Dinner - 5 Courses of Awesome (Italian)

I had a bright idea one afternoon in wine class to hire my boyfriend, who loves cooking, to make a wine dinner for my friends and I that are in the Geography of Wine class together. I discussed it with my friends and then my boyfriend, Matthew, who happily agreed. The terms of our dinner was that all of the diners would pay for the food and wine and Matthew, after cooking, could eat for free (which may be why he agreed immediately). After an evening of planning we hatched a plan for a five course Italian menu with wines to match each course.

Celebrating the fruits of our labor

...with wine!

The menu we prepared was as follows: a cheese board alongside an almond and raspberry balsamic salad with Celio Prosecco, lemon shrimp capellini with Musaragno Pinot Grigio, mozzerelaa baked shells with mean sauce and Fosco Dolcetto Di Diano D'Alba, and lemoncello and lemon biscotti with Moscato D'Asti for dessert. The cheeses included Port Salut, Sage Derby, and aged Gouda.

All 5 courses and their wine pairings

Enjoying Pinot Grigio

This is a picture of me enjoying the Pinot Grigio after eating the lemon shrimp capellini. It was a lovely meal, and the wines matched wonderfully.

Cielo Prosecco

The Prosecco smelled floral and sweet; it tasted off dry and of carbon dioxide with flavors of dried apricots. The sage derby made the wine taste sweeter whereas the Port Salut completemented the wine well and made the cheese taste saltier. The gouda was the best pair of all three cheeses because the wine helped to cut some of the saltiness and bring out some of the sweeter tastes in the Gouda. The savory and vegetal flavors of the salad paired nicely with the off dry and fruit flavors of the wine. The light Proscecco complemented the lightness of the salad.

Pinot Grigio

I like this Pinot Grigio a lot (see Tasting). It's nose is lightly acidic with floral notes of honeysuckle and tropical fruits. It tasted fruity like figs and floral like rose water. The lemon butter over the pasta and shrimp brought out the fruit and acidity of the wine. A wonderful pairing!

Fosco Dolcetto Di Diano D'Alba

This Dolcetto varietal wine smelled dry with hints of blackberry, and tasted like bell pepper, black pepper, fig, and tannic with a well rounded finish. The baked shells brought out the black pepper components in the wine; the wine accentuated the bell pepper in the sauce and made the sauce very spicy. The change in flavors of the food with the wine was astonishing and delightful.

Annalisa Moscato D'Asti

 

The Annalisa Moscato smelled sweet with hints of honey and pears and tasted similar like honeysuckles and fresh honey. The wine accentuated the sweetness of the lemoncello and cut the acidity of the lemon in the desserts. It also moistened and sweetened the flavors of the biscotti.

I loved all the pairings and flavor combinations of these dishes and in the end all the planning, preperation, and cooking was well worth it! My favorite pairing (and Matthew's) of the evening was the Pinot Grigio and lemon shrimp capellini because the flavors paired and melded beautifully together. A close second was the Prossecco and the salad and cheese board. My favorite dish of the evening was the baked shells and Matthew liked the almond and balsamic salad.

Geography of Wine Friends: (left to right) Ryan, Casey, Jeff

Required wine dinner selfie