So, a while back, my husband put this wine in the fridge, and I had put a different one in for the same night of drinking. Of course, we ended up that night drinking the wine I put in and this one has just been chillin'. This week, HB (Honey Bunny) & I are on date week. Kids are away at Boy Scout camp and, while I didn't have much of a plan for dinner, I came up with a last minute plan to make grilled chicken sandwiches with arugula, fresh mozz, balsamic & roasted red peppers on Ciabatta. Pretty easy, but what wine?? I didn't much feel like a red wine in this extreme heat, so when I saw this bottle in the fridge, it was a no brainer.
So, dinner - I used a chipotle seasoning from Pampered Chef on the chicken and HB grilled that up for us. Cut up some fresh mozzarella, had some roasted red peppers. I have this delicious Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar from Leonardo e Roberto. I swear it's the most amazing vinegar. We bought it at a local wine festival, but I've "like'd" them on Facebook since, and I found more at Chef Central up in Paramus, so I'm a happy camper (and speaking of camping, I'm starting up a new camping blog - hopefully, I'll be more active with all). Back to the dinner, put all this stuff on your ciabatta and eat away - did you get all the stuff I put on there? Chicken, roasted red peppers (I prefer to roast my own), balsamic, arugula and fresh mozzarella.
Let's talk wine... I'm not big on Brut wines. To me, the fizz takes away from the flavor, but on this hot night, it was quite refreshing. Visually, it's a beautiful, Pretty in Pink, bubbly. Immediately, I smell strawberries, and it's funny because I don't know if I actually smell them, or I just want to because of how it looks, but definitely a nice berry scent. In the mouth, you get that fresh effervescence that, at first, overpowers the fruitiness, but as you get through the bottle (and, HB & I got through the whole bottle), it settles more into a nicer fruity/bubbly balance and was much more enjoyable for me. Alcohol content was 11.5%, so it was not overpowering, especially on this heat to drink a wine that wasn't too high on the alcohol.
All in all, I'd say it was a really nice wine/dinner pairing. Love it when you throw something together last minute and it all works out.
In Vino Veritas!
