Dinner - Palisades (New Zealand)

Every Wednesday this semester, The Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston, Virginia has hosted a Wines Around the World event. This is where they offer three wine tastings from a particular country of the world that paired with three food items of cuisine from the same country. This week's event was New Zealand. I was very excited to try something brand new since I've never once been to a place that offered a New Zealand style cuisine. I also ended had the good luck to convince my boyfriend to accompany me which tuned out to be a lot of fun because I tried to teach him to recognize the different smells between each wine tasted.

Walking up to the front of the restaurant.

 Here is a picture I took as we walked up to the restuarant. Since Eggleston is located in Giles County, VA I knew getting here would be a small adventure. Sure enough, making a left off of a very twisty, winding road off of 460 West, we arrived at this small town that seemed frozen in time. And the time just happened to be maybe 60 years ago. The restaurant had a very homey feel with plenty of trinkets lining the walls. As we were seated, our server presented me with the menu for the night's theme.

The dishes to be paired with the wines.

The wines to be paired with these dishes were: The Crater Rim Riesling, Sea Pearl Sauvignon Blanc, and Ponga Pinot Noir.

The wines to be tasted as described above, from left to right.

 As you can see below, the dishes included a Kiwi Salad, a Trout Fritter, and a Kumara Duet. The Kiwi Salad was described as having mixed greens, red peppers, granny smith apples, raosted nuts with oil and vinegar dressing. The Trout Fritter was a simple egg white omelette with baked trout. The Kumara Duet was a purple kumara chip topped with whipped kumara and smoked pecans. But get ready because I found out that Kumara is actually a sweet potato!

The evening's food dishes, as described above clockwise starting with the salad.

Of course, I couldn't help but take a picture of my boyfriend and his food either! He ordered a chicken entree with sweet potatoes - which also looked delicious. Now to start with the eating and tastings!

Josh with his meal!

Name: The Crater Riesling Canterbury

Variety: Riesling
Region: Waipara Valley
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2012
Price: $13.00

Alone: The color of this wine was a very light yellow. It had a bouquet full of apples. I was also getting what reminded me of the dirt smell and taste that you get with celery. I also was getting hints of a petrol scent. On the palate, I thought the wine was slightly dry, but had a light body. At the start, there was a crisp start with a strong celery taste coming through on the mid-palate. The finish lasted about a minute.

With Kiwi Salad: In tasting this with the salad, I felt that the acidity was extremely heightened and cut through immediately. I was tasting much less celery and I felt that the petrol aroma was overpowering my palate.

With Trout Fritter: Trying this wine with the fritter actually did the opposite of what happened with the salad. I think the oils from the fritter really cut through the acid because this wine seemed extremely less acidic - I was able to hardly notice it. I also thought that with the fritter, the celery and kind of dirt flavor came to the forefront on the palate. The wine tasted much more earthy.

With Kumara Duet: With the Kumara (aka Sweet potato), again the acid just kind of melted away and I hardly even noticed the bite that had been there when I tasted the wine alone and with the salad. However, I think the sweetness of the Kumara definitely covered up the earthiness of this wine and brought out more of the petrol taste and smell that I had gotten earlier. 

Name:  Sea Pearl Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Price: $12.00

Alone: This wine was almost clear in color. It had pinapple and citrus flavors on the nose. I also thought there was grapefruit. At the start of the taste, the wine was very crisp, clean, and refreshing. On the mid-palate, the acid just breaks through and stays through the finish. On the finish, I thought it tasted like fresh grass.

With Kiwi Salad: With the salad, I thought there was much less acid on the wine. It also tasted more dry and I could definitely taste grapefruit. The heat of the alcohol also came through on the mid-palate which I had not noticed when I tried this by itself.

With Trout Fritter: Having this with the fritter gave the wine about the same acidity as when I had it by itself. The tropical bouquet and flavors stood out much more, which I think was attributed to the creamy filling of the fritter and subtle flavors of the trout.

With Kumara Duet: When trying this with the Kumara, because of the sweetness in the dish, I felt the acidity of the wine stood out so much more! It was like a shock to the palate. I felt that acidity of the wine was actually clashing with the sweetness of the Kumara. The bitterness of the wine was relatively high in comparison with the sweetness of the dish and the citrus notes that were once apparent in the wine had disappeared.

Name: Ponga. Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2013
Price: $14.00

Alone: This wine was a deep red. Black cherry and raspberries were on the bouquet. I thought it had a medium body and mouthfeel. I also thought there were medium tannins since it did leave a slight velvety feel on the palate - but not too overpowering. There were hints of black pepper and a quick finish.

With Kiwi Salad: In trying this with the Kiwi Salad, there was nothing more for me to say than the wine was made incredibly bitter! It was difficult to get any other flavors because the tannins which had come through on the mid-palate when the wine was by itself, came through right away and I felt they really overpowered my palate.

