Palisades Wine Dinner - Italy

Two weeks ago me and some friends went out to the Palisades restaurant for their weekly wine levels. This night was Italian wines and cuisine.

The first course was potato gnochhi with a 2013 La Carraia Orvieto Classico. I had never had potato gnochhi before it was delicious. The wine was nice and floral-y with strong green apple. Very clean and crisp with similar tastes to what you get from the aromas. The wine went really well with the browned butter sauce. It cut the acidity back and brought out the fruits.

Next was braised chicken with a 2013 Tiamo Chianti. The Chianti had strong berry smells and was like biting into a bunch of fresh fruits. I was surprised this was paired with a chicken but it actually went pretty well. The Polenta served with the chicken was really nice and helped bring out the fruits.

Lastly, we had pizza with a 2009 Bonaventura Rosso Toscano. It had a nice floral and cherry smells. Nice licorice and earthy finish. Went nicely with the pizza. The pepperoni on the pizza went nicely with the earthy tones.

This was a really cool assignment and a huge shoutout to the Palisades for some incredible food!

Wine and Cheese Tasting

We did another wine and cheese tasting this week. This time we tried a Chianti Classico, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Champagne with Brie, Parmesan, and Cheddar Jack cheeses. 

The first wine we tried was the Chianti Classico. It had blackberry and mocha smells. Tasted a lot like bitter cherry. Very dry and bold tannins.

Brie- First of all this stuff is nasty. It tastes like I imagine gym socks would. Drier with earthy and fungus flavors.

Parmesan- More fruity especially the cherry. Also much smoother.

Cheddar Jack- Dulls out the fruits. Cheese was too strong for the wine

Next was the Cabernet Savignon. Dirty smelling with dark fruit flavors. Very tannic and very long finish.

Brie- Earthy and moldy. Felts like I was chewing on a used gym sock. This stuff just doesn't get better.
Parmesan- Fruitier with more berries and a peppery finish.
Cheddar Jack- Mellows the tannins. Spicy finish. Over powers the fruit.


The Merlot had a cherry and chocolate smell. Lots of cherry up front on the flavor but melts away into a long smooth finish. Smooth tannins.

Brie- Bitter and more tannic. Still pretty fruity.
Parmesan- Much smoother. Dulls the fruits. Longer finish.
Cheddar Jack- Spicy cheddar over powers the wine again.


We decided to get classy with a nice bottle of Andre Champagne. Smells like citrus candy. Tastes like liquid pop rocks. Tastes like a sweet moscato.

Brie- Sweaty socks and champagne. Brie is gross.
Parmesan- Nothing special. Don't really mix much.
Cheddar Jack- Only time spices didn't over power. Brings down the sweetness.

Attimo Winery Visit

This past weekend a couple friends and I went to Attimo Winery for a tour and wine tasting. I had never been to a winery so it was a really cool experience. We got to go out into the field and see the vineyards and hear about the different types of grapes they grow there.

Then we got to see where they fermented, aged, and bottled the wine. They told us a little about the different wines they had and some of the unique things they do to make some of their wines. 

Next came our favorite part. The wine tastings. We got to taste 8 different wines. It was really cool how they named all their wines after different "moments" after the name of the winery, Attimo, which translates to "At the Moment." The first one we tasted was Yesterday's Song Chardonnay. It had strong pear and citrus aromas. It was really interesting, the first thing I thought when I took a sip was it made me think about biting into a pear. It had nice citrus tastes and was really crisp and clean. I really liked this wine.

The next wine was Sonnet 98 Vidal Blanc. This had a very flowery smell and tasted very similar. It was very smooth but didn't have particularly strong flavors like I prefer but was still a pretty nice wine.

The Wonder was a blend of Viognier, Vidal, and Traminette. It had citrus and fresh fruit aromas. It was pretty dry and oaky but not as strong of fruit flavors as you would expect from the smell.

Just Kissed was a blush blend of Vidal and raspberry. It had a really interesting combination of raspberry and cider smells. It had really strong berry flavors all the way through. Very smooth. Really tastey and I liked it a lot more than I expected I would.

After Midnight was a blend of Merlot, blackberry, and Zinfandel. The first thing jumped into my mind when I smelled this was these berry fruit snacks that my parents always had around the house when I was younger. It had really strong berries flavors with a peppery finish. A really nice wine.

