Gina –
From your bio, I see that you enjoy pairing wine with food. Your help would be greatly appreciated to guide me in selecting wines for each course for my upcoming dinner party.
Appetizer: Endive boats with mango, blue cheese, candied pecans, warmed in oven. Should I serve a Sauvignon Blanc? or perhaps a Viognier?
Soup Course: Butternut squash, apple, and smoked cheddar soup. I have read alot about Quebec’s cider wine – what would you like of serving it with the soup?
Pasta Course: Homemade gnocchi. My first inclination would be to serve a Valpolicella – what do you think?
Main Course: Grilled steak, creamy white beans, sauted green beans. Do you have a favorite Australian Shiraz? or Cab Sauvignon to recommend?
Dessert Course: Flourless chocolate cake – I have read that a red Zinfandel from California is a good match with chocolate cake. What do you think about this?
Thanks so much,
– MARY
Hi Mary,
Your menu sounds delicious and I like the direction you are going with your wine pairings. With respect to your first wine, have you considered a sparkling? They pair wonderfully with all kinds of foods, stimulate the palate for the dishes to come and make your guests feel special. A dry cava from Spain or prosecco from Italy would be delicious.
I love soups! Your Cider wine may be a good match at this point if it’s not too sweet. A lightly oaked Chardonnay is another suggestion (but again, like sweetness in the cider, too much oak could steal the show from your lovely soup.)
Moving on…I really like your idea of a Valpolicella with the gnocchi and for the main course of grilled steaks, definitely uncork a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
For the dessert finale, if your flourless chocolate cake is like the recipe I use, it is on the wonderfully, richer side. A red Zinfandel from California does work well with chocolate cake, yet with your menu, it may not be as much of a statement after the Cabernet Sauvignon. If your budget allows, perhaps you might like to try an Italian Amarone red wine (one of my favourites!) or a bottle of Spanish Madeira (lightly sweet).
Enjoy your evening! If you get a chance perhaps you could let me know what wines you selected and what your dinner guests thought of the pairing.
Cheers!
-Gina
Hi Gina,
Thanks very much for your help! It was great to get such personalized assitance. I took your suggestion to go with a Sparkling wine with the appetizers, and it was perfect. This was a very nice set up for the rest of the night. I also went with a Chardonnay with the soup as you suggested, which complimented wonderfully. As I anticipated, the Valpolicella went great with the gnocci, as did the Cab Sauv with the steaks.
The only thing that didn’t go “perfectly”, was the dessert. The LCBO that I went to didn’t have any Amarone, so I went with a bottle of port that I had in my house already. It could be just my tastebuds… I don’t particularly love port. In any case, all in all it was a great night and my guests appreciated my efforts!
Thanks so much, I hope that I may ask your assistance in the future. I also find your website very useful.
Thanks again,
– MARY
Feel free to email the Savvy Team with your menu and we will offer you suggestions of wines to serve.