Wine and Dine 1: Dinner with parents

Normally when someone thinks about spending some quality time with your parents you don't think about drinking together. My parents in particular always seem to think that every time alcohol is even mentioned is an appropriate segue into the topic of alcoholism. This has always seemed strange to me since I know, they know that I hardly drink.

However, their reaction was completely different when I said that it was educational and for school. Therefore I took this opportunity to teach my parents some things about enjoying wine (responsibly) and also took the opportunity to try out some more expensive $$$ wines.


THE WINE!

My father and I went to Total Wine, a chain of wine stores, to buy the alcohol for the dinner. The idea was to come to the store with a general idea of what types of food we wanted to make and refine that idea with the selection at Total Wine.

Total Wine in Chantilly, VA

This is where my father and I went to buy our wines. Overall it had a good selection of wines with staff that was both knowledgeable and helpful. The only problem I had was that they were much less friendly mom and pop store than The Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg.

First thing that I did when at Total Wine was to make a beeline to the local Virginia wine section. I knew that I wanted a Cabernet Franc for the main course of my dinner and I knew I wanted it to be from Virginia. The reason for this is that I remembered from my wine class that the terroir in Virginia added something special to Cabernet Franc that did not exist anywhere else in the world. 

Initial Cabernet Franc
The first wine that we thought of getting was a Cabernet Franc by Jefferson. We were talked out of it however by the people at Total Wine because they thought it was too sweet and not as appropriate for the type of food that we wanted to pair with it. This is a great example of the great help available at wine stores.

The rough idea that I had for the food that I wanted to pair with it was a sort of chicken pot pie without the crust and in a sauce that would use the wine. The idea for this was to make a heavy, earthy dish using mushrooms and onions that would work well with some of the earthy and more funky tones of the Cabernet Franc. 

The second wine that I got was the appetizer wine, a Viognier. The idea that I had was to get a super floral wine that would pair well with a spicy appetizer. At this point I didn't have much idea for the first course other than it would be spicy dish paired with a dry, floral wine.

At first I was interested in getting another local Virginia wine, since I knew that Viognier, like Cabernet Franc, was special in Virginia. However, on the suggestion of the nice people at Total Wine, I went for a Viognier from the Rhone region of France. The Rhone region of France I remembered from class as being a place that was cheaper to buy from, but always had well crafted wines.

The last wine that I needed to get was a wine to go with the desert. At this point I had a couple ideas for the desert, all of them half baked, so I decided to get the wine first and see what would pair nicely with that second. The idea that I had going into the store was to try an ice wine. I knew that they were expensive and that I would not be able to afford one on my own.

Unfortunately, Total Wine only carried very expensive ice wines starting at around $50. This did not pass my Father's budget and he subtlety suggested finding another wine. Thinking back to my experience I decided that I should go for a German Riesling. It was a wine I have had a lot of success with in my past. With the help of the staff at Total Wine I picked out an Auslese, the sweetest of German Rieslings, for my desert wine.

A lineup of the three wines that I got for my dinner. The first is the Viognier varietal win, this is meant to be paired with a spicy appetizer. The next is a Virginia Cabernet Franc, paired with a pie-less chicken pot pie made with the wine itself. lastly the desert wine is an Auslese German Riesling that would be best paired with a semi sweet slightly fruity desert.

THE FOOD!

The next step was deciding on what foods exactly to pair with the wines. I had already decided on a general idea of what to do but now my mother and I sat down and really figured out what we would make.

Appetizer: Spicy Grilled Curry Shrimp

Wine: JV Fleury Cotes du Rhone Blanc (100% Viognier)

Notes:

The idea behind this course was to have a combination of seafood (shrimp) with a spicy (curry) marinade. The grilling is just for the sake of deliciousness. The hope was that the acidity and floral components of the wine would be offset and augmented respectively buy the spicyness of the shrimp.

Main Course: Chicken, mushrooms, and onions in a Red Wine Based sauce over mashed potatoes

Wine: Horton Tower Series Cabernet Franc (100% Cabernet Franc)

Notes:

The main course was planned to be a double whammy. Wine in the food and wine to drink with the food. Twice the Cabernet Franc for the price of one. The idea being that the musty, funky, earthyness of the Cabernet Franc would pair nicely with the mushrooms and onions.

Dessert: Mini Cheesecake with raspberry topping

Wine: Dr Heidemanns Bernkastel Auslese, 2012 (100% Riesling)

Notes:

This dish is meant to be a less sweet cheesecake than normal with a tart, semisweet raspberry sauce on top. The idea is that the fruitiness of the sauce along with the creaminess of the cheesecake will augment the fruitiness and sharpness of the wine.

COOKING!

Below are some pictures that were taken during the preparation of the dinner. Only two were taken because it was all hands on deck to get this food done on time!

Preparation of the vegetables for the main course on the right, the shrimp marinating on the left.

