Dinner Tasting: Thai Takeout

For our second dinner blog, my roommates and I decided to get Thai takeout. We picked up some wine from Kroger that we thought might pair well with the dishes.

We decided the try the drunken noodles first since we read that Champagne is a good aperitif from Wine Folly.

Wine Folly also mentioned that Champagne pairs well with anything that is salty or fried. Therefore, since drunken noodles are fried the most out of our dishes, this seemed like a great paring. It is important to note that the wine we tried is a Champagne blend since it is not made in Champagne, France. Some other information on the wine is below:

Name: J. Roget American Champagne Extra Dry

Variety of Grape(s): 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier

Region/Country of Origin: California, USA

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $8

Before trying the wine with food, my roommates and I tasted the Champagne blend. From smelling it initially, I got apple and pear notes. This lined up well with Wine Folly’s mention of yellow apple in the notes section. After tasting the blend, I thought it tasted like a less sweet version of apple cider. Nonetheless, it was still very sweet, especially for wine. Generally, the wine was light, crisp, and fruity.

When the wine was paired with the drunken noodles, I thought they complimented each other well. The sweetness of the Champagne blend was a nice contrast to the saltiness of the drunken noodles. Further, the dish was less heavy with the wine and not overpowering. The wine also brought out the Thai spices, soy sauce, and peppers in the noodles, which I thought was great. I think both were made better by pairing the two; however, they would do just fine on their own. I would buy this J. Roget again for sure. My roommates and I agreed that it was terrific, especially being a sparkling wine for only $8.

On to the next dish!

My roommates and I decided to try the Pad Thai next. We paired it with Sauvignon Blanc since Wine Folly described that it pairs well with Asian food.

Information on the Sauvignon Blanc is below:

Name: Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region/Country of Origin: Hopland, California, USA

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $15

Without trying the Sauvignon Blanc with food, I could smell melon, honeydew, and lemon notes. The wine tasted light, oaky, and woody, and was surprisingly minimally acidic. I tasted grapefruit, melon, lemon, and green apple notes. It was a good amount of sweet and acidic in my opinion.

After pairing the Sauvignon Blanc with the Pad Thai, I thought the spices of the Pad Thai were brought out by the wine and the sweetness and acidity of the wine was brought out with the Pad Thai. I could taste more of the fruity flavor, especially lemon, in the wine after pairing them together. The wine also toned down the saltiness of the Pad Thai, making it less heavy. I thought both complimented each other nicely, and I would pair these dishes together again. However, I think they again would be fine separately. My roommate, Arin really enjoyed this wine; however, it was not my favorite. Nonetheless, I did think it was good and would purchase it again.

The final course!

Our last dish was the red curry. We decided to pair it with a Chardonnay since we thought the creaminess of the curry would compliment the wine well and vice versa.

Some information on the wine is below:

Name: Kendall-Jackson Avant Unoaked Chardonnay

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Chardonnay

Region/Country of Origin: Santa Rosa, California, USA

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $17

We tried the Chardonnay without food first. I smelled honey, apple, and floral notes. After tasting it I thought it was light, crisp, and not buttery—which I was happy about but was not surprised about since it was unoaked. I sensed notes of apple and pear. It was more dry than sweet and was not too acidic.

After trying the wine with the red curry, I thought the creaminess and heaviness of the curry was cut down by the Chardonnay. Also, the fruit flavors of the wine were brought out when paired with the curry. Unfortunately, the Chardonnay overpowered the curry slightly because of the acidity. Further, the curry made the wine more acidic. I do not think the pairing was that good and think the wine and curry would be better separately overall. I would purchase this K-J Avant again but would probably try something new before doing so.

