Wine Dinner April 22

The dinner was comprised of three dishes all made at home and shared with my roommates. Though they are not in the class it they certainly helped me make the most of the evening, no one wants to drink alone. To start was a broccoli and cheddar soup with noodles, followed by venison steaks and vegetables, and to finish a personal favorite snack an ice cream sandwich. The wines for the evening were a Robert Mondavi Riesling, Red Diamond Merlot, and a Cigar Box Malbec. It was a blast to talk wine with them and to get their opinions on the tastes and aromas.

The first wine to introduce is a Mondavi Riesling a 2014 wine from California. This was my second time trying a Robert Mondavi wine and I was impressed again. The Reisling was not overly sweet, creating a small amount of mouthwatering character. With hints of apple and pear flavors it was a fragrant wine with a bouquet of citrus. We chilled the wine as best we could before hand to allow for optimum taste and drinkability.

The Second wine, a Red Diamond Merlot had a very fruity and floral aroma. This Washington wine was heavy on berry flavors as well as some chocolate tastes and a nice spice. It as medium in tannins with a little oakyness. Easy to drink and held up well when paired with dishes.

The final wine was a Cigar Box Malbec which I was excited to pair with the venison steaks. This Mendoza wine boasted intense rich flavor but finished silky enough that the wine was well balanced. It definitely lives up to the name of cigar box offering spicy flavors as well as jammy fruity flavors.

The meal started with cheddar broccoli soup, which was creamy and very heavy on the cheddar flavors. From research, I knew Rieslings can pair well with cheeses, so I started the appetizer with the Robert Mondavi. The cheddar was a little too heavy and synthetic tasting to bring anything out in the Riesling and hid some of the apple flavors. The Red Diamond Merlot held up well with the cheese and complimented some of the chocolaty and fruity flavors. The Malbec complimented the soup incredibly well, the short finish and less aggressive tannins made it perfect with the melted cheese.

The second course of the meal was the venison steaks and vegetables, once again the Malbec stole the show. The jammy and fruity flavors paired well with the lean meat, and the spicyness in both complimented eachother well. Nothing like meat and cigars. The merlot offered a similar experience bringing out the berry flavors of the wine and a peppery taste of the meat. The oakyness of the wine stood out well also. The Riesling did not fair so well with the meats, just too heavy of an entre for it to be viable.

Finally the dessert was an ice cream sandwich and the Riesling definitely paired the best. It was finally something light enough to not overshadow the Riesling crisp apple flavors. Both reds were too big for the light airiness of the sandwich.