Wine and Dinner Pairing #2

I did this second dinner pairing tonight with my boyfriend. We picked out a Shiraz, White Zinfandel, and a Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with an appetizer of crackers topped with hot and sweet mustard, habanero cheese and summer sausage, dinner of pesto pasta with grilled chicken and onions, and dessert of Ben&Jerry's Phish food. Every time I go to the grocery store I see these weird "juice boxes" of wine so I decided to try one tonight to compare to the normal bottles that I usually go with.

First we did an initial tasting of each of the three wines so we could get an idea of what we were dealing with.

Vendange Shiraz:

This wine smelled fruity like candied cherries and slightly sour. It tasted blander than we thought it would with a little bit of cherry and an alcoholic aftertaste that lingered. Not bad for a "juice box" of wine!









Bay Bridge White Zinfandel:

This wine smelled bland, a little flowery, and with no alcohol. Overall, it didn't have much of a nose. The taste was sugary, floral, light, some goat cheese aspects, and reminded us of artificial sweeteners. There was no aftertaste; no taste lingered at all.








Bay Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon:

This wine smelled fruity, bitter, like dark cherries, slightly alcoholic, and with some blackberry components. It tasted sugary, fruity: like cherries and blackberries, and with a little bit of alcohol that wasn't very overpowering. There was a slight bitter lingering aftertaste.









Next we paired each wine with our first course: crackers  topped with hot and sweet mustard, habanero cheese and summer sausage.

Shiraz: This appetizer brings out the bitterness of the wine, brings out the alcohol in the wine, and takes away any taste of fruit that was there before. The spicy cheese is all we can taste in the aftertaste. Really good; we thought the spiciness of the cheese went really well with this wine.
White Zinfandel: This appetizer takes away the sugary, artificial sugar taste of the wine leaving behind sweetness with no alcohol. Again, the spiciness in the cheese is all we detect in the aftertaste. This was a pretty good pairing, but nothing special.
Cabernet Sauvignon: This appetizer makes the wine very bitter leaving behind only a strong taste of alcohol and a lingering bitter aftertaste. Not good!

Next, we tasted each wine with out main course: pesto pasta with grilled chicken and onions.

Shiraz: This meal brought out sour notes in the wine however, we could still taste hints of cherry at the end. There was not a very drawn out aftertaste.
White Zinfandel: This meal brought out some sourness and alcohol taste in the wine that lingered afterwards. This food completely changed the flavor of the wine leaving behind a little sweetness but not too much flavor overall.
Cabernet Sauvignon: This dinner made the wine taste very sour with no sweetness and no aftertaste. There was a lingering alcohol taste however.

Finally, we paired each wine with our dessert: Ben&Jerry's Phish Food ice cream.

Shiraz: This pairing brought out the taste of fruit and alcohol in the wine however making the wine very sour. The ice cream overpowered the taste of the wine leaving no aftertaste of wine at all.
White Zinfandel: This pairing brought out some bitterness in the wine but the chocolate in the ice cream seems to overpower the flavor in the wine altogether. There was still some sweetness from the wine coming through however with no alcohol. This wine flavor cut through the strong flavor of the ice cream better than the Shiraz.
Cabernet Sauvignon: With this pairing we could only tasting the bitterness and alcohol in the wine with a sour aftertaste in our mouths even though the chocolate overpowered some of the sourness. Very bad pairing!

Tasting - "Jam Jar Sweet White"

Name: Jam Jar Sweet White
Variety: Moscato
Region: South Africa
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "This charming, easy-drinking Moscato offers flavors of peach, apricot, lychee and orange blossom. A lively jolt of acidity keeps it fresh and fruity. Fancy enough for a special occasion toast, yet sweet-natured enough to enjoy every day, our bright and cheerful sweet wines are sure to capture your heart."

My Review: This wine smells sugary like sweet candy with a slight stinky feet aspect. It tastes like sugar with no alcohol and no aftertaste.
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Rare Red Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot, Merlot"

Name: Rare Red Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot, Merlot
Variety: Red Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot, Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95

Wine Review: "A multi-vintage blend of Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah, and Merlot that is full-bodied and fruit forward with a spicy and complex finish. This wine has been partially barrel aged for eight months in American and French oak."