Deep Silence was a Cabernet Franc. This had a really unique smell and I thought it smelled a lot like a bonfire that someone threw a bunch of spices on. Crazy smooth all the way through. I got hints of pepper with berries and plum.

AD 325 was a chambourcin. I never had this type of grape before to my knowledge but this turned out to be my favorite wine we tasted. I got dry cherry smells and a really similar flavor profile but add some sourness. Bold tannins and a nice long finish.

The last wine was Sudden Downpour which was an apple and white blend. It had an apple and bourbon smell. Tasted like old apple juice with a cider finish but in a good way. It was a pretty interesting wine but surprisingly good.

Wine and Cheese Tasting

 We finally got around to doing our first wine and cheese tasting. I was pretty excited about it. We did four wines, Middle Sister Drama Queen, Duck Commander Red Blend, Vina Borgia, and Wente Riesling. We tried each of them with cheddar, mozzarella, and gouda.

Middle Sister Drama Queen - Green apple, pineapple and vanilla smells. Similar tastes to what you smell but way less flavor than what you'd expect from the strong smells.
     Cheddar: Much more flavor. Brings out green apple and citrus tastes.
     Mozzarella - A little plainer. Brings out lime. Tastes surprisingly like sprite.
     Gouda - First off that's some Gouda cheese! Doesn't really taste like much. Pretty plain actually.

Duck Commander - Plum, berries and mocha tastes.
     Cheddar: way smoother and fruitier
     Mozzarella - Dry and bitter
     Gouda - Smooths the tastes out and brings out fruits like cheddar. Longer finish.

Vina Borgia - Three or four glasses in at this point so things started getting pretty weird but that's when things really got good. Smells like straight up cherries. Tastes like spicy cherries. Not sure what that means but that's what I wrote down so I'm sticking with it. Very hot , 14% abv really comes through.
     Cheddar - Takes away the spice. Crazy dry!
     Mozzarella - Not as dry as cheddar but pretty flat.
     Gouda - Tastes pretty plain. Not a whole lot going on here.

Wente Riesling - Pineapple and citrus smell. Mangos out the wazoo! Delicious wine. My favorite of the four.
     Cheddar - Not as in your face with fruits but a longer finish.
     Mozzarella - And I quote "not good with dis ish. Bitter as butt." Who knows what we were doing at this point but I guess we were really enjoying the wine.
     Gouda - Tones down the mango. Balances everything out. Crisp and clean. That's some Gouda wine! Definitely my favorite pairing.

Tasting - Jam Jar

Name: Jam Jar Sweet White
Variety: Moscato
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: This charming, easy-drinking Moscato offers flavors of peach, apricot, lychee and orange blossom. A lively jolt of acidity keeps it fresh and fruity. Fancy enough for a special occasion toast, yet sweet-natured enough to enjoy every day, our bright and cheerful sweet wines are sure to capture your heart.

My Review: Very fruity smelling upfront. Crazy sweet. Moscato isn't really my cup of tea just because of how sweet it is. Lots of fruity flavors. A little much for my liking.

Tasting - Rare Red

Name: Rare Red
Variety: Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah, and Merlot
Region: California
Country: USA
Price: $9.95

Winery Review: A multi-vintage blend of Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Syrah, and Merlot that is full-bodied and fruit forward with a spicy and complex finish. This wine has been partially barrel aged for eight months in American and French oak.

My Review: Great fruity smells and flavors. A bit of peppery on the nice smooth finish. Fruit flavors melt away and the finish has a bit of oak but not overwhelming. I really liked this blend.

Tasting - Breca Tovana

Name: Breca Tovana
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Munebrega
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: Gnarled vines, grown without irrigation, are a mainstay of Spain’s winemaking tradition and produce small clusters of perfectly ripe Garnacha grapes. Aromas of blackberries, plums, and cherries fill the glass and develop into luscious flavors of black stone fruit. Long, supple tannins complete this extraordinary wine.

My Review: Strong plum and berry aromas. Cherry taste comes in pretty strong but the bold tannins help balance the fruit flavors out and has a really nice long finish. A nice wine and I haven't had many garnachas before but something I could see myself getting into more.