Hey, club members! I tell you, I am suffering from serious wine club withdrawal, now that it's been a week since our meeting. What a great meeting it was. Thanks to everyone who came, and if you couldn't make it, you were missed. But the good thing is we get to revisit via our blog! And since the best remedy for wine club withdrawal is, well, wine, I should be okay until we get together in December.
So we welcomed two new members, Jeannine and Rob, who not only braved the Belt Parkway to make the meeting, they even brought music with them, so we were chillin' while we sipped. They fit in so well with the club it was like they had been to every meeting. Welcome, guys, and we are so very glad to have you. In case anyone is counting, this means we are officially up to 24 members, including those who have standing invites but have never shown (and you know who you are!).
We had eight in attendance for the meeting, and we sampled seven wines. We paired our wines with three varieties of pizza: one with four cheeses, one with meat, and one vegetable. And we learned a few things. For one, it's much easier to pair pizza with red wine than with white, which is kind of a no-brainer, but still it was fun to compare. The pizza tends to overwhelm most whites, so it's a challenge to find one that stands up well. Secondly, when you do find a good wine and pizza pairing, it is very, very good. And three, the wine does not HAVE to be a chianti.
Here go the favorites.
FIRST PLACE: Ah, yes, first place. Well, our travelin' member Tracy, fresh from her latest trip to Italy, brought back what turned out to be the overwhelming favorite: a sweetish, sparkling Italian red called Sangue di Guida 2005, which translates to The Blood of Judah. Because it was a little sweet we saved it for next to last, so we'd gone through a number of wines by then, but still, everyone chose this one. We weren't even sure it went all that well with the pizza, but we didn't care! Now, the fact that Tracy was good enough to import the bottle from Italy means the search is on to find a supplier here in the States. Rob actually took a picture of the label with his phone, so Rob, if you can, please either email the pic to us or post it on the blog so we can all have the info. If anyone finds "The Blood," please pass the word along! The wine was fresh and light, with fruity notes and tasted very good chilled.
SECOND PLACE: St Hallett Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend, 2006. This is where things got complicated. The choice for first place was a given, and once we got that out of the way we had a hard time choosing the runner-ups. The rest of our choices underwhelmed us a little bit, and we weren't quite sure why. All were good, none were great. In any case, the St. Hallett was pleasing to most of us, and it went well with all three varieties of pizza. But it was a white, which went against it, and it wasn't sweet, which may have turned off the sweet lovers.
THIRD PLACE: Aquila D'Oro Chianti 2006. Rob actually picked up a hint of mint when he tasted this one, which we found intriguing. But otherwise, this was a true chianti, bold and robust, and of course it was a natural with the pizza, particularly the meat and the veggie. If you closed your eyes, you were in a restaurant in Southern Italy.
THE REST:
Beringer Pino Grigio 2004 -- This had a very distinctive oakiness on the nose, and the taste was memorable as well, not at all fruity as expected. The pinot did not go well with the pizza at all but was much better when enjoyed on its own, which is why it did not make the top three.
Alberto Longo Le Fossette italian white 2006 -- Otherwise known as "the one Tracy hated." The guy in the wine shop swore this was the perfect pizza pairing wine, and while Donna did say it went very well with the meat pizza because of the garlic and spices, others were not impressed. And the expression on Tracy's face spoke volumes. Interestingly enough, this was one of the bottles I was left with after the meeting, so fine, I drank it myself.
Yamhill Valley Pinot Noir 2006 -- This wine was complicated. When paired with the pizza, we got what Donna described as "an explosion of spiciness" on the tongue. It really brought out the fennel and other flavors in the meat. Alone, on the other hand, the wine came off sweeter and less spicy.
There was one other wine we tried, a sweet riesling that was so syrupy and forgettable that I realized afterward that I hadn't even written down the name. No matter. You don't want it. Someone did take the bottle home, though, probably because Jeannine and Rob had already made off with The Blood!
So let's talk about December 8. This is our first annual holiday party. Everyone should please bring three things: a dish, a bottle of one of the past year's favorite choices, and lots of good cheer. I will email everyone a list of the favorites, and they are also included here on the blog, in the minutes from each meeting. Choose whichever you'd like, and when you do, email me and let me know which wine you're bringing. We'll try not to have doubles but honestly, is it really the end of the world if we do?
Meanwhile, Thanksgiving is coming, and I hope that everyone is planning to have a really good holiday. Also, I hope you're all thinking about what wine goes best with turkey and cornbread stuffing! Here's a tip: you may want to revisit two of our favorite sparkling whites: Prosecco Veneto and Rashi Moscato d'Asti, the former for those who like drier whites and the latter for the sweet wine lovers. Any prosecco and any moscato will do; both lend a celebratory air to any gathering.
Enjoy your holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone in December.
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