Galentine’s | A Night in Review
Let’s Go Girls!
Happy Galentines! Girls, I had so much fun at our event! Surrounded by friends following a self-guided wine tasting, then of course there was the chocolate. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you all!
Galentines Tasting
We started off the night by sitting at our seats with a preset mat and five glasses! It was perfect. That mat included the names, varietals, and tasting notes of each wine as well as where it’s fun, and on top of that it left a spot for us to include our thoughts! Heather was amazing and came around to tell us how the night was an easy laid-back self-guided pairing. Both she and Rhonda came around to pour the wines and deliver the individual chocolate and cheese charcuterie.
Love Letters Sauvignon Blanc
This sauvignon blanc included notes of lush tropical fruit and dried tangerine, as well as a musky floral note accented by salty sea spray and a touch of minerality. Now that was a lot of notes for me, but I totally picked up on the tropical fruits and citrus notes, and on the nose, I found the musky floral notes. My favorite pairing was definitely the Havarti cheese. It was soft and creamy and paired so well with the citrusy wine.
Cote des Roses Rose
Next up was the rose. Now I know everyone doesn’t like rose, whether it’s a bad experience or just having the wrong rose, but I love rose! It was truly delicious whether you are a red girl or a white girl I think both could enjoy this rose. On the nose, it expressed a bouquet of summer fruit, cassis, red currant, and of course roses. On the palate, notes of fresh grapefruit, with touches of flora and minerality that really balanced the wine. I was able to find the summer fruit in the expression of summer-ripe strawberries and raspberries. Then of course there was the grapefruit that brought about the touch of citrus that was just perfect. My favorite pairing was either the smoked gouda or chocolate-covered pomegranate.
Love you Bunches Sangiovese
Here’s where we switched to red. This one, in particular, was one of my absolute favorites. Both this Sangiovese and the Lambrusco that will talk about later really hit the spot for me. Bright red raspberry, red currant, rhubarb, and violets. Refreshing to the max but bone dry with just a kiss of fine tannin. Just enough of a riper profile behind the bright “ray of sunshine” energetic cut. Candied cherries and red jolly ranchers bring home the deliciousness. I could pick out the cherries, rhubarb, and raspberries in tasting as well as an herbaceous note like oregano or thyme that paired perfectly with the dill havarti and chocolate-covered peanuts.
The Crush Cabernet Sauvignon
A Chilean cabernet sauvignon this red was the perfect follow-up to the sweet fruitiness of the Sangiovese. An expressive nose rich in red and black fruit especially berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and black currant which intermingle with notes of black pepper, caramel, tobacco, and chocolate. Well-balanced body, good structure, acidity, and ripe tannins. Long fruity and persistent in the finish. With this perfect description, I found all those notes in the wine. It paired absolutely beautifully with the Pepper Jack cheese and the salted caramel chocolate.
Cleto Chiarli & Figli Lambrusco
Lastly, we had this Lambrusco. It was the other of my absolute favorites! It put two of my favorite things together: red wine and sparkling wine. It was red bubbles! How could you go wrong? Deep pink in the glass, with well-defined aromas of strawberry and undergrowth. In the mouth, it is fresh, penetrating mineral that, at the same time velvety and surprisingly pleasant. When I read that deep pink in the description, I laughed out loud. Deep pink, but then I held it up to the light and it was! It was deep pink and delicious with the notes of effervescent strawberry and a touch of lemon. It paired perfectly with both the Havarti cheese and the smoked gouda. However, the salted dark chocolate was also an excellent pairing.
Dinner
After the tasting, I ordered the Lobster Stuffed Shells and ordered a glass of the Love You Bunches Sangiovese. Girl, let me tell you! So good! They took the jumbo shell pasta. The kind where one shell is the size of a large oyster. Then it was stuffed with cheese lobster goodness. They gave me six of them! Which were set on top of red sauce that contained grape tomatoes and sauteed onions. I don’t know what it was about it but it was perfectly balanced between creamy and acidic. My favorite dish on the menu, no question about it!
To finish up the evening, I had an espresso martini! It was the perfect ending to the evening. Light, frothy, and creamy with espresso and I couldn’t even tell there was liquor in it, it was so smooth.
Thank you Vineyard Market for a wonderful evening out! I can’t wait to see what you do next year!
