An Unforgettable Wine Pairing Dinner

If you are a wine lover and would like to share your cooking talents and love of wine with friends, why not host a wine pairing dinner?  I have come up with a wonderful menu with some top notch wines that have been perfectly paired for your enjoyment.

                                                  

Welcoming your guests with a glass of wine is the perfect way to start the evening.  I have chosen Charles Shaw’s White Zinfandel.  This wine is very fruity-more like fruit juice than wine-but will get the “juices flowing” on great conversation.  Known as 2 Buck Chuck, this wine will not break the bank but will delight all who drink it.         

                                                    

As with all appetizers, a great wine should be paired to bring out the flavors of both the wine and the food.  For our next course, I have chosen Mad Dog 2020 Orange Jubilee.  This wine is the “pride of  Westfield, NY.”  As one critic put it, this wine has the mouthfeel of a Persian cat, with a similarly sharp, agonizing, and flat-faced finish. To compliment this wine I have effortlessly created an appetizer of Kraft Easy Cheese over Ritz crackers.  Notice the colors of each match perfectly!

Now for the salad course, what could be better than strawberries!  This time I have chosen Boones Farm Strawberry Hill. I found out that Tickled Pink was a “retired” flavor so I chose a close second.  The strawberry flavor I felt complimented the mixed greens with sliced strawberries and peanuts.  The strawberry balsamic dressing just topped it off nicely.

Now for the piece de resistance!  For the main entrée I have chosen Mogan David Concord Red .   Of course the Concord grape is probably better known for jams, jellies and grape juice, but what a way to pair it with fried Spam hamburgers!  The saltiness of the “pork” in the Spam brings out the sweetness of the wine.  As complimentary sides, I added Kraft Mac & Cheese and canned green beans to round out the colorful palette.

To round out the evening, I saved the best for last!  I couldn’t resist a sweet bubbly, so I chose Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante .   As for the perfect dessert to pair with this wine, I chose the coveted Hostess Twinkie.  When I found out these beloved treats were to become extinct, I horded 10 boxes.  But when you have great friends, sharing is such a delight.

What an unforgettable evening was had by all!

And by the way, Happy April Fool's!

Cheers!

Lisa

WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

CLOH:  Pronounced 'Cloh', This French word once applied only to vineyards surrounded by walls.