Wine Dinner #2- Blacksburg Style

                        Wine Dinner #2 

This one a little less low-key, but just as delicious and fun as the first! Tonight's menu featured a French baguette with smoked Gouda and a Granny Smith apple slice courtesy of Kristin, paired elegantly with an Italian Pinot Grigio. As this event took place on a Friday during Lent, the main course was a vegetarian pasta bowl, with fresh spinach and zucchini over vegetable penne made by Sarah. This paired with a California Zinfandel. To finish off the meal, a light champagne paired with Nikki's signature strawberries and cream dessert. 

I made the appetizer. I sliced up a fresh French baguette, some smokey Gouda cheese, and a Granny Smith Apple. I then broiled it in the oven for about 8 minutes. We paired this with an Italian Pinot Grigio from the Vintage Cellar. The Pinot was very smooth, and really tasty. It brought out the Gouda's smokey flavor. I didn't taste much of the malic acid wine until the finish, but it was a delicious pairing!

For the main dish, Sarah made a vegetarian pasta. We used fancy vegetable-infused noodles, a garden vegetable red pasta sauce, and sauteed some fresh spinach and zucchini with it all in the pan. On top, we sprinkled fresh Mozzarella cheese. We paired this with a California Zinfandel. This red wine was big, fruity, and notably alcoholic. I also picked up on some pencil shavings and tannins. Oddly enough, the finish tasted of tuna... Regardless, this red paired well with the red sauce and pasta dish, even though there was no meat involved!

For dessert, Nikki brought her favorite dessert- a fresh strawberries and cream dessert. To pair with this combination of Angel Food Cake, fresh strawberries, and homemade whipped cream, we had a champagne. Unfortunately, it smelled of urine on the nose. Once we got past its strange odor, it was actually a quite delightful pair with the dessert. The subtle bubbliness made the strawberry flavor pop, and made the cream and Angel Food Cake sweeter. 

Can't wait for the third pairing!