The cooked chicken covered in Garbanzo bean flour. After cooking this chicken the pan cooked the vegetables above then the Cabernet Frac was used to deglaze the pan.

THE TASTING!

All the wine was tasted twice by me, the first time without the food pairing and the second time with the food pairing to see how it changed the wine.

As a note I will review each wine separately giving both my impression of the wine and the description from the winemaker themselves. Following that I will rate each wine on a scale [-2, 2]. Where:

-2: Flawed wine, undrinkable

-1: Disliked, but drinkable

 0: Okay wine, neither disliked or liked

 1: Good wine, might buy again

 2: Great wine, definitely will buy again

Appetizer: Spicy Grilled Curry Shrimp

Wine 43:  

Name: JV Fleury Cotes du Rhone Blanc
Variety: (100% Viognier)
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2012
Price: $14.99

Winery review: 

Made entirely from Viognier, this aromatic white opens with a rich fragrance of orange blossoms, peach and tropical fruit. The ripe tropicals carry through on the balanced and supple palate. Enjoy this with pork and rich vegetable dishes.





My Review:

   Before Food

The main characteristics of this wine is exactly how I expected it. Extremely floral with Elderberry on the nose. Drinking the wine, you immediately notice the acidity. The acidity cleans through your pallet a little stronger than a coke, but without the sugar to offset it. It is extremely dry. Some fruity components pervade adding some flavors such as peach and mango.

   After Food

The spicy shrimp cuts through the acidity in the wine immediately. With the acid gone the wine becomes even more floral and some of the more hidden fruity components become evident. The floral component reminds me more of a hibiscus flower, sort of a tropical feel to the wine. The fruity components also become more tropical like pineapple and orange.

The food also became more pleasurable, the spice was more evident and tasted almost fresher. This was certainly a great wine and dish to start with, my pallet is highly anticipating the next dish.


Rating: 1

Main Course: Chicken, mushrooms, and onions in a Red Wine Based sauce over mashed potatoes

Wine 44:  

Name: Horton Tower Series Cabernet Franc
Variety: (100% Cabernet Franc)
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $12.99

Winery review: 

With ripe Cherry aromas and flavors with soft floral, herbal and earthy notes, this beautiful wine is grown from Cabernet Franc, which thrives in the sunny Virginia hillsides. Medium bodied with good fruit character with hints of cedar and spice.





My Review:

   Before Food

With never having a Cabernet Franc before, and not ever really liking many Cabernet Sauvignon, I had some doubts if I was going to like this wine. I knew my family would love it since my father only drinks big reds and my mother loves both Cabs and Syrahs. My impression of the wine was that it is peppery on the nose with some not so subtle cherry notes. It does not have the big, funkiness that I was expecting, it is very fruit forward with some subtle earthy notes in the background. On the taste it showed some black current and cherry as well along with some small tannins. I could see how this wine is related to the Cabernet Sauvingnon but also how it is not. The tannins are smaller and the fruit is much more forward in a Cab, but this made me like the wine quite a bit.

   After Food

I had big plans for the wine when it was eaten with the food especially after the masterpiece that was the first course. Sadly other than some increase in cherry and other fruity flavors such as blackberry, the wine stayed the same. The alcohol heat got even worse if anything.

The food was overpowered in some respects by the wine. It was so fruity and powerful that the flavors of the mushrooms were muted by it. Next time I would use a different wine for this dish. A bigger funkier red that would pair better with all the earthy flavors.


Rating: .5

Dessert: Mini Cheesecake with raspberry topping

Wine 45: 

Name: Dr Heidemanns Bernkastel Auslese
Variety:(100% Riesling) 
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2012 
Price: $17.99 (375 mL)

Winery review: 92 Wine Spectator

Very fruity, showing balance and refinement to the effusive peach, pear and ripe apple flavors, with notes of ginger cream. Quite plush and creamy on the juicy finish, offering loads of spiciness.







My Review:

   Before Food

Creamy fruit flavors abound! This wine is basically fruit syrup. Heavy body meats a nose of orange, strawberry, creamy, ginger ale of a nose and the taste was just more of the same. This could be a new flavor of soda, it was so sweet and the body was very heavy! A great wine by itself, full of fruit and flavor.

   After Food

Even though the desert was much less sweet than the recipe called for, the wine was overpowered. After eating just one bite of the food the wine lost all flavor, sweetness, and acidity. It became thick water. This was particularly sad because the desert was so good and I was really looking forward to the flavors playing off each other. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. We struck a high note with the appetizer and fell from there to this.

Rating: 1

Even though the last course was pointless and the main course was only ok, I got a lot out of this dinner about what went right and wrong. Sometimes everything works out brilliant, course 1, sometimes its ok, course 2, and sometimes its just a miss, last course. But overall the food was good and the wine great and together they were different, for better or worse.

So from my family to yours: eat food, drink wine, and be merry!