Dinner - Pallisades (Wines Around the World with a Hop)

For my first wine dinner, my friend Allison and I decided to venture out through Southweat Virginia to the Pallisades.  The theme of the dinner was "Wines Around the World With a Hop", and each of the three food was paired with a wine and beer.

A view of the restaurant from our seats

I was very surprised by the size of the restaurant; I expected it to be much bigger.  We were seated right next to the window by the door, and could see the entire way through the restaurant.  It was also surprising to hear we got the last two plates.  For some reason I thought they would be prepared to have many more people come.

The menu with the wine and beer pairings is pictured below.  
The first wine I tasted was the Butternut Chardonnay 2011.  On the nose it was tart with a hint of lemon.  When I first tasted it I found it to be crisp and clean, with hints of apple and a long, slightly dry finish.  When I tasted it with the creme brulee, I found the wine to be much more tart, appley, and dry.  The sweetness from the top of creme brulee added a very nice balance.  Overall I did not enough the avocado creme brulee and I think the wine would have benefited from being paired with something that was not so sweet and acidic.

The second wine I tasted was the Bogle Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel 201.  On the nose it was citrusy with a slight hint of cherry.  On the palate it was juicy and light for a red, with slight tannis and acids on the finish.  It was pleasantly citrusy, which I thought would pair well with the scallop.  However, I do not like seafood at all, and even though I attempted to taste the wine with the scallop, all I tasted on my palate was seafood for a few minutes after. 

The third wine I tasted was Lot 96 Petite Sirah 2011.  On the nose I picked up honey and dark berries.  On the palate, it was suprisingly dry and well-balanced.  It was very tannic but still sweet from the dark fruits.  The beef wellington was not well-paired with this wine.  The beef was rich and herby from the cream-cheese in the middle.  The wine was dry enough to cut through the richness, but I felt that it did not benefit in anyway from the pairing.  Both were much better on their own.

Below are several pictures I snapped before and during tasting, each has a description with it.

The food and wine/beer pairing menu

A description of each wine and beer we tasted

 

The food - before tasting anything

Each wine and beer pairing in order from left to right from the menu

Lime Avocado Creme Brulee

Seared Scallop

Beef Wellington

My plate after I tasted 

The pizza we ordered for our dinner

They even give out pizza boxes for the left overs!