Fork & Cork Wine Festival in Blacksburg

This past Saturday my friends and I went to the Fork & Cork wine festival.  It was a rainy day so we got to the festival around 2:30pm once the weather got better.  I had never been to the Fork & Cork before so I was really surprised by the amount of wineries that were there and the amount of people.  The amount of people kind of was a downer for the whole experience because waiting in line to taste the wines at first was a bit annoying, however, I went with a group of people so at each winery booth we visited, someone would buy the wine they liked the best and we would all share the bottle-- pretty much allowing everyone to get a decent buzz and have their fair amount of wine while waiting in the lines.  Three of my favorite wines that I tasted (and coincidentally that my friends & I purchased).

They were: AmRhein Cellars, "Veranda" which is a mix of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and petit verdot.

This wine was my favorite of the red wines that I tried from AmRhein Cellars.  It was one of the only wines I've tasted where I could taste a definite chocolate presence.  It was a bold and fruity blend but totally drinkable.  I definitely enjoyed this red blend.

The next winery that we tasted was Lexington Valley Vineyard.  I really enjoyed the wine that we tasted from there, mostly  because it was a pretty warm and sunny day the sweet whites that they had were really tasty.  One of the wines, Vignoles, a sweeter white wine had a ton of residue at the bottom of it, since we tasted the bottom of the bottle. It was interesting tasting the residue, it was actually really sweet tasting and enjoyable.  However, my favorite of the bunch was Vidal Blanc, it was really sweet and refreshing and was the easiest of the white wines Lexington Valley had to drink. So we purchased a bottle!

Next, and my favorite of the wines was the Lexington Valley Marshall Foch, which was their new 2009 wine.  It is a flavorful red blend, and it was an interesting story about how the grapes are native to Virginia and who Marechal Foch is.  I decided I wanted to purchase a bottle of this wine because it was really, really different smelling.  It smelled kind of pungent, but not in a bad way.  It was pruney and interesting smelling and the taste and the smell really did not match.  Overall this was a completely different kind of wine than I have tasted previously. 

The Marechal Foch was a maroonish color, and was overall a pretty cool experience.  Since I was satisfied with the wine that I bought I decided to get some food to pair with it, so I got the bratwurst with grilled peppers from the Bull & Bones stand.  The bratwurst paired very well with the wine.

Overall the Fork & Cork was a really good experience, I had a great time and got to try a few new and different wines from wineries in the area.  I wish that I could have tried more wines but the lines and crowds made it a bit difficult.  If I could do it again, I would show up earlier that way I could make the rounds before the crowd came.

Clos du Bois 2009 Riesling paired with Pad Thai & Pho

So instead of cooking a meal last night, I decided to order out and try to experiment with some spicier Eastern cuisine and some white wine.  We decided on ordering from Cafe Mekong and after looking over the menu I did a little bit of research to see which type of white would pair the best with the spicy Asian cuisine.  I found out that Riesling or a sparkling white would pair best with all of the spices so I picked up a bottle of Clos du Bois 2009 California Riesling in a 750 ml bottle.  I researched the wine a little bit and saw that it is a pretty popular wine label.  

Even the label said it pairs well with Thai and Eastern foods

We decided to order the Pad Thai with chicken in a medium-spiced sauce and the Pho beef noodles.  

The Pho beef noodles with peppers, cilantro, green onion, beef, bean sprouts, rice noodles, brisket, tripe, beef broth and mint leafs

The Pad Thai with sauteed rice noodles, egg, peanut, cabbage, onion, carrot, bean sprout, chicken, and a medium spicy Thai sauce

