Wine and Food Pairing 1

          I had the idea to try and do this attempt at home and on a budget because I have a pretty hectic schedule and it is easier to make some items beforehand in pockets of free time.  I did this assignment with my fiancé so we could have a nice dinner in with wine.  We decided to have a caesar salad, flatbread pizza, and mini cherry cheesecakes.

Shine Riesling and caesar salad

          The first course wine was pretty good; I remembered reading that Rieslings pair well with caesar salad.  This Riesling was something I would likely rate a 3-4.  I would consider buying it again, but if someone were serving it, I wouldn't turn it down.  The wine cost $9.59, so I don't know if it was completely worth it on a college budget, but it wasn't the worst.  As for how it paired with this course, I am not sure.  I didn't feel like anything super special was brought out in the salad by the wine, or vice versa.  But it did feel pretty cool to have a meal in courses and pop open a bottle of wine each time we got out more food.

Wine and salad and Netflix for our date night in!

Pop Crush Red Blend and pizza

          Next up, we had flatbread pizzas (topped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and pineapple) paired with a red blend.  This bottle of wine cost $8.49, so not too terrible.  We did some research, and pizza is supposed to pair well with reds, specifically Chianti.  I chose this red blend mostly because of the label.  This wine was terrible by itself and worse with pizza.  I tried to combine the tastes of the two in my mouth and I was actually thinking, "Why am I ruining this good pizza with this unfortunate wine...?"  It really goes to show that I am not a red person.  I've tried, really I have.  Before the class is through, I will probably have a few more.  And I probably won't like them.  But, I'll try anything once.

Burgáns Albariño and cherry cheesecake

          I had never even heard of this wine until I read about it in this class.  Nothing really told me that this would pair well with the cheesecake, but it didn't end up being a bad combination.  It was kind of a high price for me at $12.99, but it was a really sweet wine that ended up going well with the sweet dessert.  We ended up leaving this bottle open and finishing it as we watched shows together and got ready for bed.  

          This assignment made for a nice date in and was flexible with our busy schedule.  It was an assignment I'd like to do again, and then do again after the class ends just because I want to.

          Oh-- and one last thing-- we bought a wine rack this week.  So I guess I at least learned something in this class; enough to want to keep exploring this world of wine.