Personalized RichPairings Wine Tasting
RichPairings just conducted one of our first full wine & food pairings in a long time – we’ve been having so much fun traveling around and trying different wines, we forgot how rewarding it is to share the experience with others in a very informal learning environment. We hope that all our tasters enjoyed themselves and feel more confident in how to identify the wines they like and what food they think taste good, better, and best for their personal palates!
We did a pilot pairing planning session in August to determine all the wines and suggested pairings. Decided on an “end of summer” wine list, available from Total Wine, and all with a good price point and rating. We gave the wine club committee a shopping list for the wine and grocery list of primary and optional pairings – they did all the work of procuring everything in advance and having each item prepared and plated. We setup “tasting stations” for each wine and what went with it – here are our tasting notes, impressions, and pairings:
Station 0 – welcome & instructions – get a glass, tasting sheet, and pen -- we also discussed 4 “Ss” of wine tasting: See, Swirl, Smell, Sip – and why you want to do this with every wine except a bubbly – we broke that rule on our first wine for demonstration, but it’s really just “slightly effervescent”, not a champagne, cava, or prosecco.
Station 1: Broadbent Vinho Verde – one of the most popular varietals from Portugal. We started with this wine for several reasons, it has a bit of fizz and is easy to drink, a personal favorite, and Broadbent Selections is owned by Bartholomew Broadbent who lives here in Richmond (he is very active in VA Wines & Competitions) – also, his father, Michael Broadbent was a renowned wine taster – head of Christie’s wine auction for 40+years and wrote the book on how to taste wine. So we did…and paired it with salty snacks and olives….everyone agreed it was a nice starter wine and something different from what they usually drink – and it has a low price point, lower in alcohol than average wine, easy to find in local grocery stores.
Station 2: Hugel Gentil, 2018 -- James Suckling 90 pts – this wine is very versatile - crisp, fresh and goes with just about anything. It pairs nicely with fresh, simply prepared shellfish, mild soft cheeses, or spicy dishes. We did a few different tastes to try the difference between what compliments and contrasts – tried it with a plain bite of brie, then with a bite of brie that had a dollop of pineapple habanero dip- oooh – nice! We also had it with herbed cheese spread and Mama Geraldine’s chipotle cheese straws - also very nice! We circled around this wine and different pairing for a while – everyone really enjoyed it, but unfortunately it is no longer being carried by Total Wine. We suggest buying it from wine.com or trying something similar. We recommend an Owen Roe Corvidae 2019 Riesling ($10 on their website) that is very similar or a Domdechant Werner Guts-Riesling from Total Wine (note: it’s twice the price). If you use the link below for wine.com you’ll get a discount.
Station 3: Chateau de Nages Buti Nages Nimes Rose, 2021 -- James Suckling 90 pts – a rose so good it is also sold out at Total Wine – guess we really know how to pick a good wine! A nice juicy, refreshing, also lower in alcohol wine. It pairs well with sharp cheese, fish, white meats, or just patio friends. If you’re afraid of roses – it is NOT white zinfandel, should not be sweet, should be dry, but fruity. We recommend exploring different ones made from different grapes – locally, Gabriele Rausse did 3 types of rose wine last year (this year a Malbec version and blended version); also recommend those produced in Provence France. We paired this wine with naked shrimp cocktail, then with a bit of Old Bay Seasoning, and also with the Dubliner Irish Cheddar cheese – SO good! Costco for the win on getting it in bulk size for this crew.
Station 4: La Belle Angele Pinot Noir 2020 – Total Wine Summer Hit List - Customer highly rated 4 ӿ’s / 91pts – pretty dark and full for a Pinot Noir (yes, we are continuing to do the 4 Ss – See, Swirl, Smell, Sip) – very berry, soft mouthful, and not too high in tannins – also noted a hint of spice which was nice with the dried fruit pairings. We think this wine would be good slightly chilled with a burger, smoky mac&cheese, duck pate/mousse, or with pimento cheese (our personal favorite – Palmetto Pimento – get the big tub!)
Station 5: Mina Mesa Cabernet Paso Robles 2019 – Total Wine Summer Hit List - Customer highly rated - 4 ½ ӿ’s - our last wine of the night – a really smooth, rich, full-bodied Cab. It would pair well with smoked, savory, meaty dishes, could be a nice complement with smoked fish, steaks, or at the end of a meal with chocolates, truffles or bananas foster (can share recipe). For this evening’s pairing, we had it with the savory American Revolution Flatbread and then with dark chocolates to finish.
Here are some pics of the wines and pairings to help refresh memories and try again at home!
