Dinner - "Palisides (Oregon)"

This past Wednesday, I took my boyfriend Josh with me to Palisades in Eggleston, VA to experience the Wines Around The World special. The Oregon-themed dinner included bacon-wrapped and roasted Quail Leg, Smoked Pacific Salmon in a blackberry gastrique, and Oregon Forage Pizza with mushrooms, hazelnuts, and Havarti cheese.

Josh and I were seated near the entrance of Palisades.

The Quail Leg in bacon was incredibly savory and juicy. The quail leg itself was very tasty, and the bacon added a saltiness that was quite welcome. The Smoked Pacific Salmon with blackberry gastrique was both sweet and smoky. I haven't had salmon cooked this way before; it tasted like it was artificially salmon flavored and sweetened. The thick toasted bread/cracker it was on had an odd texture. I unfortunately didn't like this dish as a result, which I think affected my wine pairing results for this one as a result. The Oregon Forage Pizza was absolutely delicious. I even contemplated getting a whole pizza to eat all by myself. The combination of mushroom and Havarti cheese complimented each other, and the pizza was well balanced--not too greasy or overwhelming at all.

From left to right: Quail Leg, Smoked Pacific Salmon, and Oregon Forage Pizza.

Wildewood Pinot Noir 2013

Wildewood Pinot Noir 2013 image from http://tinyurl.com/osshw8d.

The first wine of the pairings was Wildewood Pinot Noir 2013 from Willamette Valley, Oregon. This red wine is 100% pinot noir and has a nose of dark berries that also comes in subtly on the tongue. It was dry with medium body and a short finish. This wine was a little drier than I usually prefer.

The Wildewood Pinot Noir in the tasting glass.

The pinot noir was originally paired with the Quail Leg. The savory, juicy quail brought out the dry, dark berry taste of the pinot noir. I quite liked this effect, although the two different flavors (savory vs. fruity) were in danger of clashing. The dryness helped it stay at bay. The salmon, on the other hand, brought out a bitterness in the wine as well as the dark berry taste. This clashed and I didn't like this pairing at all. As for the pizza, it brought out the dark berry taste and a sweet, mushroom-y taste not from the pizza itself. The sweetness it brought out was too much for my liking as it clashed with the cheesy pizza. 

A to Z Rosé

A to Z Rosé 2014 image from http://tinyurl.com/ozjemrq.

The second wine of the pairings was A to Z Rosé 2014 from Oregon and is 100% sangiovese. It had a very prominent strawberry nose and a tongue of fresh strawberry with a slight bite and a long, fresh, and warm finish. 

The A to Z Rosé in the tasting glass. 

The rosé was originally paired with the salmon. The combination of the sweet dish and the wine brought out even more sweetness in the wine that I didn't favor. With the quail leg, the strawberry and alcohol taste was brought out much more. Although the fruitiness didn't quite match with the savory quail, the taste of the wine was so delicious as a result that I actually liked it. With the pizza, the sweetness was brought out just a touch so that it was not overwhelming, and I could taste more of the strawberry. I definitely liked this pairing as well.

Wildewood Pinot Gris 2013

Wildewood Pinot Gris 2013 image from http://tinyurl.com/okwyqsj.

The final wine of the pairings was also a Wildewood wine, Wildewood Pinot Gris 2013 from Willamette Valley, Oregon that is 100% pinot gris. This white wine had a fresh pear nose, a dry tongue, and a long, warm finish with a nice hint of acidity. 

The Wildewood Pinot Gris in the tasting glass.

The pinot gris was originally paired with the pizza. The pizza brought out a sweetness in the wine, which I actually did not favor. With the salmon, the acidity came out and clashed with the sweetness, which I also did not like. The quail, on the other hand, brought out a freshness in the wine which was very refreshing, and the tongue of the wine was also more prominent. 

Thoughts

The wines for the pairings came in little tasting glasses. While they were perfectly portioned for the activity, they made it impossible to swirl and very difficult to sniff (I put my nose right in the first one by accident). Nevertheless, the flavors of the wines still came out when paired with the food. 

The little tasting glasses the wines were served in. While the portions were favorable, they made it impossible to swirl and sniff.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my experience at Palisades. While the original pairings were not always to my favor, there was another wine in the pairing that went well with the food. I also liked the portion sizes of both the food and the wine. I look forward to my next experience at Palisades for Wines Around the World.