Dinner - Castle Hill Cider

A Night to Remember: My Sister's Wedding

An absolutely beautiful venue - Castle Hill Cider, Charlottesville VA

Sisterly Love

 

In my opinion, I just had one of the best wine dinners ever. When I began my Geography of Wine class this January, I knew I had to use this event full of food, friends, and of course wine, as one of my dinner blogs (even if it was just for the heck of getting to post descriptions and pictures of it). However, it was interesting to find how much more I paid attention to the pairings of food and wine throughout the night, rather than simply eating and drinking aimlessly. Also, I probably would not have tried all of the wine varieties had it not been for this class and assignment. Obviously this affair included my parents, along with my siblings and just about any other family member you could think of! 

Bridesmaids started the day with mimosas while getting ready, but the real drinking didn't start until after the ceremony (as we RAN in from the storm that was brewing outside).
 
 

At least we were greeted with wine and snacks!

 When the bridal party went into the tasting room before we were re-introduced, we were first given celebratory wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. Rather than using the cider produced at Castle Hill (although it was available for purchase), my sister and brother-in-law decided to bring in some of their favorite wines for the open bar. I liked this idea because they got to enjoy wine that they picked personally as well as share it with family and friends. 

 First, I had the Horton Vineyards Niagara, which my sister said she loves for its sweet and fruity flavor. I agree that it had a very fruity aroma, berry and grape flavors, and a slightly spicy finish. I loved this wine and could definitely see myself drinking it regularly in the summer, and the chocolate-covered strawberries were divine as well. However, I do not think either of these did much for the other. They were both sweet and had great flavors, but I think are better on their own than together. 

 
However, a few minutes later, the waiters brought around special shrimp appetizers for the wedding party that had a spicy and creamy spinach dipping sauce that was to die for. This paired awesome with the fruity niagara wine because it had a slight spice to it as well, which was enhanced by the spices in the shrimp and flavors in the dip. I think that I could easily sip this wine alone, but I would love to try it with more fish or spicy dishes. 

Once we were re-introduced to the guests and mingling during the rest of the cocktail hour, I paired a 2010 Voignier Reserve from Keswick Vineyards with two of the appetizers being passed around. The wine had a golden color and a peachy, vanilla aroma. It had a creamy, fruity taste but was not very sweet. I enjoyed this wine by itself, but liked the first wine better due to its sweetness. 

The first was a chicken skewer that was flavored with interesting spices but did not have a hot spice to it. It came with a creamy avocado dip that went great with the chicken. When paired with the Voignier, the spices definitely enhanced the acidity and flavors of the wine. I think it went so well together because the wine was not sweet, but I also liked it better without the sauce when tasted with the wine.

The second appetizer I tasted with the Voignier was a tomato and basil bruschetta that I really enjoyed with it. The spice in the chicken enhanced the wine more, but the cool refreshing taste of the tomatoes and the subtle flavor of the basil tasted great along with the wine. I also tasted several other appetizers but did not note how they paired with the wine. 

 

 

My dinner choice was the steak and potatoes with mixed vegetables. The vegetables had some kind of spicy Italian seasoning on them that I really liked, and the steak was juicy and also had great flavor. I paired it with another wine from Horton Vineyards, their Norton Native Virginia Red. Sometimes I am not a huge fan of reds, depending on how dry or bitter they are, but this particular wine was fairly mild (probably because they were trying to choose one that they like but would also be well-liked by the majority of guests. I actually enjoyed it a lot and was definitely interested in how it would taste paired with the meal. It has a deep reddish plum color and a fruity berry nose. I really enjoyed the flavor of the wine by itself although it was slightly dry. It ended up being AWESOME with both the steak and the vegetables, but especially the meat. Something about the spicy meat just brought out the flavor and intensity of the wine and I loved it! It was definitely refreshing for me to see that maybe I do like reds more than I think, I just need to be drinking the right ones and pairing them with particular foods that enhance them. 

Later on in the night, I also drank the dessert red with cake, but by then things were a little hazy, so I did not take notes on or really remember how that pairing was, but I kept drinking it so I guess it wasn't too bad! We spent the rest of the night drinking and dancing, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate a marriage with friends and family!