My Review: This wine smells fruity and flowery with a bitter, cherry, fruity, and light taste and sour aftertaste. 
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Breca Tovana Old Vine Garnacha"

Name: Breca Tovana Old Vine Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Munebrega
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "Gnarled vines, grown without irrigation, are a mainstay of Spain’s winemaking tradition and produce small clusters of perfectly ripe Garnacha grapes. Aromas of blackberries, plums, and cherries fill the glass and develop into luscious flavors of black stone fruit. Long, supple tannins complete this extraordinary wine."

My Review: This wine smells of black cherries and strawberry hard candy with a light bodied taste and alcoholic aftertaste that dries out your mouth. 
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Marques de Caceres Verdejo "

Name: Marques de Caceres Verdejo
Variety: Verdejo
Region: Rueda
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95

Wine Review: "Vivid straw colour. Fresh, clean and intense bouquet enlivened by notes of citrus fruit with a depth of pears and apples. Deliciously fresh and full in the mouth where racy, focused flavours deliver notes of minerals, lemon rind and green apples. Good length and a refreshing finish. Has all the character of the best from its appellation."

My Review: This wine smells stinky and like sour apple with a watery, light bodied taste that doesn't linger with no aftertaste. This tastes like watered down wine.
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Dibon Cava Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada"

Name: Dibon Cava Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parallada
Variety: 45% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada
Region: Catalonia
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95

Wine Review: "Made from 45% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada, the nose offers regal yeast and richness, while the palate has complexity to prop up apple, citrus and grapefruit flavors. Solid from front to back, with health and freshness. Cava, Catalan sparkling wine, is made mostly in the regions of Penedes, and the capital of cava is Sant Sadurni d´Anoia. Dibon is located in Vilafranca del Penedes, aproximately 20 Km from Sant Sadurni. The Dibon vineyard is in the process of becoming fully organic. It consists of 75 hectares of trellised vines 1000 feet above the Mediterranean Sea."

My Review: This wine smells sour and toasty and is very bubbly with a fruity taste and alcoholic aftertaste that lingers. very good! 
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Hahn Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling"

Name: Hahn Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling
Variety: Riesling
Region: Piesport
Country: Germany
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95

Wine Review: "This wine’s light, airy mouthfeel belies its sweetness and intensity of flavor. Honeyed pineapple aromas; similar flavors on the palate, adding gentle citrus notes toward the long, sweet finish."

My Review: This wine smells slightly sour and tastes like goat cheese. The taste is sweet but not sugary and has a no alcohol, Welch's grape juice aftertaste.
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud"

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud
Variety: 85% Garnacha, 15% Tempranillo
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: $6.95

Wine Review: "The 2012 Tres Ojos Garnacha contains 15% Tempranillo (I wonder why), and unoaked cuvée of 200,000 bottles that matures in vat for at least seven months before bottling. What I tasted was a very honest, fresh and fruit-driven red with aromas of cherries, garrigue and thyme with a medium-bodied palate, some weight and tannins that would do better with food. This is a red that sells for a song.”

My Review: This wine smells flowery and taste a little sweet, kind of bland, and has no taste of alcohol. There is not much of an aftertaste but does not dry out your mouth.
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Torre Castillo Cosecha Monastrell"

Name: Torre Castillo Cosecha Monastrell
Variety: Monastrell
Region: Jumilla
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95

Wine Review: "100% Monastrell, aged in American oak for four months. Bright ruby. Powerful, spicy aromas of dark berry preserves and lavender. Fleshy and round on the palate, offering spicy blackberry and blueberry flavors and gaining sweetness with air. Finishes smooth, long and slightly warm."

My Review: This wine smells like cherry Twizzlers and flowers. The taste is sour and bitter and dries your mouth out a lot with an alcoholic aftertaste.
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Chateau Suau Bordeaux Rose"

Name: Chateau Suau Bordeaux Rose
Variety: Rose
Region: Bordeaux
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $18

Wine Review: "100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Light, lurid pink.  Tangerine, raspberry and white pepper on the fragrant nose.  Juicy and focused in the mouth, offering zesty red berry flavors with a refreshingly bitter edge.  Closes clean and tight, with lingering spiciness and a touch of orange zest."

