Virtual Summer Dinner Party

July 18, 2012

Summer dinner parties with good food and wine? Yes please!

I have partnered up with a few other writers for a Virtual Summer Dinner Party. The best part about this Summer Dinner Party?

I don’t have to cook a thing.

All I have to do is bring the wine. Works for me!

Each contributing writer to this dinner party was responsible for a course. My job was to pair wines with each course which is my ultimate passion. Make sure you go check out all of the fabulous recipes!

Pre-Dinner Cocktail: Blood Orange Margarita
{Contributed by Jessica of One Martini at a Time}

Blood Orange Margarita

No wine pairing needed here unless you would like to double fist which I don’t recommend. Enjoy this delicious cocktail all on its own! Cheers!

{Contributed by Kelly of Mom Got Blog}
Pear, Pistachio, Gorgonzola, Pita Wedges
This is a nice rich, hearty appetizer loaded with flavors. The pear adds the sweetness to the dish while the pistachio and gorgonzola cheese provides the saltiness and richness. Blue cheeses, such as gorgonzola pair nicely with dessert wines such Port or Tokaji from Hungary. However, those wines are too sweet and heavy to start out a meal with. Instead try a Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc or Muscat. These white wines are light, crisp with just the right amount of acid to balance out the richness of the gorgonzola. Any red wine lovers could also easily pair a Bordeaux Blend or lighter Cabernet Sauvignon with this appetizer. Bordeaux and blue cheeses are a match made in heaven, earthy and robust.

 

Entree: Branzino
{Contributed by Jessica of Chaos & Love}
branzino
In case you have never heard of it, Branzino is a Mediterranean sea bass. When prepared simply, mild branzino can be overwhelmed by big, New World white wines. Instead it will pair well with Vermentino, the crisp Italian white or Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s gift to sommeliers for food and wine pairing. Both wines have nice acid to balance out the saltiness of the capers and the Gruner Veltliner is herbaceousness, pairing nicely with the lemon and asparagus. Asparagus, which is known to be a wine killer, causes wine to be flabby and flat. The crispness and greenness of these two white wines will pair nicely with this aspect of the dish.

 

Dessert: White Chocolate and Fruit Parfaits

{Contributed by Briana of Newly Blissed}

white chocolate fruit parfaits

White chocolate, marscapone cheese, and fresh berries? What’s not to love? I love pairing wine with desserts. This creamy, delicate dessert loaded with fresh summer berries will pair nicely a Sparkling Rose from Spain, German Spatlese Riesling (Spatlese indicates the level of sweetness) or a Moscato d’ Asti from Italy. Remember, when pairing wine with desserts, you always want the wine to be sweeter than the dish. Otherwise the wine will seem flabby and no one enjoys a flabby wine!

Cheers and Happy Summer Entertaining!!

Print Friendly
Filed Under: Wine Pairings 12 Comments

Comments

  1. Jessica says:
    July 18, 2012 at 9:17 am

    You learn something new every day. I never would have thought about the wine overpowering the fish. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
  2. Jen says:
    July 18, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Now this is a dinner party, that I want in on.

    Hello, yum!!!

    Reply
  3. Briana says:
    July 18, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    Thank you so much for being a part of this dinner party! I will have you bring the wine anytime! I love the wine pairings, so informative! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Jess says:
    July 18, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    No one enjoys a flabby anything. ;)

    Reply
  5. Jennie B says:
    August 10, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    I love a good Muscat! And recently had Gruner Veltliner for the first time. It was delish!

    I’m a hug fan of port, and Prager makes a white port that I love. Might be great with dessert, though a rose champagne can’t be beat :)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. {Virtual} Summer Dinner Party | Chaos & Love says:
    July 18, 2012 at 9:05 am

    [...] {Wine pairings} [...]

    Reply
  2. Summer Dinner Party | Newly Blissed says:
    July 18, 2012 at 10:37 am

    [...] Wine Pairings-by Rachel [...]

    Reply
  3. Blood Orange Margarita {Bonus – Summer Dinner Party} | One Martini at a Time says:
    July 18, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    [...] of course there are wine pairings for each course from my certified Sommelier friend Rachel Voorhees (who also runs the social media at Wine.com [...]

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*

CommentLuv badge
You can add a link to follow you on twitter if you put your username in this box.
Only needs to be added once (unless you change your username). No http or @ Twitter