Wine Dinner #1

    Amidst Covid, my love for cooking and wanting to stay in has really grown. My boyfriend and I decided to have a night in for a nice dinner with wine pairings instead of going out. Both he and his wallet seemed very happy with this decision (as seen below)!

For our first course, we made a seafood mac and cheese. I paired the mac and cheese with a Winking Owl sauvignon blanc. 

The sauvignon blanc had notes of citrus and apple. The wine paired really well with the seafood mac and cheese as the wine's acidity cut through the heaviness of the cheese. I do not think the wine or food was overpowering, as they really complimented each other really well. The food made the wine heavier which I really liked. Overall, I really enjoy this pairing and would 8/10 recommend!

The second course was a vodka sauce with rigatoni pasta and grilled chicken paired with an RB red blend.

The blend did not have the percentages on the bottle. The wine had notes of vanilla and spice. I did not particularly enjoy this wine alone since it was too dry and really heavy. However, when paired with the food, the wine was significantly better. The wine complemented the food really well and vice versa. The wine helped with the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce, and the sauce helped balance out the heaviness of the wine. Although the wine was not my favorite of the night, I would 7/10 recommend this pairing. 

For dessert, we paired a Moiselle sweet red with vanilla ice cream and brownies.

This blend did not have the percentages on the bottle either but was one of my favorites. The wine had notes of cherry and raspberry and was delightfully sweet. I made dark chocolate brownies that paired perfectly with the wine. The vanilla ice cream, however, was a little too sweet. The fruity notes paired well with the vanilla and brownies, but the ice cream did overpower the wine to some extent. I would recommend the wine to be paired with brownies rather than the ice cream. I would rate this pairing 8/10.