Tasting: Ogio Prosecco

Name: Ogio Prosecco

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Prosecco

Region/Country of Origin: D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllate), Italy

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $12

Winery Tasting Notes: Toast life the Italian way! Ogio wines capture the Italian ideal of unequivocal good taste. Ogio Prosecco comes from the D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllate) region of Italy, meaning it has distinctive features of superior quality. This Italian sparkling white wine presents delicate aromas of pear and melon and crisp flavors of pear, peach, apple, and citrus. It is crisp, clean, and a lovely fountain of bubbles. It’s the perfect wine for any and all celebrations, big or small. Pairs perfectly with sushi or a seafood feast. Treat yourself to a little dolce vita today (kroger.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly describes Prosecco as having minimal body, medium acidity, low to medium alcohol, and a range of sweetness that is mostly dry. This lines up with my ecperince tasting the wine. Prosecco has green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, and cream notes. Further, the best Prosecco comes from Valdobiadene, so one day it would be great to try it from there. Since the recommended amount to spend on Prosessco is about $15, I think the $12 I spent was worthwhile (e-text, pg. 363-364).

My Review: I enjoyed this Prosecco but will be trying something different before purchasing it again. From smelling it, I sensed honey, apple, and a general fruity scent. After tasting it, I thought it was very light and dry/semi-sweet. I did not think it had too much flavor but it was refreshing. I also was able to taste the green apple, honeydew, and pear flavors. I tried this wine without food.

Tasting: Oyster Bay Marlborough Rosé

Name: Oyster Bay Marlborough Rosé

Variety of Grape(s): 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir

Region/Country of Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $13

Winery Tasting Notes: The perfect shade of Oyster Bay Rosé is produced from the delicate touch of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, carefully selected and blended to express fruit vibrancy and delicate red berry profiles.

Marlborough is recognized as one of the world’s top winegrowing regions, and rightfully so. It’s combination of bright sunshine and cool climate create expressive fruit-driven wines unlike anywhere else. Pale rose in colour but vivid in its flavours, Oyster Bay Rosé delivers a fresh and fragrant style of wine. (oysterbaywines.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Since Oyster Bay wine had Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals, I took notes from both sections of Wine Folly. For the Chardonnay aspect, Wine Folly describes it as having medium body and acidity and being dry. Chardonnay has notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter. It is mostly popularly grown in France (e-text, pg. 239-240). For the Pinot Noir aspect, Wine Folly describes it as being dry, being low in body and tannins, and having medium acidity. Pinot Noir has notes of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. It is also most popularly grown in France (e-text, pg. 352-353). I think these grape varietals complemented each other well and could understand where the flavors were coming from went smelling and tasting the wine.

My Review: I usually do not gravitate towards rosé wines, but I am trying to find ones that I enjoy. Unfortunately, I did not think this wine was good and will not be buying it again. The wine smelled acidic, floral, and buttery. It also tasted acidic and floral and was only slightly fruity. Further, I sensed a lot of earthiness that was tea-like. Nonetheless, I did not think the flavors complemented each other well. I tried this wine on its own without food.

Tasting: Larkspur Pinot Gris

Name: Larkspur Pinot Gris

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Pinot Noir

Region/Country of Origin: Oregon, USA

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $13

Winery Critic Review: Expressive aromatics of pineapple and honey suckle lead to floral flavors of green apple and juicy melon on the palate. This beautiful Oregon Pinot Gris is balanced with lively acidity that leads to a refreshing finish (larkspur.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly describes Pinot Gris as having medium to high acidity, low to medium alcohol content, and a range of sweetness. Pinot Gris is a mutation of Pinot Noir, which made sense since this wine was actually produced from the Pinot Noir varietal. Some important tasting notes for the wine are white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, and crushed gravel. I was happy to try a Pinot Gris from Oregon since I have not tried a domestic one yet and they are very commonly produced there. Since the average price for Pinot Gris wine is about $15, I think the $13 I spent was fair (e-text, pg. 350-351).

My Review: I enjoyed this wine but will most likely purchase a different Pinot Gris next time. The Larkspur had pear, floral, and melon scents, and after tasting the wine, I sensed green apple and a general fruit flavor. The wine was acidic, semi-sweet to dry, crisp, and tart, I did not try this wine with any food.

