Wine dinner with friends

Hello all!! We had friends over last night for our monthly wine dinner. I don't often blog these dinners, as there as many wines and my memory of specific labels is just not there the next morning. However, this time it was our turn to host. This means that it is my responsibility to make a few notes for others in our group, and bottles are generally left with the host, so I have the information needed for making those notes (no excuses, ha-ha).

We started the evening with a non vintage Irtalian Prosecco Riondo Spago Nero. It was semi-sweet to semi-dry (depending on who you ask). It had a lightly floral effervescent nose with some apple and pear components to the flavor. 10.5% alcohol and a very pleasant, easy to drink, fairly inexpensive Prosecco. I picked this up at Bob's because it was labeled as the #1 Prosecco in Italy and had a 90 pt rating and was priced at about $15(?) a bottle. It was pleasant and would make a nice summer sipper for the back deck.

Next was a pair of Pinot Grigios. The first was 2008 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio from the very Northern region of Italy, bordering Austria. It was light and crisp, citric, but not too lemony. This wine was a classic Italian Pinot Grigio. It was smooth and balanced, very elegant. The other Pinot Grigio was a 2008 Il Papavero from Sicily! It was bolder, fruitier, and more aromatic. It lacked the elegance of the Northern Pinot Grigio, but was still very pleasant. This was an interesting wine, since Pinot Grigio is typically from Northern Italy, and is generally thought of as a cool climate grape. The fuller body and bolder flavor profile is consistent with the warmer terrior of Sicily. These wines were served with mushrooms stuffed with bread crumbs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Delicious! We also had stuffed shells with gorgonzola and walnuts. Fabulous!

Next, we had a Primativo, also from Southern Italy. It was a 2007 Matane from Puglia and cost about $13. The wine was very good. I described it as halfway between a zinfandel and a merlot. It was very fruit forward with flavors of cherry, plum, and vanilla. The aromas were also of plum and vanilla (it reminded me of plum pudding on the nose). The tannins were smooth and plush. This is a very food friendly wine, and if I remember correctly, it was inexpensive enough to qualify as a great everyday wine. It's a good example of why Primativo is a varietal worth exploring. We also had this with the mushrooms and continued to sip it between food courses.

Next was a green salad with shrimp and lemon juice dressing. It paired very well with a 2007 Pieropan Soave Classico. This wine was labeled as their 40th vintage. It was an excellent Soave. It had lovely floral and fruit aromas. It was very smooth, well balanced, with a medium body. It tasted of soft fruit along with some almond. There was pleasant, but well balanced acidity. It had a lingering finish. This is a very food friendly wine and would pair well with a number of fish and lighter chicken dishes. If you've never had a really good Soave, try this one, or Pio Cesare, if you can find it. Soaves got a really bad rap during the 80's and 90's because there were some really poor ones on the American market. Fortunately, there are some really nice examples available now. They are worth seeking out. It's a great wine for when a Pinot Grigio or Sauv Blanc is too light and a Chard or Riesling is too fruity. I like these wines, but I sometimes have trouble finding them.

Next, we had a 2006 Santa Margherita Chianti Classico. This was a terrific chianti. It had medium, body and was very aromatic. Lots of cherry and vanilla with a really nice component of smoke and spice. The tannins were firm, but smooth. 2006 was a great vintage for chianti and this particular wine is on sale at Campbell Station for about $20. I hope it's not all gone by the time I get there. We had this wine with smokey sauteed potatoes and tasty cheesy focaccia.

Next we had a 2004 Gattavecchi Montepulciano di Nobile. I've actually blogged this wine before. It's 100% Sangiovese, and full of deliciousness. This is one of our favorite wines, and '04 is a highly rated year. This wine came from Total Wines in Atlanta and was a little less than $30 a bottle. We had this with home-made bolognese lasagna. The wine and the lasagna were both very good.

Finally we had a 2001 Bellini Santo del Chianti. This wine was also from Total Wines in Atlanta and was purchased for Christmas Eve dinner. We never got to it then, so we opened it last night. I think I paid about $20 to $25 for a 500 ml bottle. It was very pretty, with a peachy rose color. It was very sweet, even on the nose. It tasted of golden raisins and was well balanced, reminding me of a tawny port, but with more subtle fruit flavor. We had it with cherry-almond biscotti and dark chocolate covered strawberries. It paired especially well with the dark chocolate.

All of the pairings were very good. It was especially fun to do the comparison pairings, like the mushrooms with the two Pinot Grigios and the Primativo. It was interesting to see how individual palates varied. All in all, another successful wine dinner.