Another great line-up of food and wine for our Tennessee wine club. Every dinner is set with a theme. This time we were asked to bring an appetizer and a wine to go with it. The twist was a test of our skills and knowledge. We put our wine in a paper bag and everyone had to guess the varietal- no blends tonight. The dish was supposed to provide a clue but I can tell you, it was very challenging.
Our first dish was an Apricot relish with chips. It was slightly tangy and slightly sweet. The wine was poured and no one could figure it out. It was a sparling apricot wine.
We all thought we had the next one figured out before we even tasted the wine. What would you pair with Stuffed Portabella mushrooms? Well a Pinot Noir naturally. But it didn't smell like a Pinot Noir, not earthy and it wasn't light like most Pinot Noirs. It was rich and dark with dark fruit and spice aromas and the flavors were rich with blackberry and smoke. Yes, it was a Syrah. This 2011 Syrah was from Wild Coyote winery in Paso Robles, California.
Pizza and Zinfandel- right? Wrong. It was a white wine. But the pizza wasn't your average pizza. It was topped with thinly sliced apples and gouda. The wine was crisp with notes of citrus and apples with just the right balance of acid to pair with the cheese. It was a great pairing. We guessed Sauvignon Blanc; it wasn't a Sauvignon Blanc but the second guess was a lightly oaked Chardonnay, and we were right, it was a 2012 Talbott, Cali Hart Chardonnay.
The next dish was a roasted pork roast that was rubbed with a combination of garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar and chili pepper. The pairing was another Syrah; a 2005 from Chimasal Winery in Edna Valley, California.
Next was a delicious grilled flank steak with a Chimichurri Dry Rub with oregano, dried parsley flakes, savory, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. No one could guess the wine. It was loaded with dark fruit aromas and flavors with pepper and spice. It was a 2011 Petite Syrah from Lodi area of California. A wonderful pairing.
