Sam's Wine Blog: Wine & Dinner Night 2

Tonight I did my wine and dinner with food from West End Market on campus. The food I got was mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and london broil. The wines I tried were a J. Lohr cabernet sauvignon from Paso Robles in 2020, a boxed wine called Black Box that is also a cabernet sauvignon from chile in 2021, and a Meiomi pinot noir from California in 2021,. I was excited to compare the boxed wine with the bottled wine, especially cause the boxed wine is from chile which is one of my favorite wine regions.

My dinner tonight from West End Market

This is my first wine a cabernet sauvignon from 2020 and Paso Robles. On its own I taste black cherry and baking spices. I also believe I taste blackberries. It is very strong up front with bold flavors and a smooth finish. It is a good wine on its own. The first food I tried it with is the mashed potatoes. This was different than I expected. The creamy texture of the mashed potatoes worked well together. The pepper notes in the mashed potatoes brings out the baking spices in the wine as well as the tannic levels. Next I tried it with the brussel sprouts. These brought up the tannic levels too much. This made the wine less enjoyable and was not the best pairing in my opinion. Lastly was the london broil was very enjoyable and my favorite pairing. The meat brought out the acidity and spices in the wine and the wine made the meat more tender. I would recommend this cabernet sauvignon for red wine.

The first wine, a cabernet sauvignon

Next I wanted to try the boxed wine since it is the same varietal as the bottled wine I tried right before. To note before trying the wine was it was signifyingly cheaper than the half bottles and it is 500mL which is three glasses. I also poured this wine into a wine glass to get the full taste. On its own it has a less strong smell than the bottle one. I taste a lot of baking spices and strong black cherry, blackberry and fig. This one is a lot fruitier and slightly sweeter. First I tried it with the mashed potatoes and it brings out the tannic flavor but less than the other cabernet sauvignon. It again brings out the baking spices but even more importantly it brings out some potatoes flavors in the food. Next was the brussel sprouts which brings out the acidity in the wine to an enjoyable level. The wine brings out the charred flavor in the brussel sprouts as well. Lastly was the london broil. I think the tannic levels in the wine are brought out more than the glass bottle. Again it is a very enjoyable combination and the meat tastes a lot tender when combined with the wine

Boxed cabernet sauvignon

The last wine I tried was a pinot noir from California. On its own its not very tannic but it is acidic and has strong plum. It is very sweet and has a lot of fruit tastes including raspberry and cherry as well. Honestly, it is a little too sweet to drink on its own. First I tried this wine with the mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes also bring out the spices in the wine which are cloves. I also taste the mushroom like Wine Folly suggest. Next I tried this wine with the brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts work the best with this wine. The sweeter levels to start in this wine work well with this vegetable and its brings out the natural flavors in the brussel sprouts. The lodon broil was last. This wine also made the meat more tender but to a lesser extent. This meat had the most improvement on the wine though. It brought the tannic and acidic levels higher and the sweetness levels down. I prefer wines that are less sweet so I enjoyed this combination the most.

My third wine, a pinot noir

Overall this was a cool experience. I enjoyed repeating it with different wines although doing alone is not as fun or interesting. It is nice to hear others opinions whether they are experienced like my parents or less experienced than I in drinking like my boyfriend. It was fun to also try the half bottles and the boxed wine. I was surprised by the quality and quantity for a fraction of the price. Below are the pictures of me with each of the wine bottles.