Tasting: Maniña Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Maniña Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region/Country of Origin: Valle Central, Chile

Vintage Year: 2019

Price: $12.88

Winery Tasting Notes: This South American gem is a rare find and once your palate has surrendered to the smooth flavors of this wine, it will forever hold a place in your cellar. Let yourself get caught up in the reverie of Maniña, with delicate notes of cassis and olive complemented by smoky tones. Sophisticated in style, this wine whisks one's senses into a state of splendor with its abundant flavors of vanilla, plum, and spices. Pairs beautifully with braised short ribs or Asian beef stir-fry (kroger.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly describes Cabernet Sauvignon as being very tannic, dry, and full-bodied. This made sense to me, and I agreed with it.  It is “the world’s most popular wine” and is “concentrated and age-worthy” according to Wine Folly. I thought this was interesting since Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite red that I have tried so far. Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. I liked that I was able to try a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile as it is a very popular production country. I want to try one from France next, since that it the top producing country for it (e-text, pg. 223-224).

My Review: Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this wine and will not be purchasing it again. When I smelled it, I sensed bell pepper and a more savory note. After tasting the wine, I thought it was very bitter and sour. It was also extremely dry and not very balanced with any other flavors. I could taste the vanilla and plum notes Maniña had; however, they were not strong. I tried this wine on its own, without food.

Tasting: Stella Rosa Blueberry

Name: Stella Rosa Blueberry

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Muscat

Region/Country of Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Vintage Year: 2022

Price: $10

Winery Tasting Notes: Italy - Stella Rosa Blueberry is undeniably irresistible. It's sweet and succulent. Pairs well with fresh fruits, BBQ chicken, charcuterie, cheesecake, and cinnamon roll coffee cake (totalwine.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly did not have a description on just Muscat; however, they did have one on Muscat Blanc, so I decided to compare my notes to that. Muscat Blanc is described as having a range of sweetness, minimal body, low alcohol percentage, and medium acidity. This aligns well with the Stella Rosa wine which had a range of sweetness but specifically was marked as semi-sweet. The alcohol percentage was also very low at 5%. Further, Wine Folly recommends serving the wine cold at 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit, which I did with the blueberry wine. Since Muscat Blanc is mainly produced in Italy, I thought it was beneficial to try one from there. Nonetheless, next time I would like to try one from a different country (i.e., Greece, France, South Africa, etc.) (e-text, pg. 328-329)..

My Review: I thought the Stella Rosa was a good dessert wine. I would consider purchasing it again if I was in the mood for something sweet; however, I would try a different flavor first. From smelling the wine, I sensed pomegranate, berry, and candy. The blueberry scent was strangely not that strong. However, after tasting the wine, the blueberry really came through. It was very sweet, tart, and berry/fruit-forward. I had this wine without food.

Tasting: Ile De Conas Le Rosé

Name: Ile De Conas Le Rosé

Variety of Grape(s): 25% Grenache Gris, 25% Grenache Noir, 20% Caladoc, 15% Pinot Gris, 15% Cinsault

Region/Country of Origin: Languedoc-Roussillon, Southeast France

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $8

Winery Tasting Notes: This unique Mediterranean blend is succulent with a delicate, tongue-tingly zest. Bursting with flavors, this Rosé can be served as a pre-dinner drink or paired with salmon teriyaki, zucchini, carpaccio, or Mediterranean salad (reversewinesnob.com, 2022).

Wine Folly Notes: Wine Folly did not have a specific page referencing rosé, which made sense to me, considering how much they can vary based on blends and terroir. Hue and intensity of rosé was discussed, including various shades: pink, salmon, copper, etc. Wine Folly explained the concept that “a deeper color simply means the wine was macerated in grape skins for longer,” which was also discussed in Professor John Boyer’s videos. The rosé I tried was the pink shade (e-text, pg. 60). Further, Wine Folly explained that rosé generally has more acidity, which made sense to me, given how light and crisp I find rosés to be (e-text, pg. 142). Because Wine Folly recommends pairing rosé with “salty, crumbly cheese feta” and the wine tasting notes indicate that it pairs well with Mediterranena salad, I would be interested to try that pairing next time.

My Review: I do not usually gravitate towards rosés; however, I enjoyed this wine and would purchase it again. For only $8 at Trader Joe’s, think this is a steal. When I smelled the wine, it was floral, acidic, and fruity. After tasting it, I thought it was very light and semi-sweet. I actually did not get much fruit taste, but I sensed a blossom note. It was a bit difficult to pinpoint the exact flavors and notes because it was extremely subtle wine. I enjoyed this wine on its own.