Me, along with 3 friends, tag teamed to prepare a delicious dinner together. The meal was three courses: salad, chicken parmesan, and chocolate covered strawberries. Here is my review over the dinner:
The first course included a Sauvignon Blanc paired with a salad that consisted of lettuce, mozzarella cheese, red onions, croutons, grape tomatoes and a light raspberry vinaigrette.
The wine: When I took a sniffy sniff, all I could smell was flowers. Overall, the taste was pleasant and I enjoyed the wine by itself.
Paired with the salad: I did not enjoy this wine with the salad, because it was a very poor pairing. The salad tasted fine, however, the wine over powered the taste. I believe the reason is that the dressing used was a light vinaigrette. If someone really wanted to pair this dressing with a salad, I would go for a stronger dressing. Overall, I would never pair these two items together.
The second course of the night included a Merlot and chicken parmesan with a red meat sauce and a breadstick.
The wine: I want to begin by saying this is probably the best Merlot I have ever tasted. It was the #1 Merlot at Total Wine last time I went there. The overall taste of the wine included hints of oak and was dry and fairly sweet for a Merlot. I'm sad that I decided to use this specific wine for the dinner, because I had to share it with 3 other people. I would prefer to enjoy the whole bottle by myself because it is that good.
Paired with the chicken parmesan: This was in my opinion a very great combination. The food by itself is obviously very delicious; however, the wine just adds something extra to the meal. This is my first time experiencing (and knowing) how a wine can alter a meal for the better. If I ever made chicken parmesan for someone, I would definite pair it with this Merlot.
The third and final course of the night was a sweet riesling paired with chocolate covered strawberries. This was the most interesting combination of the night.
The wine: I did not like the wine by itself. I should have known just by taking a sniff, because all I could smell was sugary sweetness. When I finally tasted the wine, I immediately decided that it was not good. The wine was way way way too sweet. I would never choose to drink this wine by itself.
Paired with the chocolate covered strawberries: This was the most profound moment of my night. I love chocolate covered strawberries. What was amazing to me is how after taking a bite of the strawberry and tasting the wine, how much the wine had altered from earlier. When paired with the right type of food, this wine becomes drastically less sweet. I actually enjoyed drinking the riesling with the strawberries. It was the perfect combination. So, I would never recommend the wine to someone who was looking to just have a glass of wine by itself. I would, however, recommend this wine to anyone having a fruit based dessert.
Overall, I believe this night was a success. Not only did I have a great night with friends, but I also got to finally experience how wine and food really do compliment each other. As a novice when it comes to wine, it was awesome finally experiencing what people have been talking about. I look forward to learning more about pairings as I experiment with food later on through life.
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