It's time for the first wine dinner of the semester! For this tasting, my friends and I paired oyster, pork, and cake with three wines. We paired these dishes with a sparkling Blanc de Blanc, a Malbec, and a Vermouth, respectively. The first thing we had was the oysters with the Saint-Hilaire Blanc de Blanc. The wine smelled like dry pasta with a hint of sweetness, and it had a fairly dry flavor that tasted like strawberry seltzer water. The oysters were great, and paired nicely with the wine, bringing out a pleasant sweetness.
The second pairing we had was pork chops and potatoes with a Vista Flores Malbec. The wine had a bold aroma of cherry and mocha, but was surprisingly mild on the palette. The flavors I identified were cherry and plum. Interestingly, pairing the wine with the pork reintroduced the mocha note to the flavor, balancing out the fruity notes I tasted before. The pork and potatoes were also wonderful on their own.
Our dessert was a chocolate cherry cake paired with a Perucchi White Vermouth. The vermouth was unlike anything I've tasted before for this class. It had a rich, complex gingery smell accompanied by notes of honey, cinnamon, and possibly some other spices. The flavor was similar to the smell, with a stronger honey flavor, and a bit of licorice as well. The cake was amazing, and it strengthened the ginger flavor of the wine while introducing a minty character.
It's a tough choice to pick a winner between the three pairings, but I think my favorite has to be the Vermouth with the cake. The Vermouth blew me away on its own, and pairing it with the cake enhanced its flavor while adding even more complexity. I think second place would have to be a tie between the other two pairings. They both added a very nice balance to the dishes they were paired with. Overall, this was my favorite tasting experience so far this semester. I can't wait for the next one!
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