With Trout Fritter: With the fritter, again I think the fats came through to save the day. The bitterness had melted away to the background and the wine itself had a much lighter mouthfeel. The velvet feel that I got with the wine by itself had dissipated and I tasted a touch more pepper.

With Kumara Duet: Finally, to the Kumara. I thought this dish really brought out the cherry flavors. There was the same light mouthfeel and I though the sweetness of the Kumara complimented the wine very well - this was my favorite pairing of the night!

Tasting - Crane Lake Riesling

Name: Crane Lake Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $5.95

Shop Review: The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.

My Review: The color of this wine was a very light yellow. The aroma had notes of strawberries, cantelope, and melons. There was a medium sweet start on the palate with slight acidity on the finish. The taste of this wine reminded me of the Pacific Cooler flavor of Capri Sun. It was very refreshing with a short finish. I had this without food.

Tasting - Crane Lake Shiraz

Name: Crane Lake Shiraz 2013
Variety: Syrah
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price:  $5.95

Shop Review: Beautiful ruby appearance, with blackberry and pepper notes. Tannins and fruit marry well for a soft finish. This wine pairs well with sharp cheddar cheese and hazelnuts. Also try it along with roast lamb at Easter time, veal marsala, or grilled salmon.

My Review: This wine was a bright red with aromas of black cherry and the sweetness of vanilla. There were hints of pepper and a slight aroma of smoke. The body of this wine was light with a bitterness coming through on the mid-palate that I think came from the tannins. However, the wine was still very smooth. This was had without food.

Tasting - Georges Duboeuf Nouveau

Name: Georges Duboeuf Nouveau 2015
Variety: Gamay
Region: Beaujolais
Country: France
Year: 2015
Price: $12.00

Shop Review: Deorge Duboeuf is THE king of Beaujolais. His wines are full of pop, charm and great flavor and his Beaujolais Nouveau is no exception. A cornucopia of expressive fruit wrapped in an almost-bubblegum-like frame; it is the flagship Nouveau.

My Review: The color on this wine was a rich, violet-purple color. Raspberry, blackberry, strawberry were all very prominent on the nose. The bouquet reminded me of the smell of jam spread over freshly toasted bread. I thought it had a light mouthfeel and had a slight sweetness at the start, ending with a smooth finish that didn't seem to last long. I tried this wine without food.

Tasting - Maipe Torrontes

Name: Maipe Torrontes

Variety: Torrontes
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2014
Price: $14.00

Shop Review: This wine has a spring-like nose of fresh white peaches, pears, green apple, green melon and hints of jasmine and rose petals. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity with fruit flavors and plenty of body. Well-balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish.

My Review: This wine had a very light yellow color. Contrary to the shop review, I thought the nose smelled like soap and hand sanitizer - not very spring like. I could also smell some floral notes and pear. On the palate, I felt the wine was moderately acidic with a light body. On the finish, the floral aspects of this wine came came through. It felt like I had a been chewing on a spring time fresh scented fabric sheet that you use in the dryer. I didn't enjoy this wine very much and tasted this without food.
 

Tasting - Tonnino Pinot Grigio

Name: Tonnino Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $14.00

Shop Review: Tonnino's exotic example of Pinot Girgio has a straw to pale gold color. It is fresh and clean on the nose with fruity notes of pear, green apple and white peaches. The palate is true to the nose with a fresh acidity, coriander and lime notes followed by a crisp finish. This wine pairs well with youthful aperitifs, clams or mussels, pastas and risotto dishes.

My Review: This wine was a light yellow color with Granny Smith apples and pears in its bouquet. The acidity also tickled the nose upon smelling. On the palate, there were notes of citrus and more apples. The acidity came through on the mid-palate and the wine had a crisp finish and light body. I also thought it was very smooth. This was had without food.

Dinner - Homemade Italian

The end of the semester seems to be sneaking up on me pretty quickly and of course, it's come to hit me that in less than two months, I'll be graduating along with one of my best friends Troy. He'll be heading to South Carolina and I'll be heading to California, so it's safe to say that we won't get to be hanging out as much. With that being said, I thought it would nice to get together and have an Italian style dinner with wine. After all, his last name is Manzitti. For our dinner, the main entree was whole wheat spaghetti with chicken parmesan. For dessert we made an almond-chocolate torte. We also had a side of green beans with our entree, but for the purpose of the wine-pairing, they were not used.

Troy trying to be "suave" for the picture.

For making our dinner, the first thing we had to do was make the pasta which is simple enough, but sometimes I overcook it. No one likes mushy spaghetti noodles, so Troy helped me out with this and it turned out perfect!

Perfectly al dente spaghetti noodles cooked and drained.

