We had a great evening in the tasting room at City Beverage in Winston-Salem. Spencer from CityBev was pouring, and I was passing cupcakes – the lively crowd had plenty of opinions on what the best wine and cupcake pairings were. This is what we served:
2010 Bourgeois Cuvee Stephi Chardonnay paired with blueberry cake and cream cheese icing
A custom project made in partnership with Thierry Rodriguez in Veyran, Languedoc. The domaine is comprised exclusively of older Chardonnay vines (20+ yrs old). Cuvee Stephi practices sustainable farming.
A: Green and citrus aromas, including lemon on the nose, with a hint of spice.
P: Medium-bodied, tropical and citrus flavors, and a clean, refreshing finish.
Unoaked – Aged for 8 months in stainless steel tanks with 3 months on its lees.
retail price $13.99
This pairing juxtaposes the citrus flavors in the wine with blueberry and balances the acidity with cream cheese.
Picture compliments of Meg Cline
2010 Valdesil Montenovo Godello paired with vanilla bean cake & strawberry balsamic icing
100% Godello – one of the oldest grapes on the Iberian Peninsula
Valedorros, Spain
C: Extremely pale like ginger ale.
A: apple, pear, honey, citrus,
P: green apple, grape juice, and a tart finish that lingers with caramel-honey notes.
Some heat early on and lots of acidity.
13% abv
Stainless steel fermented – this wine should be consumed within 18mos of bottling.
Retail Price $9.99
The chilled Godello reminds me of one of the crisper viogniers – so we paired the vanilla bean to mimic oak while complimenting the acidity with the strawberry balsamic icing.
2010 Big Fire Rose paired with a saffron cake with cardamom icing
R. Stuart & Co – Oregon
Umpqua appellation
blend of 80% syrah and 20% pinot gris
Sustainable farming
Harvested exactly a year ago,
Aged for 1 month in 7yo french oak barrels so you get very little of the oak in the wine
11.5% abv
559 cases produced
.5% RS
Pescatarian friendly due to filtering techniques.
Retail Price: $15.99
The winemaker calls this his “big fruit bowl” – but I get a wine that just blends seamlessly with some spice, thus the saffron and cardamom, a typical indian spice pairing. I’d love to put this wine with Thai food as well.
2009 Dante Pinot Noir paired with roasted garlic cake with smoked gouda icing
From Michael Pozzan Winery
90% California, 10% Carneros
100% Pinot Noir
Aged 6 months
C: brilliant garnet
A: romas of sour cherry, dried orange peel, a hint of clove over a back drop of earthy leather.
P: rich and supple, spice and finishes with a balanced touch of cocoa and coffee.
Cases Produced:5000
Enjoy until 2012 – I recommend this wine as a drink now. Particularly at the price of $13.99
I usually pair a bacon cupcake with pinot – I highly recommend it. After all, everything is better with bacon. However, Camino is a vegetarian bakery… so, we got creative with some of the spices and flavors you find in bacon appetizers. Roasted garlic and smoked gouda are perfect compliments to the smokiness you find in a pinot noir.
2009 Periano Estate Merlot paired with a dark chocolate cake with currant icing
Lodi, CA
Peirano Estate Vineyards’ Merlot is produced from 6 different clones, or sub-varieties, of Merlot grown on the estate, including two rare French clones (#181 and #314), as well as the very rare Italian clone #9. Peirano Estate was the first commercial winery to grow and produce wine from these rare Merlot clones.
Aged for 12 months in all French oak barrels, of which less than 20% was new oak.
A: rich ripe cherries, blackberries with vanilla
P: cherry, plum, cocoa and cinnamon
I’m also fond of “The Others”, Immortal Zin and “The Unknown” – these wines are great every day drinkers.
Retail: $11.99
The chocolate and berry hints in the wine are enhanced by chocolate base, while the tannin and cinnamon are complimented by the currant.
2008 Domaine Janasse Cotes du Rhone paired with chocolate spice cake with cinnamon icing (vegan)
This winery and vineyard covers 122 acres of vineyards distributed among different appellations : Châteauneuf du Pâpe, Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Village, Vin de Pays de la Principauté d’Orange and Vin de table.
Grape variety : 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 15% Carignan, 5% Cinsault – stem removal : 80% – maceration : 12 to 15 days – elevage : 6 to 9 months in vat
Tasting :
P: strawberry, black cherry , a tinge of minerality and spices
60 000 to 80 000 bottles per year.
GSM, or Cotes du Rhone blends love spice. So we put a chocolate spice with some cinnamon for this wine. GSM also does well with harvest fruit dishes, and is a great thanksgiving complement.
As every year, the 3rd Thursday of November is the release date for the 2010 vintage of Primeur Côtes du Rhône. You may be familiiar with Beaujolais Nouveaux releases, this is similar – and the wines of this region are great for holiday meals.
I hope you enjoy the tasting notes, and if you are in Winston-Salem, head to City Beverage to get some of these wines. This event could not have been successful without the help of Paul Jones, location scout and operations guy extraordinaire. You should follow him on twitter. and the folks at Camino Bakery were extremely friendly – and they do vegetarian in a creative way. Thank you for everything!
Attendees, what were your favorites? If you like what you saw here, join us for the next #WineandCupcakes tasting! And we’ll be heading back to City Beverage for an all new event in February. Hope to see you there!
Just cause it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not super hlepful.