Dinner Tasting: Goat Cheese Cranberry Salad, Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Mushrooms, and Truffle Mushroom Ravioli

For our first dinner blog, my roommate, Gabi, and I decided to visit Kroger to pick up some groceries and of course some wine.

The first course we decided to make was a goat cheese cranberry salad. The salad had mixed greens, goat cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, shredded carrots, bacon, and a balsamic, honey glaze reduction as the dressing.

We thought this would pair well with the Riesling we bought, since Wine Folly recommended pairing it with bacon. As discussed in Professor John Boyer’s video, Rieslings have a range from dry to sweet. This particular one was medium sweet. Some other information on the wine is below:

Name: Fetzer Riesling

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Riesling

Region/Country of Origin: Mendocino Country, California, USA

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $14

Before trying the wine with food, Gabi and I tasted the Riesling. Right off the bat, from sniffing the wine I could sense lemon and peach notes. After tasting it, I thought it was very fruity, but not as sweet as I was expecting it to be. I would even say it was a little dry, which makes sense considering that it was medium sweet and not full on sweet. Another note that I got was a bit of honey, but again the wine was not overly sweet.

After tasting the Riesling with the cranberry goat cheese salad, I could definitely taste the sweetness more and it was not as dry. The saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the wine really complemented each other. The peach flavor of the wine became even more prominent when it was paired with the salad, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I think the Riesling and salad paired very well together and that they made each other better off, tasting-wise. I would buy this wine again and pair it with this salad again; however, I am curious to have a medium dry Riesling, potentially from Germany since I usually prefer less sweetness in wine and because Germany is the main producer of Riesling.

On to the next dish!

Gabi and I decided to make roasted chicken with carrots and mushrooms for our second dish. This was a very simple course with onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.

After referring to Wine Folly, we decided to pair the chicken with the Pinot Noir we purchased. Information on the Pinot Noir is below:

Name: Rickshaw Pinot Noir

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Pinot Noir

Region/Country of Origin: California, USA

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: $16

Without trying the Pinot Noir with food, I could smell cherry, vanilla, and slight mushroom notes. It tasted a bit spicy, weirdly enough, and was dry and acidic. Gabi and I agreed that it was not one of the better Pinot Noirs we have tried.

When we paired the roasted chicken with carrots and mushrooms, I thought the Pinot Noir tasted a lot better. It made the wine much less pungent. The acidity of the wine was complimented by the saltiness of the chicken and made the wine much less heavy. I think the chicken would have been good with or without the wine; however, I think pairing the chicken with a different Pinot Noir or different wine altogether would be good to try next. Nonetheless, although the Pinot Noir was fairly strong, it did not overpower the food. Overall, I think they paired okay together, but I would try something else next time. I will not be buying this wine again; it was too punchy and not delicate enough in my opinion.

The final course!

The last dish we decided to make was this truffle mushroom ravioli we picked up from Earth Fare. After heating it up, we tossed the ravioli in olive oil and salt and pepper. After that we topped it off with grated parmesan and basil for garnish.

We decided to pair the ravioli with the Merlot since Wine Folly said Merlots tend to pair nicely with roasted mushrooms. Some information on the wine is below:

Name: Lindeman’s Bin 40 Merlot

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Merlot

Region/Country of Origin: South Eastern Australia

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: $12

Before enjoying the ravioli with the wine, we tasted the wine on its own. From the scent, I got very earthy, yet still fruity notes. I could also sense a bit of plum. When I tasted the wine, it was pretty satisfying and sweeter than expected, which surprised me since it was 14% abv. I could taste the plum and berry notes in it too.  

After trying the Merlot with the truffle ravioli, the Merlot had a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was sour, however still refreshing with the richness and creaminess of the ravioli. I think the Merlot and ravioli paired well together; however, I think they would be fine on their own as well because I don’t think much was added to either. For instance, although the acidity of the wine was cut down by the ravioli’s heaviness, it was not significantly different. Neither the wine, nor the ravioli was overpowered by the other. I think a slightly sweeter wine may have paired with the ravioli better. I would purchase this wine again, but it was not my favorite, so I would choose to try something new first.

I would say this was a successful first dinner tasting, and I am excited for the next one!