Dinner - "Palisades (Italy)"

Last Wednesday, my friend Sierra and I went to Palisades in Eggleston, VA with a couple friends for Wines Around the World featuring Italy. Therefore, we share some of the images from our dinner. It was a beautiful day to go out to dinner, and unfortunately the number of guests who got the special exceeded the supplies. Therefore, two of the three food items were different than those listed on the Wines Around the World menu.

Sierra and I at Palisades for Wines Around the World featuring Italy.

Our Italy-themed dinner included a slice of pita bread with white bean hummus, winter bruschetta, and a slice of Taste of Italy Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, Kalamata olives, and pepperoni. 

Slice of pita bread with white bean hummus.

Winter bruschetta.

Taste of Italy Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, Kalamata olives, and pepperoni.

The pita with white bean hummus was delicious. It was extremely flavorful, like salsa mixed with white beans and peppers. The winter bruschetta was also very tasty and refreshing, with bursts of crab, creamy cheese and sweet green apples. The Taste of Italy Pizza was very savory. It was like a typical good, non-greasy pepperoni pizza with olives and fresh arugula.

La Carraia Orvieto Classico 2013

La Carraia Orvieto Classico 2013 image from http://tinyurl.com/87q9v3m.

The first wine of the pairings was La Carraia Orvieto Classico 2013 from Umbria, Italy. This white wine is 40% Grechetto, 30% Trebbiano, and 30% Malvasia. It had a nose of butter and fresh grass, and a scent like a clean room. It starts with a tongue of fresh grass and a citrus, mineral bite. It finishes dry. I really enjoyed this wine by itself.

The La Carraia Orvieto Classico in the tasting glass.

With the pita and white bean hummus, the white wine paired very well. It was delicious--very smooth and fresh, and the bite and mineral taste went away. The wine paired well with the winter bruschetta too. It was refreshing and brought out the basil taste in the food. I didn't favor the white wine paired with the pizza, because it made the wine taste bitter.

Tiamo Chianti 2013

Tiamo Chianti 2013 image from http://tinyurl.com/olpk6fv.

The second wine was Tiamo Chianti 2013 from Tuscany, Italy. It is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon with a nose of alcohol and dark berries. It had a very strong dark berry taste that was mineraly and had a slight bite. The mouth feel was on the lighter side. I would enjoy this wine with something savory.

The Tiamo Chianti 2013 in the tasting glass.

Paired with the pita and white bean hummus, the Tiamo Chianti was okay. It still had the slight bite, but the dark berry taste was lessened to a more tolerable level. With the bruschetta, the dryness was brought out and the dark berry taste became subtle. I enjoyed this pairing. I did not favor this wine paired with the pizza because it brought out the tannins and bitter dark berry taste.

Bonaventura Rosso Toscano 2009

Bonaventura Rosso Toscano 2009 image from http://tinyurl.com/ow68fn2.

The third wine of the pairings was Bonaventura Rosso Toscano 2009 from Tuscany, Italy. This Sangiovese had a nose of cherries and cow dung with a tongue of dark berries, cherries, tannins, and spice. It had a very dry, tannic, and complex finish. It gave a very interesting tasting experience.  

The Bonaventura Rosso Toscano 2009 in the tasting glass.

The third wine was decent paired with the pita and white bean hummus. While it brought out the cow dung taste, it wasn't bad because it was well balanced with the salsa-like taste of the hummus. I didn't favor the third wine with the bruschetta because it brought out a tannic, strong dark cherry taste. I enjoyed the third wine the most with the pizza, with which it was originally paired. It brought out the cherry taste in the wine and softened the tannins.

Thoughts

This is my first experience tasting good quality Old World red wines. I enjoyed their complexity and had to taste them several times to fully describe them. Even with that, I couldn't describe the third wine completely. It was an eye-opening experience and I can see why many people are so fascinated with wine enough to make a career of reviewing it. I look forward to expanding my palate with Old World wines.