Wine Tasting Notes

Our apartment complex hosted a wine tasting last night. The wines were provided by The Curious Grape (the store that's down the street from our place). The event was a great way to meet neighbors in the complex and to try varieties of wine that I wouldn't necessarily try on my own (the theme was "old world wines vs. new world reds"). The presenters from the store matched the wines with some cheeses and chocolates, which was a very nice way to sample different cheeses and see how much wine can enhance food (and vice versa). Below are the notes I took of the different wines that we tried so that I know which ones to look for in the store in the future. The first four are white wines and the last four are red wines.

Non-Vintage Venegazzu' Prosecco - An Italian sparkling wine, referred to as "frizzane" (lightly sparkling, as opposed to "spumante" which is fully sparkling). I really liked this wine. It was soft and not nearly as sweet as asti spumante, but not bitter dry like a traditional brut. It would be a nice wine to serve with dinner when celebrating a special occasion.

Cheese pairing = Paive Vecchio - Italian cheese similar to Asiago but had a nutty finish. Very good.

2005 Gramona Penedes Gessami - Spanish wine made with Muscat grapes. Very light. Too me it was too light and I found it similar to drinking water with a wedge of citrus. Would probably be good for inexperienced or new wine drinkers, but I don't think many of my oenophile friends would like it.

Cheese pairing = Marygold - A semi-hard goat cheese with marigold flowers. Was not my favorite cheese and I found that the marigolds did not add much in terms of flavor or dimension.

2005 Les Temps Perdus Chablis - A French Chardonnay from northern Burgundy. I found it really bland and could not pick out any specific flavor. This wine was my least favorite of the evening.

Cheese pairing = Cravanzina - Soft ripened Italian cheese from sheep and cows' milk. To me it was flavorless and I would have preferred brie.

2005 Bastgen Kestener Palinshofberg Riesling Spatlese -I tend not to like overly sweet wines, but this German Riesling was very nice. Sweet but not sickening. Lemony flavored. I probably wouldn't buy this for myself but I would buy it for my sister-in-law and some friends that love the sweet stuff.

Cheese pairing = Cornelia - Another semi-hard goat cheese, this time blended with coriander seeds. I found it slightly nutty. Definitely more flavorful that the marigold cheese.

2002 Graham Beck Old Road Pinotage - This unique South African wine is a cross between a Pinot Noir and a Cinsault. It was mild yet smoky. It had a hint of spice but not peppery like a Zinfandel. Not very dry. Would make a nice table wine for any day of the week.

Cheese pairing = Maple Smoked Cheddar - My favorite cheese of the evening. Reminded me of breakfast at a homey B & B.

2004 Susana Balbo "Crios" Syrah/Bonarda - Argentinian wine. Smooth, creamy. Not spicy. Had floral hints, which I'm not used to tasting in a red wine. Also not very dry.

Cheese pairing = Crucolo - Semi soft cheese made with unpasteurized cow's milk. Flavorful. Seems heavy. Definitely better than the other semi soft cheese that we sampled.

2004 Four Vines Maverick - A delicious California Zinfandel that had a touch of Syrah. My favorite red of the evening. It was peppery and fruity (think blackberries). Just the right level of dryness for my palate.

Chocolate pairing = Michel Cluizel "Los Ancones" - I love chocolate and rarely find any that I won't eat. This was no exception. A dark chocolate with a touch of berry flavor. Smooth finish.

2005 Winner's Tank Shiraz - An Australian wine with a rating of 91 points from a Wine Advocate. Not as dry as most Shiraz. I tasted citrus. Paired really well with the chocolate.

Chocolate pairing = Cocolove 65% Rich Dark Chocolate - Our guide described this chocolate as "tangy". I didn't find it tangy but I thought it tasted smoky and smooth. It was a sexy chocolate.

Chicken Jerusalem

One of the restaurants I used to work at in college served this at banquets. It was delicious. This recipe is a modified version of several that I found on the web. Serves two but can be doubled.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish
salt and pepper to season flour
1/2 tsp fresh chopped garlic
1 cup button mushrooms
1/2 cup quartered artichokes
3/4 cup of sherry
1/3 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Trim the chicken pieces and lightly pound to even half inch thick pieces. Cut each piece in half. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Saute in butter until cooked. Remove chicken from pan. Add to pan garlic, mushrooms, and artichokes; saute for 5 minutes. Add sherry and heavy cream. Cook carefully at medium high heat until reduced by half. Reduce heat and add chicken back into pan and warm in sauce for about 1 minute. Serve with rice pilaf.