Pinot Grigios!!!!!!!

Last month I completed the tasting of seven Cabernet Sauvingnons under $15.  Now it's time to move onto Pinot Grigios!

Pinot Grigio #1:  Innovacion Pino Grigio, 2009, Mendoza region of Argentina, $9.99

Aroma: Warm Apple pie and pie crust

Flavor: Sweet (however not overly sweet), smooth and creamy, floral

I enjoyed this wine with eggplant Parmesan and filet mignon cooked in a red wine sauce.  The Innovacion wine went great witht the eggplant Parmesan.  However not surprisingly, it did not go well with the filet mignon in red wine sauce. 



Bonus: 

Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog Goat's Milk Cheese  $21.99/lb $5.94 for a 0.27 lb

Flavor:  ash, smooth near rind, dry in the center.  A light blue cheese, doesn't have an overwhelming blue cheese flavor.  This cheese goes perfectly with the Innovacion Pinot Grigio.  The wine actually tastes sweeter when paired with the the Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog cheese.



Pinot Grigio #2:

The Naked Grape Pinot Grigio, California, 12.5% alcohol, $8.99

Aroma:  Molding Bread

Flavor: Sweet, watery mouth feel, anise, unripe peach

I enjoyed this wine with miso soup and a seitan and quinoa stuffed red pepper.  The wine paired perfectly with both items.


Bonus:

Pantaleo Goat's Milk Cheese, $17.99/lb  or $5.76 for 0.32 lb

Flavor:  Bright and lemony.  Perfect for summer.  This hard cheese has  a romano or Parmesan flavor and texture.  I really love the lemony flavor of this cheese!  This wine goes great with the Naked Grape Pinot Grigio, however it makes the Innovacion Pinot Grigio taste astringent.

Sauvignon Blanc #6 and #7

#6 Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, 12.5% alcohol  $11.99 sale price  ($16.99  regular price)

The Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc is from Marlborough, New Zealand.

Aroma: Ruby red grapefruit, tangerine, and cantaloupe

Flavor: Ruby red grapefruit

Bonus:

I enjoyed this wine with my dinner which included starfruit and two cheeses for my first course.

Carr Vally Smoke Gouda, $17.99/ lb $5.22 for 0.29 lb

Flavor:

This cheese is wonderful!   It is slightly salty, faint tartness, and not overly smokey.  I think that it went well with the Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc.



Herve Mons Tomme Des Bois Noir, Raw Goat's milk $15.99 $6.24 for 0.39 lb

This cheese is horrible!  It taste like dirt.  Furthermore it tastes like burnt dirt with the Fire Road sauvignon blanc.  If someone gives you this cheese, the appropriate response should be to punch them in the face. 






For my main course I enjoyed a steak with chimichuri sauce, garlic crabs, and swiss chards.  The Fire Road wine goes great with the steak with chimichuri and the swiss chards.  However, the sweetness of the the wine seemed to be too much with the sweetness of the garlic crabs.  It was a sweetness overload.



#7  Valdivieso Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, Chile $12.5% alcohol

Aroma:

Oatmeal perhaps?

Flavor:  Sweet, low acidity, flavor of oatmeal.  This wine brings out the ash flavor of the canna de cabra cheese that I reviewed in the last post.  It's not a good combo.