Wine Dinner #2 (w Family!)

This week was spring break and I was home for the week, so I decided to have a wine dinner with my parents! We had Vermont extra sharp cheddar and olives, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, and zucchini with a zinfandel, pinot grigio, and riesling. I am a vegetarian so I am not able to try bold reds with bold meats which is why I have a lot of pasta and lighter wines with the meals. 

Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2020

First, we tried the Zinfandel with some sharp cheddar cheese. This was my first time trying Zinfandel that I know of. This one was from Sonoma county in California and had good ratings. The wine had strong aromas of tart cherry and minerals. The main flavors I got were blackberry and oak as well as minerals and cherry. The wine was not too acidic and was smooth but still had a bit of a bite. I thought the cheese balanced the acidity of the wine very well and brought out the mineral taste of the wine. This wine definitely overpowered the pasta. It went a bit better with the zucchini, but was still overpowering and was best with the sharp cheddar. 

Chateau St Michelle Riesling Columbia Valley 2021

Next, we tried the Riesling from “Washington State’s Founding Winery.” The bottle indicated it was between medium sweet and medium dry. It did not smell very dry and smelled strongly of apricots and florals. The main flavors were apricot, lavender, and honeycomb. I thought it was pretty sweet and not very tart, overall a lighter wine. I thought the wine brought out the garlic in the pasta and the sweetness went really well with the red pepper. I think the sweetness of the wine balanced the sharpness of the pasta and vice versa. I thought this was a good pairing. This wine with the zucchini was a little too sweet and there wasn't much acidity, I don’t think they complement each other very well. The wine went with the sharp cheddar well but may have been better with another cheese. 

Balducci's Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) 

Finally, we tried a Pinot Grigio from a local food market we have here. The bottle indicated it was imported from the Delle Venezie region of northern Italy which is known for its pinot grigios. The wine was pretty tart and acidic. I got flavors of citrus, lemon, lime, pear, and a bit of mineral. I thought the zucchini balanced the acidity of the wine very well. It didn’t seem to affect the zucchini much though. This wine with the pasta I felt like there were a bit too many flavors going on as this wine is pretty flavorful. The wine did go well with the cheese, as most do.

Overall, it was nice to try some new wines with my parents and show them some things that I have learned in the class so far. The Riesling was my favorite wine of the night which I thought went very well with the garlic pasta dish.