Dabney's Wine Blog: Dinner

Me prepping the wines and glasses for the party

Wine & Food Tasting Party

My dad has reminisced about the fancy wine parties he and my mom used to have before they had six kids and has been saying he wants to have one for a couple years now. Being in this class gave us the perfect opportunity to throw jointly throw such an event. We invited several of our close friends and family, Chris and I organized the wine and food selections, my parents offered their house, and we split the bill. Here is how things turned out...

We decided to go with three reds and three white wines, each of a different varietal.

Red Wines:

Anciano Tempranillo, 2001

Region & Country: Valdepenas, Spain

Price: $10.95

Muirwood Pinot Noir, 2009

Region & Country: Monterey, California, United States

Price: $16.99

Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008

Region & Country: Maipo Valley, Chile

Price: $14.99

White Wines:

D'Arenburg The Hermit Crab Viognier, 2009

Region & Country: McLaren Vale, Australia

Price: $13.99

Tratoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele Pinot Grigio, 2010

Region & Country: Murano, Venice

Price: $7.95

Nobillo Icon Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

Region & Country: Marlborough, New Zealand

Price: $14.99

We also chose a wide variety of foods to go with the wines - goat cheese, brie, parmesan, smoked gouda, taleggio cheese, water crackers, wheat crackers, butter crackers, dark, milk and vanilla bean white chocolates, steamed asparagus, pears, avocado, green and red seedless grapes, crostini, black and green olives, plain white italian bread, seasoned olive oils for dipping, and grape tomatoes. We also supplied drinking water for those wanting to clean their palate in between wines.

The table filled with food

Each guest was given a tasting sheet that Chris and I created. A copy of that sheet is shown below. We intentionally left out any ratings of the wine, the price, and the varietal so as not to bias anyone's thoughts.
*PIC*

We began with the whites. Each glass was adorned with a wine charm. I used a standard shot glass to fill each glass with the wines. Each guest was instructed to grab a glass, remember the charm attached, taste the wine and write notes, and then (when they were finished) rinse the glass using our pitcher of water and "dump bucket," and set the glass back on the table for the next wine. Once everyone's glasses were back on the sideboard, I poured the next wine.

The first round of white wine. If you look closely you can see the little wine charms on the bottom of the glasses.

After we finished the three white wines, I gathered everyone to discuss the items left off the sheet and talk a little about the wines. The same was done after the three reds were finished being tasted.

The glasses used for the red wines

The glasses used for the white wines

I found that the most interesting part of the whole experience was hearing how each person's palate reacted to the wines and the foods eaten with them. Some people really liked one wine, while others thought it was their least favorite. Some people thought parmesan cheese went well with the cabernet sauvignon, while others thought the brie tasted better with it. It was very fascinating. Rather than go into full detail about other people (this is my blog after all), I will give the brief notes I took on each wine. Since I was trying to play hostess at the same time, I did not get the chance to write a lot for each tasting.

Wine #1: D'Arenburg Viognier

Smooth, medium bodied, melons flavors maybe, not a lot of heat, nicely balanced, very tasty, my favorite

Wine #2: Italian Pinot Grigio

Fruity, can smell the alcohol on the nose very strongly, nice, very light, pale yellow color, would probably go really well with fish, tasted really smooth and creamy with the brie

Wine #3: Nobillo Icon Sauvignon Blanc

Smells really weird but can't quite figure out what it smells like, I thought it smelled a little like asparagus, not as well balanced - more heat, lighter body, my least favorite one

Wine #4: Tempranillo

Tasted a lot like a Chianti to me, strong cherry and currant flavors, a little peppery, smooth mouthfeel, really liked this one, tasted really yummy with the milk chocolate and cheeses

Wine #5: Pinot Noir

Very thin looking, looks almost liked dyed water, lighter body, a lot of heat came across on this one, not much depth of flavor, tasted very "thin", eating parmesan with it helped it out

Wine #6: Cabernet Sauvignon

Tart flavor for a cabernet, strong tannins, slight hint of tobacco came across, tasted great with the brie (made it taste much smoother), wasn't very impressed

We opened the three reds in the morning to allow some oxygen into them, then we decanted them about 4 hours prior to the start of the party. Considering this, I was very surprised at how aggressive they each tasted. I wonder how much more aggressive they would be if we hadn't let them breathe!

Overall, I think everyone had a good time...