Dinner #2 - More Food with Friends

 

Appetizer 

For the appetizer, we had homemade butter chicken wings paired with Cupcake Angel Food.

Name of Wine: Cupcake Angel Food

Variety of Grapes: Blend

Bottle Description:
"Our Angel Food is a luscious aromatic white blend made from premium grapes from our sun-drenched vineyards in California. Reminiscent of Angel Food Cake, this wine has flavors of pineapple, vanilla bean, and toasted coconut that culminate in a creamy mouthful. Enjoy with spicy Buffalo wings, chicken quesadillas, or caramel popcorn and a movie."

My Review:
For our first course we had butter chicken wings and Cupcake Angel Food white wine blend. The initial taste of the wine had notes of coconut with a sweetish creamy finish. There was no distinct aroma to the wine. When paired with the wings, the wine tasted a little less sweet than it did alone. The wings also made the wine more smooth and have a warmer taste. Overall, I enjoyed the wine more with the food, but not a significant amount. The pairing was fine, but the wine was not good enough to begin with. I would not recommend. 

Entrée 

For the main course, we had homemade butter chicken and naan with Chateau Michelle Sweet Riesling.

Name of Wine: Chateau Michelle Sweet Riesling

Variety of Grapes: Riesling

Bottle Description:
"This harvest select sweet Riesling captures the rich, ripe flavor of peach -  and the results are stunning paired with more fruit, soft cheese or a spicy main course."

My Review:
The main course consisted of butter chicken and naan paired with Chateau Michelle Sweet Riesling. My first impression of wine was that it had a light floral scent. It was very sweet, but I was not able to detect any  distinctive flavors. I certainly was not able to taste the "ripe flavor of peach" that the bottle described this wine as. With the wine, the garlic naan and butter chicken tasted more rich and flavorful. The spice of the butter chicken was more noticeable with the wine. Overall, I enjoyed this pairing a lot and would do it again. 

Dessert

For dessert, we had Godiva Lava Cakes with Taylor Cream Sherry.

Name of Wine: Taylor Cream Sherry

Variety of Grapes: Blend

Bottle Description:
"A full bodied, moderately sweet sherry with nuances of toffee and roasted nuts. Delicious with dessert or after dinner. Serve chilled or at room temperature."

My Review:
For dessert, we had lava cakes with Taylor Cream Sherry. This was the strangest wine I have ever had. The aroma was a mix of a woody oak, sugar, and smokiness. This wine tasted a lot like maple syrup, which was very unexpected. The lava cakes were very sweet to begin with, but when paired with the wine there was almost too much sweetness. It was like pouring maple syrup on my chocolate cake. Although the wine was strange, I oddly enjoyed it and would probably drink it again. I do not think I would make this pairing again though. I think that this wine is better consumed alone.