Dinner - Italian Foods/Wine Pairing

On our snowy night in, my roommates and I decided that it would be the perfect time for my food/wine pairing experience. I had a few different types of wines that I will show you in a minute that we compared with different types of Italian foods to see what would pair nicely. We were extremely blown away by the huge difference a wine can make on your pallet instantaneously.

My roommates were enjoying the experience of being fed a free meal AND free wine.

As you can see, this experience was not only a fun way to eat different types of food together, but it was also a great bonding time for all of us. I prepared 3 different types of Italian food: pizza, Alfredo pasta, and orzo with broccoli.

My roommates and I each filled our plates with all three meals so that we could distinguish between the different wines individually.

Alfredo Pasta

Four Cheese Pizza

Orzo with Broccoli

After we had prepared the 3 meals, we tried each dish with the various wines. Below I have listed each wine with a picture, descriptions of each wine, and what paired best.

Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - 2009 - 13% alcohol

 We began our adventure with the Gallo Family, Cabernet Sauvignon. Immediately from the aroma, we could detect a strong dark cherry, currant, fruity, honey, and very woody smell. The tannins pushed through tremendously on the pallet but the longer we let it sit, the more mellow the overall feeling became. This was a dry and hot wine, which could be a byproduct of the higher alcohol content. The wine paired horribly with the pizza and Alfredo, however tasted marvelous with the buttery orzo. I believe this is because the creamy finish of the orzo helps to cut out the sharp tannins.

Gallo Family Vineyards Pinot Noir - 2009 - 12.5% alcohol

Next, we tried the Gallo Family Pinot Noir. After a swirl and sniff, we came to the conclusion that it was much smoother than the Cabernet Sauvignon. It did not have as much acidic bursts and did not have a dry finish anywhere near as harsh as the previous wine. As a household, we enjoyed this wine much more. When we compared the different foods, we noticed that the pizza was better than the orzo and pasta. I am guessing that this is the case because Pinot Noir pairs well with cheese. One day soon, I hope to try out that hypothesis.

Mosel Sonnenband Qualitatswein Riesling - 2011 - 9.5% alcohol

Lastly, we saved our sweet German Riesling for last. The smell was as if you had cut a fresh red pepper in half and put your nose in it, but take away the sting that comes along with the pepper. The citrus pushed through with a smell of clementine and grapefruit. The taste was extremely similar to the white grape sparkling cider that many people enjoy on New Years Eve. This wine was delightful and I would recommend to friends who enjoy sweeter wines but do not want a dessert wine, such as Mascato. Out of the foods, the buttery orzo worked well but I probably wouldn't pair them together in the future. I believe it was forced to work because the orzo had a smooth finish and combined with the citrus edge of the Riesling.

Overall, we enjoyed this exercise and will probably continue it in the future even when we are not being graded. Lovely night!