First I uncorked the bottle and poured a glass to try a quick sip before eating my meal.  The color of the Riesling was pretty light, with an ambery-yellow hue.  I swirled the glass a bit and took a sniff, it was light, fresh, light-colored fruit smelling..reminiscent of a pear or a light apricot scent.  I took my first sip and thought it to be a bit sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet, however, I prefer drier wines so I was not too fond of this after the first sip.  I took a bite of my Pad Thai and then took another sip of the Riesling.  The Riesling had transformed to be more subtle but really complimented the spices in the Pad Thai.  It was still very pear-like, like biting into a red delicious apple which worked to even out the increasing spiciness of the Pad Thai.  I tried the Pho, and to be honest I was not a fan.  I think I put a bit too much mint into the mixture so the flavor was kind of overwhelming, the wine still paired nicely with it though and kind of made the Pho a little more enjoyable.  I know of a lot of people who love Pho so I guess it might grow on me, but my boyfriend who was eating the Pho loved the Riesling with it so who knows.  Overall I couldn't think of a better type of wine to pair with spicy Asian cuisine, next time I will try a different Riesling and compare it to this one.

2007 Monte Antico Tuscan Sangiovese (Super Tuscan) with Chicken Parmigiana & Spaghetti

Since I had already tried two new white wines I figured I'd experiment a bit with an Italian red.  I looked for an Italian recipe that was relatively easy to make, yet tasty and would pair well with a less bold red wine.  I found an easy chicken parmigiana recipe and I have been told that chicken parmigiana ALWAYS goes with a red wine so I figured this would be a perfect meal to try.  I found this 750ml 2007 Reserve Monte Antico Toscana Sangiovese.  It has 13% alcohol content, was grown in Tuscany, and as I did a bit of research on the bottle found out it labels itself as a "Super Tuscan," and is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot.  It also received 90 points from Wine Spectator, and was voted 2009 Best Value for a Super Tuscan.  The bottle has a screw top so while I began cooking the meal, I unscrewed the bottle to let it breathe a bit.

The Chicken Parmigiana and Spaghetti were a combination of classic Italian flavors (or Americanized Italian flavors...)  Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella, garlic, basil, breading, plump red tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.  The chicken took about 30 minutes to cook in the oven so I poured a glass of the wine to see how it tasted before I tried it with the food.  The coloring was fairly light for a red wine, which is typical of Sangiovese.  It was more of a light, soft maroon color.  I gave the wine a swirl and a sniff and it had a pretty strong nose.  I guess the best description I can make of it was earthy (like dirt and grass) but also plum-like and reminded me of a dark fruit, maybe like a prune.  My first taste of the wine was a bit strong, it was more full bodied than I had expected.  I'm usually a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker when I drink reds so I guess I was a bit surprised by the difference in the Sangiovese.  Overall I liked the wine as I had more than one taste, it kind of grew on me as I was able to appreciate the different flavors present in the wine.

Once the chicken and the spaghetti were finished cooking I cut up and heated some garlic bread and marinated some kale to add a bit of green to the dish.  I figured since to me, kale tastes like a combo of spinach and arugula, so it would probably pair well with the Italian flavors.

Next I started eating the Chicken Parmigiana and Spaghetti and took a sip of my wine.  The boldness that was originally there in the wine wasn't as present anymore.  It took on an almost more fruit-like flavor, and was less earthy.  I noted some strawberry, or blackberry type flavors but the prune aspect was still there too.  It was actually an awesome combination with the chicken parmigiana, and I guess I can understand now why Chianti and Sangiovese is pretty much always paired with Italian dishes.  

Carrot Cake Paired with a 2010 Pacific Rim Columbia Valley Riesling

I was craving something sweet, but not over-indulgent and so I decided I'd make a carrot cake from scratch.  As I was thinking of a good wine to pair with cake or less heavy desserts in general I thought it would be interesting to pair a less sweet, more dry Riesling.  I purchased a 2010 Pacific Rim Riesling from Columbia Valley bottled in Richland, Washington.  I chose this wine since it received 90 points from Wine Spectator and it was reviewed to be medium dry and not overly sweet as to make the whole dessert plan a little too much in terms of flavor.  It is 11.5% alcohol content and was recommended for richer foods.

