors of this wine when paired with the sugary sweetness of the strawberry shortcake.
Best pairing with Chenin/Viognier: Steak
Riesling with Pizza: I thought that the pizza made this wine taste like slightly flat soda. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it was definitely interesting. I think it almost reminded me of sprite with the pizza, and kind of brought me back to my childhood, when sprite was my favorite drink and pizza was my favorite food. It was almost too sweet for the pizza, but I thought they still went very well together. The wine tasted less acidic in general, and the sweetness somehow went very well with the fats in the cheese and herbs in the bread of the pizza.
Riesling with Steak: These two paired very well together, most likely because of the red pepper jelly. The combined flavors of the food were all very different, but somehow the wine made them all come together quite nicely. The wine was almost a dry wine, and the grease of the steak made it very pleasant, along with the cheese in the meal. Since the jelly was a bit spicy, the sweetness was the opposite complement, and they made an entirely new flavor together.
Riesling with Strawberry Shortcake: These two were also very nice together. The wine and dessert were sweet, but the "cake" balanced the two. We have learned in the class that it is difficult to pair sweet foods with wines that aren't as sweet, but these two were great together. The lime flavors paired well with the strawberry, which makes sense because my favorite gum used to combine watermelon, strawberry, and lime. I like these flavors together already, and thought they were great in this pairing.
Best pairing with Riesling: tie between Pizza and Steak
This assignment helped me learn more about how different foods can bring out different flavors in the wines. Sometimes the same wine can taste different with different foods (and vice versa)!
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