Some of the wines we tasted with soupA trifecta for me is being able to try new wines, experiment with yummy food, and all in the company of friends, and I was pleased to do so this past weekend. An interesting challenge though - pairing wines with not only appetizers and desserts, but soups! The weather cooperated by being chilly and blustery - a perfect backdrop for warm, fall-inspired soups.
Our lovely hostess Deb started us off with an amazing selection of appetizers - cheeses, dips, and everything in between. The app that brought the most applause was the baked brie. If you haven't given it a try, check out the recipe - it's not as scary as it sounds (thank you Deb for sharing all of your recipes). http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brie-Cheese-Appetizer/Detail.aspx
A big thank you to my friend Dave Eckert who helped Deb and me select the wines for the evening. When I asked his professional opinion about how to learn more about pairing different foods (especially soups) and wines, his answer was equally professional -- "drink, drink and drink some more."
The wines we had with appetizers were:
Bracco Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo 2004 (Italy)
Morgon 2005 Red Beaujolais Wine (France)
Lindemans 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
Our lovely hostess Deb started us off with an amazing selection of appetizers - cheeses, dips, and everything in between. The app that brought the most applause was the baked brie. If you haven't given it a try, check out the recipe - it's not as scary as it sounds (thank you Deb for sharing all of your recipes). http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brie-Cheese-Appetizer/Detail.aspx
A big thank you to my friend Dave Eckert who helped Deb and me select the wines for the evening. When I asked his professional opinion about how to learn more about pairing different foods (especially soups) and wines, his answer was equally professional -- "drink, drink and drink some more."
The wines we had with appetizers were:
Bracco Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo 2004 (Italy)
Morgon 2005 Red Beaujolais Wine (France)
Lindemans 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
Each soup was paired with wine, salad and breadWe tried four different soup/wine combinations (recipe links are attached):
Garden Veggie Cheese Soup paired with Bridlewood 2006 Viognier (Santa Ynez California): http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garden-veggie-cheese-soup/Detail.aspx
Ginger-Pumpkin Soup paired with Chateau St. Jean 2007 Riesling (Sonoma California): http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/ginger-pumpkin-soup-3268
Rosemary Corn Soup paired with Three Rivers Winery 2006 Merlot (Columbia Valley Washington): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rosemary-Corn-Soup/Detail.aspx
Steak Soup paired with Rocca delle Macie 2005 Chianti Classico (Italy): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kansas-City-Steak-Soup/Detail.aspx
All of the soups were delicious and paired nicely with the wines. When polled, the favorites of the group were the pumpkin soup (went really nicely with the slightly sweet Riesling) and the Viognier wine was a huge hit.
Garden Veggie Cheese Soup paired with Bridlewood 2006 Viognier (Santa Ynez California): http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garden-veggie-cheese-soup/Detail.aspx
Ginger-Pumpkin Soup paired with Chateau St. Jean 2007 Riesling (Sonoma California): http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/ginger-pumpkin-soup-3268
Rosemary Corn Soup paired with Three Rivers Winery 2006 Merlot (Columbia Valley Washington): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rosemary-Corn-Soup/Detail.aspx
Steak Soup paired with Rocca delle Macie 2005 Chianti Classico (Italy): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kansas-City-Steak-Soup/Detail.aspx
All of the soups were delicious and paired nicely with the wines. When polled, the favorites of the group were the pumpkin soup (went really nicely with the slightly sweet Riesling) and the Viognier wine was a huge hit.
Sneaking in for a bite of sweetsOh, but we weren't done yet. We finished the evening with two lovely cakes -- the coconut-topped oatmeal cake was the favorite (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Coconut-Topped-Oatmeal-Cake/Detail.aspx.
These were paired with two ports which the group were split down the middle on preference. I enjoyed the earthy notes of the tawny with our fall-themed meal.
Taylor Fladgate Fine Tawny Porto (Portugal)
Pedroncelli 2002 Vintage Port (Dry Creek Valley, California)
And after all the food and festivities, a few of us laughed off some calories with a game called Girls Night Out Table Topics. I will end this blog post here to protect the innocence of my friends.
These were paired with two ports which the group were split down the middle on preference. I enjoyed the earthy notes of the tawny with our fall-themed meal.
Taylor Fladgate Fine Tawny Porto (Portugal)
Pedroncelli 2002 Vintage Port (Dry Creek Valley, California)
And after all the food and festivities, a few of us laughed off some calories with a game called Girls Night Out Table Topics. I will end this blog post here to protect the innocence of my friends.
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