My Review: This wine smells sour and like strawberries and has a slight, fruity green apple taste. There is a sweet aftertaste. Good! 
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Terre di Poggio Laude Pecorino"

Name: Terre di Poggio Laude Pecorino
Variety: Laude Pecorino
Region: Terre di Chieti
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "Bright and savory, this floral scented Pecorino offers juicy tropical fruit and lemon drop sensations accented by notes of mint and thyme. The ripe fruit is balanced by brisk acidity that leaves the palate feeling cleansed and refreshed."

My Review: This wine smells very fruity and like apple cider. It tastes slightly sour and has an apple cider vinegar aftertaste. Good!
I enjoyed this wine without food. 
 

Tasting - "Peter Mertes Riesling Platinum"

Name: Peter Mertes Riesling Platinum
Variety: Riesling
Region: Rheinhessen, Germany
Country: Germany
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "This quality Riesling is crisp, clean and easy drinking. Floral and fruit aromas suggest sweet melon and honey with enough acidity to ensure a beautifully balanced and versatile wine."

My Review: This wine smells a little bitter and tastes sweet and like goat cheese with a sour aftertaste. Good! 
I enjoyed this wine without food. 

Tasting - "Charles Thomas Cotes du Rhone"

Name: Charles Thomas Cotes du Rhone
Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre. 56 Ha grown organically since March 2009 (in conversion). Part of the vineyard is plowed with horses. Average age of the vines : 30 years old. Clear ruby wine with overtones of red berry fruits. Round and supple with smooth aftertaste. A good all round red wine for meat courses, poultry and light cheeses. Best drunk now while fresh with good keeping up to 4 years."

My Review: This wine smells like funeral flowers with no alcohol and also tastes like funeral flowers. It really dries your mouth out and has a bitter aftertaste.
I enjoyed this wine without food.

Tasting - "Terre di Poggio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Laude"

Name: Terre di Poggio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Laude
Variety: Terre di Poggio
Region: Abruzzo
Country: Italy
Year: $8.95
Price: 2012

Wine Review: "This opens with dark aromas of leather, tobacco, cured meat, plum and prune. It shows soft tannins and loads of dark fruit on the finish."

My Review: This wine smells slightly alcoholic and like cherries and has a slight flower taste that is really bitter on the end. There is a sour aftertaste as well.
I enjoyed this wine without food.

Tasting - "Sean Minor Pinot Noir Rose Vin Gris"

Name: Sean Minor Pinot Noir Rose Vin Gris
Variety: Pinot Noir Rose
Region: Carneros, CA
Country: California, USA
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Wine Review: "The Vin Gris is a bright and vibrant salmon color with cherry, strawberry, cranberry and ripe watermelon aromas on the nose.  On entry, the wine displays bright strawberry flavors. Throughout the mid-palate and finish, raspberry and cherry fruit characters are balanced with spicy and crisp acidity that linger creating a refreshing and lengthy finish."
 My Review: This wine has a moldy, mildewy smell that is slightly fruity. The taste is very bland with no aftertaste and no alcohol. This wine tasted pretty watery.
I enjoyed this wine without food.

Tasting - "Grande Reservere des Bastides Gaillac"

Name: Grande Reservere des Bastides Gaillac
Variety: 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Loin de I'Oeil, 30% Mauzac
Region: Gaillac
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95

Wine Review: "A crisp and fruity blend featuring 20% of the herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc, 50% creamy Loin de l’Oeil and notes of fresh apple and crisp pear, plus a touch of herb from the 30% Mauzac. It has a bright feel, with a hint of mineral on the finish."

My Review: This wine smells floral, a lot like Welch's grape juice, and with no alcohol. The taste is sour at first and bitter at the end with a bite and slight alcohol aftertaste that doesn't linger long.
I enjoyed this wine without food.