Wine Dinner #1

Course 1:  French baguette with garlic and herb dipping oil.  

Course 1 Wine Pairing:  Ecco Domani 2010 Pinot Grigio.  

The grapes for this wine come from the Northeastern "Tre Venezie" region of Italy.  


Notes:  I selected a pinot grigio to pair with this appetizer, because I wanted a medium bodied white wine, and at about $7, this fit the bill.  Visually, the Ecco Domani pinot grigio had a slight golden color which complimented the green herbs in the dipping oil nicely.  On the nose, it was rich and fruity with honeysuckle notes.  Fruit flavors came through on the palate as well, which was clean and crisp.  The finish was smooth and refreshing.  Overall, there were simple flavors.  The clean, crisp quality made it this a good pairing for my light appetizer. I imagine this wine would pair well with fish, as well.

Course 2:  Cheesy vegetable lasagna.  

Course 2 Wine Pairing:  Bella Sera 2010 Pinot Noir.    

Notes:  I went to the internet in search of a wine pairing to go with vegetable lasagna, and ended up going with a recommendation from classicwines.com.  For meat lasagna, they recommended Chianti, but acknowledged that "Vegetable lasagna presents a more difficult set of issues, for veggies are notoriously tough to pair with many wines.  But as long as you think creatively, then you'll be just fine.  One of the classic ingredients in vegetable lasagna is mushroom, and nothing goes better with mushroom than Pinot Noir."  I took the advice, and went with Bella Sera 2010 Pinot Noir.  At about $7, it fit in the budget and also fit with the Italian fare theme.  Despite the dark image above, this wine had a bright red color.  The nose had hints of berry and oak.  Those flavors came through on the palate as well, which was a little tannic and harsh for my taste.  Overall, I think the concept of the red wine with earthy, "meaty" mushrooms is an solid pairing idea.  

Course 3:  Molten chocolate lava cake.  

Course 3 Wine Pairing:  Bella Sera 2009 Merlot.    

Notes:  I like to finish meals with rich, chocolate-y desserts and tonight was no exception.  I went with a molten chocolate lava cake which I paired with a Bella Sera 2009 Merlot.  The Merlot had a deep red/purple color, with aromas of plum.  The palate had hints of cherry and cocoa, and was less harsh than many other reds I've had.  The rich flavors of the wine complemented the chocolate cake well - a sinfully satisfying pairing to finish the meal.