Posts Tagged ‘chicken’
Varietal: Garnacha (Grenache)
Region: Spain
Cost: $10.50
Ruby in color with aromas of fresh strawberry and raspberry, with notes of black tea, licorice, and pungent herbs. Red berry flavors linger through till the end. Pairs well with BBQ, chicken, and pasta.
Recommendations: I picked up this bottle after a tasting at The Wine Cellar because a) I’m a fan of Spanish wines, particularly Grenache, and b) it’s a really good value for a really good wine. Good color in the glass, and while I didn’t get the licorice on the nose (which is fine since I don’t like licorice), I did get the notes of strawberry and raspberry.
Red fruit was pervasive throughout the wines flavor, and while I didn’t pair it with anything except a movie and some time with my wife, it was easy to drink by itself, and I could easily see pairing it with some grilled BBQ chicken or pasta. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Mencia
Region: Spain
Cost: $21
Deep ruby color with aromas of blueberry, violet, and woods. Flavors of cherry and cassis pair with chicken, pork, salmon, and other meats. Pairs well with Spanish flavors and foods.
Recommendations: I had never heard of the Mencia varietal until the International Wine of the Month Club sent me this one to try, but as with most wine, I was open minded and reminded myself that I do in fact like Spanish wines. I loved the deep red color of the wine in the glass, but I didn’t get any blueberry on the nose myself, with the alcohol overpowering the aromas even after allowing it to open up a bit.
Pairing the wine with a steak dinner helped to cut the flavor of alcohol as well (it was 14%/vol), but after dinner with nothing to balance it, the alcohol flavor and aroma was rather overwhelming. It wasn’t until much later as I was finishing off my final glass of the wine that I started to get some of the cherry flavors coming through.
I’m having a hard time recommending this wine because it took so long for the wine to open up enough for the actual flavors to come through. If you do have this wine, decanting and letting it open for at least 20 to 30 minutes is the best advice I can give. Drinking this wine with anything other than boldly flavored food is probably going to result in the wine overpowering the meal.
Hopefully this wine isn’t indicative of the Mencia varietal, and I would certainly give another bottle of Mencia a try as the description of it sounds good, but the Pazo de Arribi Bierzo just fell short for me.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (1997)
Region: Chile
Cost: $ 21
Dark coloring, more brown than red, with aromas of fresh berries, cassis, dark chocolate, and cigar box cedar. Flavors of blackberry fruit, cassis, plum with hints of chocolate and roasted coffee. Pair with chicken, veal, beef tenderloin, lamb, and stews.
Recommendations: Having read the description of this wine, I was intrigued, especially since it had been a while since I’d had the chance to enjoy a wine this old. I did get hints of fresh fruit on the nose, but I also got tobacco and smoke, which isn’t a bad thing, along with a bit of pepper, which I also got on the finish of the wine.
Paired with a meal of home made chili, the smokiness of the wine was actually a great compliment, pairing well with the slow cooked meal. The heartiness of the meal helped to mask some of the tobacco and smoke, while letting the fruit flavors shine through.
My only real complaint with this wine is that they used a real cork to seal it, and there was some sediment in the bottle. That being said, it wasn’t a real problem until my wife and I got to the very end of the bottle, and would have been easy to fix had we decanted the wine instead of just letting it open up in our glasses. If you’re looking for a more full-bodied Cabernet and don’t want something fruit forward, this is definitely what you’re looking for and is worth it for the price.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for providing the wine.
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: South Australia
Cost: $11
An unwooded Chardonnay, offering crisp flavors of apple and citrus. Pairs with chicken, pork, seafood, or light appetizers.
Recommendations: My wife is not a fan of oaked Chardonnay, so when we saw this in the store, we thought we’d give it a try. The initial flavors of the wine are crisp with plenty of citrus and granny smith apple both on the nose and on the palate, which was perfect for the grilled chicken dinner we paired it with.
However, I found the finish of this wine to be a bit rough. It’s certainly not as rough as the Mirassou Chardonnay that I’ve already reviewed on here. That being said, the finish eventually began to bother me, especially after we had finished our food and were just sipping on the wine. Maybe with a juicy piece of pork it wouldn’t be as noticeable, but with the chicken (that I’ll admit I overcooked), it just wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have hoped.
If you liked the Mirassou Chardonnay you’ll like this, but if you’re looking for a crisp finish to your unoaked Chardonnay you’ll want to pass on this one.
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First of all, if you don’t have a Melting Pot in your area, I feel sorry for you. For those unfamiliar with The Melting Pot, it is a fondue restaurant with a wine list that borders on the ridiculous (at least for a restaurant outside of Vegas). My wife and I visited The Melting Pot in Richmond, Virginia for our one year wedding anniversary and while I’ve never had bad service there, this time we had service that was nothing short of amazing.
Megan, our waitress, was great in not pushing anything on us, being present without being a nuisance, and for getting a pair of free glasses of 20 year old Port (after trying to get us champagne) for our anniversary, which happened to fall on Father’s Day this year.
The meal itself was spectacular, with chicken, pork, lobster, shrimp, sirloin, and filet mignon being on the menu. This was preceded by salad and a cheese fondue of Wiscosin cheese, only to be followed by a chocolate fondue of white chocolate and amaretto (flambe’ no less).
I’m not the pickiest diner simply because I’ve worked in restaurants and I know what a rough job it can be, but the melting pot in Richmond continued their trend of delivering on amazing meals, amazing wine (we had the Horon Vineyards Cabenert Franc), and service that is to brag about.
If you have a Melting Pot in your area and you haven’t gone, go visit it as soon as possible (it’s not cheap, I won’t lie to you. About $100 for a couple), and if you’re ever in the Richmond area, visit the one off of Gaskins Road, they do a great job.
Find the Melting Pot nearest you. http://www.themeltingpot.com .
Varietal: White Table Wine
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $10.95 – $12
Floral bouquets lead into a very light, and refreshing wine that pairs well with chicken, seafood, spicy faire, or as an apertif.
Recommendations: My wife and I enjoyed this wine with a spicey shrimp dish, and the lightness and slight sweet finish did a great job of cutting the heat of the shrimp. If you’re looking for a robust white wine, this isn’t going to be the one for you, but if you’re looking for something that is light, works well with spicey food, chicken, and seafood, AND as a deck wine on a hot day, then you really should pick up more than one bottle of this Virginia White.