While Troy was focusing on the pasta, I was preparing the chicken breasts for the Chicken Parmesan. This meant dipping the breasts in eggwhites, seasoning them with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then breading them. I used the Italian Style Progresso bread crumbs. After the chicken was breaded, I popped them into the oven to bake for about twenty minutes. The recipe I used was of course, found on Pinterest! Here's the link in case you want to make it yourself:  http://www.fitmomangelad.com/21-day-fix-chicken-parmesan/ 

The chicken breasts breaded and ready to bake!

After twenty minutes had gone by, it was time to pull out the chicken, turn them over and then add the sauce and cheese. I used Prego Traditional Italian sauce and a handful of mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Wow that cheese looks amazing. The chicken breasts were fresh from the oven!

Now all the while the chicken was in the oven, Troy and I were working on making our chocolate torte, which (by the way) was flourless. The recipe we used can be found on the Food Network website here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/flourless-chocolate-torte-recipe.html?ic1=obinsite . To put an Italian spin on this dessert, we simply just added some almond extract. This is an essential in any Italian dessert.

The chocolate torte batter just before baking

After we put the torte batter, it was time to wait for about 40 minutes for it to bake. Of course, it wasn't complete without a powdered sugar topping. 

The complete chocolate-almond torte dessert.

While we waited for the torte to bake, we then started to prepare our main course.

Troy starting to plate our dinner.

Check out those plating skills.

For the wines that were chosen, I tried to make selections that were recommended for chicken dishes, dishes that included a hearty Italian sauce, or chocolate. My final choices follow accompanied by my tasting notes. Now we were in business for starting dinner.

Name: Sutter Home White Zinfandel

Variety: White Zinfandel
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: Non Vintage
Price:  $7.00

Alone: The color of this wine was a pleasant light pink. It had aromas of strawberries and melon. I also thought there was a sweetness of vanilla. The wine had very low acidity was just a touch of sweet. The finish was very quick and left a crisp feeling on the palate.

With Spaghetti: With the spaghetti, I felt the wine became more acidic on the mid palate and lost some of its sweetness. The finish also became slightly longer with the strawberry and red fruit flavor becoming more pronounced.

With Chicken Parmesan: When had with the chicken, I felt the acidity was about the same. Again, I felt that the flavors of fruit were much stronger than when I just drank this by itself. The finish however, was by far the longest in comparison with the spaghetti and torte.

With Torte: For the torte, I was actually somewhat surprised on how much sweeter it made this wine seem. I will add that the torte was made with a semi-dark chocolate so it was just slightly bitter. Which I think was responsible for bringing out even more sweetness in the wine. I really like the combination of the torte and this wine. Especially because I thought I could taste more a strawberries and cream flavor.

Name: Barefoot Merlot

Variety: Merlot
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: Non-Vintage
Price: $7.00

Alone: This wine a deep violet color. On the nose, I could smell black cherries, plum, and black jams. There was also a bitter smell that kind of reminded me of the Gihardelli Dark Chocolate. With tasting, I felt my palate become coated with tannin, but it seemed to have a light body. I also was able to get some black pepper or smokiness come through.

With Spaghetti: In tasting this with the spaghetti and tomato sauce, just like with the White Zinfandel, the acid was much more pronounced and the mouthfeel had a sharper feel. I was able to taste the cherries  much more with the pasta and tomato sauce.

With Chicken Parmesan: Now, if possible, when tasting this with the chicken, I felt the wine become even more acidic! I did not enjoy that at all, especially because the finish also became much longer, lasting about thirty seconds.  I also thought that because the acidity cut through very quickly, the mid palate got sort of lost and there was hardly any transition to the flavors of the finish.

With Torte: With the chocolate torte, I was relieved to find that the acidity was immediately cut. I thought I could taste what was close to an espresso or maybe black coffee flavor. On the finish, I got some notes of black jam.

Name: Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Central Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2014
Price: $9.00

Alone: The color of this wine was deep red color. The bouquet was full of aromas of raspberries, cherries, as well as strawberries. I thought it had a slightly woody taste and the acid came through clean and focused on the mid-palate. I really enjoyed the tannins on this wine since they were the perfect balance for me.


With Spaghetti: With the spaghetti, I thought the mouthfeel was increased and the wine became a little more velvety. However, I still thought the balance was well-rounded. The pasta did not make the feel of the wine overpowering like it did for the previous two.

With Chicken Parmesan: Tasting this wine with the Chicken Parmesan made the finish quite strong for this wine. I would definitely compare the acidity of the wine coming through like a laser on the mid-palate with a strong cherry flavor at the start. I really enjoyed the pairing of the chicken with this wine! I think it was the best one of the night.

With Torte: The torte did not seem to do much extra to this wine when tasted together. The wine felt slightly more acidic that when I had tasted it by itself and I did feel a little more heat from the alcohol coming through. I think this again could be traced back to the slightly bitter taste of the torte.