Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Pairing Sparkling Wine with Homemade Sorbet to Celebrate Summer




By Jen  | August 27, 2013
Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown


It was a typical August evening with slight humidity and stale air as we prepared for our second at-home Wine & Beer Club event. Thankfully we chose the theme of Sparkling wine paired with homemade sorbet. This proved to be a perfect combination on such a warm evening.   

We had a small but lively group tasting the different arrays of sparkling wines from Spain, Italy, France, and even New Mexico!  Dathan had the honor of doing the pouring and talking about the wine as I remained busy in the kitchen preparing the homemade sorbets to be served. I think I confirmed what I already knew which is that food prep and service are not my forte! 

As I frantically scooped sorbet into small “favor” glasses wondering what I was thinking with that suggestion aside from the cute and classy look, I could hear the “oohs and ahhs” in the other room as everyone took their first sip and again when paired with a refreshing sorbet.  Most thumbs up and some thumbs sideways but overall, from what I observed and heard, I would say Alex at Total Wine did an excellent job of selecting our wines for the evening.  We even had the pleasure of tasting a “bonus” French champagne, compliments of Club member, and neighbor, Matt!

As the wine continued to flow, with each new sip the conversations grew louder as new friends and contacts were made. One lucky winner walked away with a $10 gift card to the local wine shop and cafe, Uncorked, and two “unadvertised” Angel of Grace bracelets were sold with proceeds being donated to the American Heart Association. There is nothing like wine to bring people together!  

We started the evening with New Age White from Argentina as guests began to fill our house.  The selections and pairings for the evening were:

Marques de Monistrol Seleccion Especial Cava 
from Spain

Santi Nello Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore from Italy 
paired with Cantelope sorbet

Gruet Blanc de Noirs – Methode Champenoise 
from New Mexico 
paired with Honeydew Melon sorbet

Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Rose 
from France

Piemonte Brachetto Soria 
from Italy 
paired with Strawberry sorbet


As the evening drew on, we paused for a quick survey to help us, as a club, choose our next themed tasting for September at Uncorked.   The choices were: 

South America Wines
South Africa Wines
Wines of Oregon & Washington State
Pick 5:  Regional Malbec Wines
Rose’ Wines

The Varietal Alphabet:  “P” (Petite Verdot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pintotage, etc.) 



By an overwhelming majority, Wines of Oregon & Washington State were chosen for the September event. Even had I voted, I would not have been able to sway this vote!  September will be amazing as well!