Wine and Food Pairing Dinner Party

This weekend my friend and I planned a wine and food pairing dinner party at my house with friends, and our parents! We had everyone pick out a wine and prepare a dish to go with it and we all came together to try out our dinner pairings. We had four different types of wine: we started with a white and blush wine with appetizers, then enjoyed dinner with a nice Chianti, and finished with dessert and pink Moscato.

Me and my parents (to the right and left of me) and our friends about to start dinner

Appetizers

Our first wine: Sauvignon Blanc

The salad we had with the Sauvignon Blanc

To start off we had SeaGlass 2012 Sauvignon Blanc from California with a spinach and walnut salad (on the left). This white smelled citrusy and like apple. It also had a hint of freshly mowed grass in the nose. Before trying it with food it tasted very much like lemon and citrus fruits. It was very smooth and good. After eating the salad and trying the wine again, the walnut flavor from the salad really came out in the wine, making it more flavorful. The wine was also a little more spicy alongside the food. This was an interesting wine to pair with food, but it turned out really good with the salad!

My glass of blush wine with cheesy bread

Cabernet Savignon - Merlot

Next we had the Domaine de Mirail Cabernet Savignon - Merlot 2011 from France with fococcia bread, tomatoes, cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette  This wine smelt very good; a very cherry fruit and strawberry nose. The taste was a little dry and fruity, not bad at all. While trying it with food the taste became drier, but better. The taste of the delicious bread came out more in the wine. It also became more citrusy with the food. This was a nice wine to try with these appetizers and the taste came out well alongside the bread and cheese. 

My dad experiencing the full smell of the blush wine

Main Course

A plate of the main course: lasagna and beans

The wine we had paired with our main course was Da Vinci Chianti 2011 from Italy. This wine was paired with green beans and delicious Italian lasagna that my dad made for our dinner party. 

The Chianti we enjoyed with dinner

This Chianti smelled like black berries and vanilla, with a little mocha included as well! It tasted like cherries and plum and surprisingly was not that dry. It was a very nice wine, and even better with the food. It had more spice when eaten with the food and really made the tomato flavors stand out. The wine also tasted more complex with the food. I caught a smokey taste and a little tobacco as well when I tasted the wine after eating the flavorful food. I liked the added flavors and I enjoyed the contribution the food had to the wine.

My glass of Pink Moscato next to my plate of dessert!

Dessert

Finally, we had the Opera Prima Pink Moscato sparkling wine from Italy. Alongside this Moscato, we enjoyed strawberry shortcake with ice cream. The Moscato smelled like rose petals and strawberries with hints of watermelon as well. The taste was very sweet, but when paired with the sweet dessert the Moscato seemed to be overshadowed in sweetness. It was very delicious still, and the strawberry shortcake seemed to bring out the flavor of the rosey and floral taste of the wine.

This dinner was a blast and everyone seemed to enjoy their wines along with the food. Overall, the wine seemed to taste better with the food or at least bring out the flavors of the food a lot more significantly. I really enjoyed sharing the experience with my parents and can't wait to try this again sometime!