Dinner-March 14th

Over Spring Break, my parents and I cooked one of my favorite meals together and paired it with several wines that we had around. The wines we tried were a wide variety, which we purposefully did in order to recognize the contrast more. It was an interesting experience that made me realize some wines pair better with certain foods than others-just as we have discussed in class.

The main entree was New York Strip grilled to perfection by my dad.

We complimented that with delicious grilled asparagus that we prepared in a great seasoning, sauteed mushrooms and a potato casserole. And while we didn't cook it ourselves, we couldn't forget the fresh bakery bread to bring it all together.

Once all of the food was finally prepared, we all gathered around the table, ready to indulge in some delicious food and complimentary wines. The wines we had to taste included two whites and one red. I tasted the red first, because I tend to not care for them so I figured I would get it out of the way before cleansing my palate with a more favorable wine after. The red wine was a Beringer, White Merlot.

Variety: Merlot, Year: 2012, Region: California, Country: USA

While I wasn't too anxious to taste this wine, the aroma made me more intrigued than I had anticipated. It came across as being very fruity, specifically reminding me of berries. Additionally, it had a hint of a chemical aspect to the nose. Upon tasting it, it was quite sweet and much better than I was expecting. I got hints of berries on the taste and it paired quite nicely with my grilled steak.

Next, I sampled the "Hokie Bird" white wine. Our neighbors had given it to us this winter and we never broke into it so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Variety: "Rare white blend", Year: Not listed, Region: Virginia, Country: USA

The aroma of this wine was an appealing mixture of apple and pear with a slight hint of a chemical aspect. I was anxious to taste it but it turned out to be extremely dry. I don't think I've ever had a white wine that seemed quite this dry before. I was not a fan and didn't choose to continue drinking it with the dinner. Especially after already enjoying the pairing of the red wine with the steak.

Finally, we had a nice white wine from the Biltmore, an estate in North Carolina. This is one of my Mom's favorite wines but I had never personally tried it before.

Variety: Pinot Grigio, Year: 2012, Region: North Carolina (Ashville), Country: USA

This wine smelled delicious and came across as encompassing strong components of apple with some hints of orange. The great smell only made me more anxious to finally try out this wine. The taste was somewhat tangy but it went down very smooth. Ultimately, I enjoyed this wine.

I mostly stuck to the Pinot and the Merlot for dinner and left the Chateau Morrisette out. Both of these wines paired nicely with the dinner we were having.

All in all, it was a great evening spent with my parents! I really enjoyed pairing the wines with food and seeing how that provided it with more character. So far this semester, I've mostly had the various wines at the wine tastings so this was a nice change of pace. I definitely plan to have another dinner to further explore the wine/food pairings very soon!