Dinner - Boyfriend's Apartment (Virginia)

Wine dinner report:  Prince Michel 2006 Virginia Symbius Dinner Date  

My boyfriend, Joe, has had a bottle of Prince Michel 2006 Virginia Symbius in his wine collection for quite some time now.  After reading a description of the wine, we both wanted to try pairing it with food.  This was preferable to, and more exciting than, going to a restaurant and picking both a wine and a food that we knew or were told would pair well together. 

Front label of the wine.  

Back label and description of the wine.  

Another picture of the wine's back label and description.  

Prince Michel winery is located in Leon, VA.  Their 2006 Virginia Symbius is made of 48% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot.  It is described as “a true Meritage of Bordeaux varietals.” 

The wine had a gorgeous bright, deep red color.  

This is a Virginia wine, and it wasn’t quite feasible to create a “Virginia meal” to go with it.  (What in the world is considered a “Virginia food”?)  Therefore, Joe and I decided to just choose something that we suspected might pair well.  Judging by the varietals included in the wine, we both thought that a pasta with a flavorful sauce, meatballs, shredded Parmesan cheese, and (improvised) garlic bread would be a good pairing. 

A view of a glass of the wine from the side, with flash.  

A view of a glass of the wine from the top, with flash.  

We boiled some angel hair pasta (the easy part) and selected a Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic sauce to go with it.  We cooked some beef on the stovetop, figuring that having two different meat tastes (sausage from the sauce and beef from the meatballs) would help to bring out different flavors in the wine.  We shredded a block of Parmesan cheese to top off the pasta.  Garlic bread was planned to be part of the meal, but since we forgot to get bread at the store, we had to improvise with hamburger buns instead. 

The spaghetti and meat cooking.  

The meat and spaghetti cooking, next to the bottle of wine.  

The pasta sauce that we used.  

The block of cheese that we shredded.  

Joe preparing our makeshift garlic bread.

The 'garlic bread' fresh out of the oven, with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.  

Throughout the cooking process, we were both sipping the wine on its own and making comments about it.  It had a fruity, pleasant nose with some floral notes mixed in.  I actually kept getting a hint of soapiness in the nose, which was unexpected, but surprisingly not unpleasant.  The wine had a very accommodating taste, and went into the mouth smoothly.  It was not overpowering and I believed that it would accentuate the food nicely.  It had a good acidity that showed up later in the mouth, a nice balance, and just the right amount of spiciness. 

A view of a glass of the wine from the side, without flash.  

A view of a glass of the wine from the top, without flash.  

Now, for the food!  We sat down, both eager to try the food and the wine together. 

Joe sprinkling cheese on top of the pasta, meat, and sauce.  

YUM.  

The pasta sauce was actually pretty sweet, so the acidity in the wine balanced it out nicely.  The two meats and the wine complemented one another very well.  I think maybe a heavier sauce might have paired better with the wine, but overall it was still a pleasant experience!  I think the cheese on top of the pasta and the bread helped to bring out some of the drier flavors in the wine, while the garlic bread helped to accentuate some of the more fruity and floral notes.  The different textures (relatively crunchy bread, meaty pasta sauce, and smooth wine) made for a wonderful dinner. 

The pasta/meat/sauce, cheese, garlic bread, and wine on the table together.
Obviously Joe just couldn't wait to get started.  

He's very serious about his food (and his wine).  

Again... YUM 

Now I'm hungry.  

Assignment feedback:  I loved this!  It made a great dinner date, gave me an excuse to try a new wine, and taught me a lot firsthand about pairing wine with food rather than just drinking wine on its own.