Wine and Dinner pairing April 16

 FIRST COURSE

 

This as a little appetizer was very light and refreshing. This apple wine was absolutely delicious and tasted just like apple juice. I was a bit on the fence about pairing such a strong flavor with fruit, but it worked out great. The water in the watermelon made it so the flavors were not overwhelming and it was a nice touch to the apple flavor in the wine. This was very summery and was nice to snack on before the main course. 

Chateau Morrisette Sweet Mountain Apple, Variety: Virginia Apples, Nelson County, Virginia, August 2022, 13.99$

Review Online: "Bursting with the vibrant fruitiness of just-picked apples, this wine is sweet and smooth, with a clean crisp finish." (https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/virginia-wine/chateau-morrisette-sweet-mountain-apple?productSize=0) 

 

 SECOND COURSE

For my second course I paired Chardonnay with a fresh cobb salad and chicken wings with ranch. This was a great pairing. The salad had bacon bits, chicken and some egg with ranch dressing. The chardonnay complimented this really well because it added a pop of flavor. My chicken wings did not have sauce on them either so these two foods were perfect with a white wine that is a bit heavier than my usual. It may sound odd but the ranch and Chardonnay paired together really well and it brought out the creaminess in the ranch. 

Barefoot Chardonnay, Variety: Chardonnay, California, United States, NV, 2.99$

Review Online: "Barefoot Chardonnay is dripping with honeyed peach and Fuji apple flavors. It’s as smooth and golden as… gold. Medium-weight with a sweet vanilla aroma. Yum!" ( https://drizly.com/wine/white-wine/chardonnay/barefoot-chardonnay/p1832) 

FINAL COURSE

For my final course, I paired Pinot Noir with Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough. I usually love having a red wine with my deserts or a sweet treat but this wasn't my favorite. It made the wine taste a bit sour. I think this cookie dough would have gone great with a desert wine or maybe a blueberry wine. I believe that the chocolates made the pinot noir taste a bit off. 

Barefoot Pinot Noir, Variety: Pinot Noir, California, United States, NV, 2.99 $

Review Online: "Perfectly balanced, the pretty and bright-fruited Barefoot Pinot Noir offers seductive, red fruit flavors on the palate; smooth in the finish." (https://drizly.com/wine/red-wine/pinot-noir/barefoot-pinot-noir/p1839) 

Overall, this was a great meal! My favorite course was definitely the salad, wings and chardonnay. I will definitely pair those together again. I really enjoyed my first course as well and will be making more pairings like that for the warm weather. For my last course, now I know to try cookie dough or anything chocolatey with a desert or fruity dark red.