I am so very sorry it took me until today to get this round-up posted for WBW #66 and SHF #63. While I did have time to read through everyone’s fantastic pairings on Friday evening, by the time I was finished I felt a little tipsy from the wine and bit shaky from all the sugar. I then spent the rest of the weekend in bed; not sure what to attribute that to. But, now, without further ado, here are some of the tender-est twosomes possible.
Rachel of Vampituity, an Improvised Prospective (who is, I might add, hosting SHF coming up in April) paired a “…just barely sweet, gluten free olive oil cake with a very sweet dessert wine…”. The mild lemon cake (which happened totally by accident by the way) was served with a glass of 2004 Angelica (with it’s delectable scents of brown sugar and vanilla upon opening).
Adele of Will work for Biltong paired a really amazing sounding chocolate, banana and blue cheese dumpling with pistachio dust (somehow chocolate and blue cheese are a good pairing, based on their molecular structure!) with a 2003 Skillogalee. Her “fabulous man” states that the wine was “…a full-bodied wine, rich and smooth, with hints of black pepper and cherry.” Sounds like a definite hit!
Melinda of Northwest Cork and Fork paired some “rich squares of goodness” (dense, chewy, dark chocolate brownies from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc) with the Roses & Rubies raspberry dessert wine from Wedge Mountain Winery. According to Melinda, it was a definite winner combination.
Scott of The Vino File, joined in on his first WBW event (and I assume first SHF event as well) by pairing a warm, traditional apple pie with a Hogue Cellars Late Harvest Reisling 2008 from Columbia Valley Washington. According to Scott this combination was not a huge success but not a ‘clasher’ either.
Kori of Wine Peeps tried paring two different wines with her resident food expert’s (aka “MOM”) dessert. The dessert was a gorgeous looking chocolate fettuccine with raspberry sauce topped with whipped cream, garnished with toasted pecans and fresh raspberries. The wines she tried with it were a 2000 Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos (from Hungary) and a 2008 Barnard Griffin Syrah Port (from the Columbia Valley in Washington). The first she would drink again on its own, the second paired better with her mom’s dessert.
Liza of BrixChicks sipped at a glass of sweet dessert wine, called “The Dash” from Newsome Harlow with a frozen saybayon, in which she also used the wine. According to Liza, “…you get the complementary textures of the opulent, silky wine together with the meltingly silky ice cream. Talk about Tender Twosomes! Delicious!”
Catie, the venerable “Walla Walla Wine Woman”, had her pairing done for her at Skylite Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. Her dessert was a slice of cheesecake topped with a rich cherry sauce and the wine was a glass of Skylite Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah – 2006. Catie claims that “the sweetness of the cherries and the creamy mouthfeel of the cheesecake paired oh-so-well with the spice and the meatiness of the smoky Syrah.” Sounds divine.
Serge of Serge the Concierge (“the French guy from New Jersey”) dreamed up his tender-est twosome. He chose the wine, a Ben Rye Vino Passito di Pantelleria (08) and in tasting it, imagined it going well with an almond or nut cake.
Ryan of oe-no-phile paired a rustic pineapple galette with an Argyle Brut Rose (2007). According to Ryan, “… the acidity matched with the tartness of the pineapple, but also helped with the buttery crust. The bubbles scrubbed that fatty texture off the palate and prepped the tongue for the next bite.” Half-way through dessert he decided to gild the lily and add some freshly-made strawberry basil preserves to the mix. His reaction? “Um – *expletive* fantastic.” I love it.
Michael of Undertaking Wine paired a soft and velvety butterscotch pudding with a Wolffer Estate Vineyard 2007 Late Harvest (Ice Wine) Chardonnay. While he thought it might not be the best pairing, having never done a wine pairing with dessert he thought it was perfect. “The acidity in the wine did cut through the think and heavy pudding.” So glad you enjoyed the challenge, Michael!
Kizzy of Culinary Annotations served up a Chartreuse Souffle with a Sauterne. It’s fruitiness apparently paired nicely with the lightness of the souffle. According to Kizzy, “With it’s full-bodied but not empowering sweetness, Sauternes compliments this simple soufflé with fruity hints of citrus and apricot.”
Gwendolyn of Wine Predator paired a Lillypilly 2002 Noble Blend with a warm, apple blueberry chai spice galette. Sounds like a home run. And I’m not sure it was an invitation but I’d LOVE to go to dinner at her house!
Rob of Wine Post: Wine & Spirits Blog paired one of my all-time favourite desserts — an Oreo cookie — with the NV DR Tawny Port. Rob said that “the mingling of Oreo and Port kept me happy. I also liked that the bottle’s label looked somewhat like an Oreo.” Let’s all try to match our wine labels with our desserts next time!
Lenn, of Lenndevours, (creator of WBW) tried his dessert (a chocolate-hazelnut cake and homemade vanilla bean gelato) with three other wines before successfully pairing a it with a raspberry port-style dessert wine, made with Hudson Valley-grown hybrids and raspberries (Paperbirch Raspberry Fine Ruby, by Hudson-Chatham Winery in the northern Hudson Valley). He said “…with the cake, the sweetness wasn’t overpowering and the fruitiness worked well. I still preferred the cake on its own, but the cake did improve the wine.”
And of course there’s my own twosome. I made an almost flourless chocolate torte with coffee undertones, sprinkled with some stunning Maldon salt. I paired it with a glass of Caves des Papes – Cotes du Ventoux. I had never had chocolate and wine together before with much success, so I wasn’t expecting miracles. This wine married fantastically with the chocolate torte, especially with the sprinkling of sea salt I added with plating. Thank you so much to all of your for joining in to this joint SHF/WBW event. I hope to see you all again in March, joining in on Beth’s SHF Hosting, March Lucky Sugar Madness.