I gathered my ingredients and made the cake mix.  It was a fairly easy recipe that only took me about 15 minutes to prep and mix.  I was interested to see how the carroty sugary flavor of the carrot cake would mix with the Riesling.  

Once the carrot cake was finished baking I put some cream cheese frosting on the cake and waited for it to fully cool.  In the meantime I poured a glass of the Riesling and first looked at the color.  It was a pretty light coloring, a bit of a really faint amber-yellow.  I then gave the wine a sniff and was pretty happy when I smelled a honeysuckle, fresh spring day scent.  It was like a wave of springtime in my nose, even faintly pollen like, but overall very pleasing.  I decided I'd take a few sips of the wine before biting into my carrot cake in order to have a kind of control to see the contrast between the wine by itself and the wine paired with more sweetness. The wine pretty much tasted exactly how it smelled, it was fresh, pear like, honey suckle, just really fresh and vibrant, and completely reminiscent of spring to me.

Next I took a big bite of the carrot cake with some cream cheese frosting and then took a sip of the Riesling.  The amount that the Riesling had changed was pretty awesome.  It became more apple like in flavor but was now much more sharp and crisp, even more sour tasting then it was alone.  I'd say it went from tasting like a red delicious apple to a green granny smith apple. I continued eating and drinking until I finished the piece of cake and was pretty pleased with how well the two paired together, I for one am I person who definitely needs to drink milk with sweets to balance out the flavors, but I found this Riesling to do a good enough job that it was the only drink I needed to enjoy the cake.  Overall I'd definitely recommend this pairing.. it was really tasty together and since I am not too experienced with Rieslings it gave me a good starting ground for foods I know pair nicely with the wine.

2009 Zonin Pinot Grigio with Grilled Sesame Salmon, Kale & Asparagus

Since it is Spring time I figured I would try a light, refreshing and healthy meal complimented by a fruity and smooth Italian Pinot Grigio.  I came across the recipe for a sesame coated grilled Salmon, marinated simply with salt, pepper, and some fresh-squeezed lemon which I figured would be perfect for this dish, since it is both delicious and fairly light sounding.  

I also did a bit of research as to interesting side-dish flavors which I have not experimented cooking with before and I chose to make a marinated Kale salad, whose bitterness would bring an interesting twist to the smoothness of the Pinot Grigio. 

 I also grilled some fresh asparagus with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and some sesame seeds.  To top everything off I cooked some white rice and added a little bit of soy sauce to it for taste.  

The wine is a 2009 Zonin Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie region of North Eastern Italy.  It received a Wine Spectator score of 87 and is 12% alcohol content.  While preparing the meal I uncorked the wine and poured two glasses to breathe for approximately 10 minutes before sipping. (Photo of my boyfriend, who helped me out a bit with the meal & wine drinking..)

The meal was complete after a pretty short prep and cook time.  We got our wine and began to eat & drink!

My first sniff of the Pinto Grigio reminded me of an extremely ripe and almost tart pear.  It was a pretty strong bouquet and mostly of sweet and kind of sour-like smells, mostly all fruity (however, my nose certainly isn't the best with determining this..) I tasted the wine and was immediately pleased by the crispness of the flavors.  It tasted almost exactly as it had smelled.  Very fruity, pear-like, with hints of juicy white-grapey flavors.  When I bit into my sesame encrusted salmon then took a sip of the wine the flavor was pretty complimentary and added an overall sharpness yet in a way the salmon made the wine flavors a bit more delicate.  I next tried some salmon with some kale salad and was really happy with the deliciousness of the bitter kale and the sweetness of the wine mixing together quite well.  Overall, as we finished our meal and continued to drink the Pinto Grigio, we were both pretty pleased with how the food and the wine complimented each other.  The take home for me was that the sweetness of this Italian Pinto Grigio and the bitterness and light fishiness of the kale and salmon were a pretty perfect balance for one another.  I'd definitely recommend this pairing, especially because the meal was so easy and quick to prepare!