On a spectacular sunny Sunday afternoon, we, members of the Wine Review Council, gathered to taste an array of wines paired with sumptuous foods. The theme was international wines this time and on Linda’s patio, we added wine to our glasses and got to the task at hand.
We began with the 2012 Cal Y Canto dry Spanish white, a blend of Viura and Verdejo. This wine offered plenty of citrus on the nose, mostly lime, and was mineral on the palate. It proved quite food friendly and was wonderful with the St. Géric blue-veined triple crème from Fromagerie Guilloteau. I also thought it paired well with Linda’s Spanish tomato bread and Todd’s mozzarella and meat roll-ups. It sells for $18 and is a great summer wine.
Next was another offering from Cal Y Canto, their 2011 Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah blend. A deep dark wine, it had a soft nose, yet offered plenty of dark fruit. It paired quite nicely with the chorizo and Manchego pastries Karsten had prepared. $16.
Nero D’Avola is an Italian grape I’ve grown fond of and we tasted the 2013 Siciliana offering. The color is a gorgeous crimson and it has a quite expressive nose. It’s an easy drinker and very food friendly. I really enjoyed it with the grilled London broil I brought. It’s an absolutely steal at $11.99.
We moved on to the 2013 Perlita Malbec-Syrah from Mendoza, Argentina. Priced at about $12, it’s an inky dark purple with a lot of oak on the nose. There’s blackberry and plum on the palate with plenty of tannins and it went beautifully with the Philly cheese steak sliders Marc made as well as the Saint Angel triple crème.
We finished with an amazing Pinot Noir, the 2012 Sweet Cheeks from Oregon, paired with Robin’s pomegranate marinated pork roll-ups. I love Pinot Noir and this one is spectacular. It’s quite dark for a Pinot with a heavenly nose. It presents lots of black cherry, is beautifully balanced and has a long finish. It paired very nicely with everything I tried with it. Even at $65, none of us felt it was overpriced.
Tom Plant launched WINEormous in 2009 and is a member of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association. Based in Temecula, California, he offers intimate winery tours for no more than seven people. Tour details and pricing are available at www.temecula-tours.com. Call now to book your Temecula Winery Tour at (951) 907-9701! Ask about special discounts.