Notes from a test food and wine pairing for a Flavors of the Mediterranean dinner being organized for the Chaine des Rotisseurs wine division - the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Degustateurs.
Valformosa Cava "Eric" Brut Nature NV- Extremely dry. Light. Finishes with grapefruit rind flavors. Too austere for me. We'll probably pass on this for the aperitif and get a semi-seco instead.
Valformosa Cava "Carla" Brut NV - Also very dry but a tad less austere than the Eric. Has a slight oxidative character. Light to medium bodied. Spicy finish. Friendlier than the Eric. Good with the clam chowder soup with chorizo chips.
La Gordonne Rose Cotes de Provence 2005 - The 2004 of this was very good and on that basis we thought this would go with the salade nicoise. Unfortunately the 2005 didn't live up to expectations. Very pale rose and insubstantial in flavor. Diluted. Have to find another French wine to take its place.
Argiolas Costera 2004 - Cannonau from Sardinia. Very dark. Spicy. Fruity, slightly oaky nose. Lots of dried herbs here. Can age some more but already a convincing match for a canneloni with duck ragu.
Marchesi di Frescobaldi Montesodi Chianti Rufina 2001 - Very nice pine resin scents coming from this. Already quite smooth. Sour cherry and dried fruits. Well balanced and integrating nicely. Medium bodied. Very long finish. Classy wine. Complemented the lamb shank osso bucco very well.
Leyenda Pedro Ximenez - A rather fat style of PX. Although I like PX, this isn't my favorite brand. We were, however, assured of the excellent Gonzalez-Byass PX for the dinner. Coffee, raisins, and the usual sugar overload on this wine. Absolutely stunning with the ice cream truffles and oversized Kit kat-like chocolate covered wafers we had for dessert.
Except for the Rose, a good match of food and wines. Hopefully we can come up with a substitute for the Rose in a day or two.