Tracy's first wine dinner

A few weeks back, I had some wine class buddies over and treated them to a pairing dinner! It was my first time hosting a dinner party so I was pretty nervous, but luckily I managed to not burn the house down! Overall, it was a great night with friends! I'm really proud the pairings I selected worked really well together! 

The 3 wines we had were: Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneti La Selvanella, Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon, & Lodali Moscato d'Asti. The Chianti was paired with a bruschetta, the Cabernet Sauvignon was paired with pasta and red sauce with italian sausage and ground beef, and the Moscato was paired with brownies AND strawberries and chocolate dipping sauce (I.Love.Chocolate.)

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First Course: Chianti Classico Vigneti La Selvanella and Bruschetta

Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneti La Selvanella

Sangiovese

Tuscany

Italy

2008

$22

Shop Review: The nose is complex, pervasive and elegant, its fruit notes mingling with very intense, unusual mineral and smoky sensations. The gutsy palate displays well-balanced acidity, sweet, tight-knit tannins that are never woody, and extraordinary length.

My Review: My friend Dante actually brought this bottle back from Italy after a family trip. Luckily for us he was willing to share :) It had a delicious cherry flavor to it, in an incredibly drinkable way. It had a full, balanced body -- nothing was overpowering at all. I actually high fived Dante for buying it after my first sip. Even though it's entirely drinkable on its own, It was even better with the bruschetta. I think the balsamic vinegar in the dish is what made the pairing work so well. I also just love bruschetta, so I'd probably eat it with just about anything. 

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Second Course: Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon and Pasta in Red Sauce w/ Italian Sausage and Ground Beef

 

Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

Lodi, California

USA

2011

 $12

Shop Review: The Gen 5 Cabernet is solid and firm on the palate; well balanced; displays attractive black fruit flavors that show excellent ripeness

My Review: Cab Savs make me a bit nervous because I'm always nervous that they're going to be too dry or heavy. This wasn't the case with the Gen 5! I tasted a lot of pleasant cherry and raspberry flavors, with the perfect amount of pepper. It was also great with the pasta, I think the fat content of both types of meat helped mellow out the tannis.

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Final Course: Lodali Moscato d'Asti

Lodali Moscato d'Asti

100% Moscato

Piedmont

Italy

2014

$11

Shop Review: A delightfully aromatic wine, with loads of fresh fruit flavors bursting from the glass. It is sweet, but beautiful balanced by the wine's effervescence and acidity. Being frizz ante, it has only about half the effervescence of a sparkling wine, and is hard to resist. This wine makes a wonderful accompaniment to many desserts, especially those with fruit such as peach, pear, apple, and berries.

My Review: Note to self -- learn what "frizz ante" means. The moscato was nice and crisp and fizzy like a good moscato should be! I don't know if I'd be willing to drink it on its own, it's pretty strong, but it paired very well with the brownies! I think the chocolate mellowed out the strong flavors in the wine. We also tried it with strawberries and chocolate dipping sauce, and it was AMAZING. Yes, we had 2 desserts. Just like the review said, it paired very well with fruit.