Wine Dinner 2

 

In today's wine dinner, we made three homemade pizzas with three very different taste profiles, and paired them with three different wines.

1: Margherita Pizza with Bogle Chardonnay (2020)

Impressions of the wine: The main smells I got from the wine were ones of apple and pears. When I tasted the wine, I again got strong flavors of a sour green apple and pears, which gave the wine a tart feel, with hints of citrus in the background. I thought that this wine was a pretty even balance between sweet and dry. I considered this wine to be pretty acidic, and I thought it had a relatively light body. Overall, when I had the wine on its own, I really enjoyed it.

Taste profile of the pizza: This classic pizza was defined by the taste of its sauce. The tomato sauce was slightly sweet and had some mild acidity. The sauce and top of the pizza was seasoned with several different herbs such as basil that made it extremely flavorful. 

How the two paired: This was a more odd pairing than I expected when buying the wine, since I expected chardonnay to be a safe pairing with a pizza as classic as our cheese pizza. The tart apple and pear flavors felt out of place with the herbs and savory nature of the tomato sauce that defined our margherita pizza. I actually thought that the wine overpowered the pizza, as it dulled the pretty distinct tastes I got when I had the pizza on its own, and I think that was because the wine felt much more acidic than the pizza. I don't think having the two together brought out any new flavors, and because of the flavor clashing, I would much rather just have the two separately. Did not pair well.

2: BBQ Chicken Pizza with Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon (2018)

Impressions of the wine: To me, this wasn't a very fragrant wine, but I did get smells of blackberry and cherry. This wine had some fruity flavors when I tasted it as well, such as raspberry and cherry, with some hints of oakiness. However, the more I drank it the more I started to notice that there were some spice flavors in the wine as well that made the wine even better. This wine was definitely on the drier side, as even the fruit flavors did not provide much sweetness. The wine was only slightly acidic, and I think it had a medium body, which was especially surprising considering 

Taste profile of the pizza: The barbeque sauce tasted really good, and it had just the right amount of sweetness so as to not overpower the rest. The chicken was well-seasoned and gave the pizza a savory taste. The onions on the pizza also provided some crisp and strong flavors and added complexity to the pizza. The combination of all these factors made this pizza richer than the rest. This pizza also had a blend of some cheddar cheeses in addition to the mozzarella cheese, which I felt gave the pizza an added saltiness and sharpness. 

How the two paired: This was my favorite pairing of the wines that we had at this dinner. The dry nature of the wine complemented the pretty sweet and tangy barbeque sauce nicely. I felt like the chicken and onions were enhanced with the spices of the wine. Also, since this was the richest pizza that we had, I think the fact that this cabernet was not heavy-bodied made for a good balance between the two. When I had the wine on its own, I mainly thought about the fruit flavors, but I think that the pizza also helped me better appreciate the earthiness and spice flavors of the wine. Overall, I really enjoyed having these two together and will definitely do it again in the future. Paired well.

3: Hot Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ménage a Trois Hot Pink Rosé (no vintage listed)

Impressions of the wine: When smelling this wine, I was getting a floral smell as well as the smell of some raspberries. However, when tasting it, the floral feel went away, and I mainly tasted flavors of raspberry, strawberry, and even some mango. This wine was very sweet (maybe a little too sweet) and I didn't think it was dry at all. There was not much noticeable acidity, and it was also probably the lightest-bodied rose I've had. In my opinion, this wasn't the best rose I've had, but it was still enjoyable to drink.

Taste profile of the pizza: The buffalo sauce gave this pizza much more spice than the rest of the pizzas, and I think it had some added salty and buttery flavors. The spice also added some flavor to the chicken. I think that this sauce was also creamier, so it made this pizza pretty rich.

How the two paired: I did not know what to expect with this pairing since the flavor profiles of the two were extremely different. However, I think the two actually blended well together. The heat of the buffalo sauce was balanced nicely with the sweetness of this wine. The wine gave the pizza a smoother feel, and I think the lightness of the wine made it feel very refreshing. I think that neither overpowered the other, and I felt that both contributed to the taste when they were paired. Even though the wine kind of felt like one that was made to be drank on its own, I thought it was a solid pairing that turned out much better than expected.  Paired well.