This event was off to a bad start from the moment I walked in the door.
The marketing blurb about the event read as follows: "Join National Wine Educator Sharron McCarthy and Kirby's Chef Daniel Nemec as they show participants via taste bud explosion why bubbly and chocolate make the perfect pair."
This did not fully represent the experience we had, which included highlights such as:
- Sign in and get two drink tickets.
- Stand in line to choose between three sparkling wines from the same producer, poured by people with no time or inclination to explain about the wine or winery.
- Walk over to a table of cheese and truffles and help yourself. Be careful. There are no utensils, so the goat cheese may get messy.
So, realizing that I was already a little put off by the time I got my wine, you may wish to take this review with a grain of salt.
The first wine we tried was the Banfi Proseco NV. Upon prompting, the server explained that we'd find it dry and crisp - much like a good white wine. We found it to be off-dry, featuring tropical fruit, peach and pear flavors. It matched fairly well with the blue cheese. Carl said it did seem like a sweet white wine that happened to sparkle. I agreed, especially since the bubbles dissipated pretty quickly. Had to be a carbon dioxide shot. But, if you like off-dry sparklers, this is probably the best of the bunch.
Second was the Banfi Lambrusco, which had a gorgeous dark ruby color. It was seriously grapey, almost like a sparkling Welch's would be.
At this point, we observed that actually the whole red wine and chocolate thing is over-rated (probably because the Lambrusco resembled a red wine more than a typical champagne). I have a theory that when you eat a very rich cheese or dessert, it basically coats your tongue with the yummy stuff that makes it so rich (I hate to say it, but "fat"), meaning that you don't properly taste the wine at all. Just a theory - post a comment and tell me what you think!
Lastly, we tasted the Rosa Regale. This is a really popular sparkling wine right now. I see it everywhere, and had tried it before (at Epcot, actually, on New Year's Eve - they serve it in "Italy"). This is a sweet one with a pretty, cherry red color. I will concede that this is a "fun" wine and has its place. It reminds me of a wine called Gamay Rouge by V. Sattui that we fondly refer to as "the bubblegum wine". It's just a fun, outdoors in the summer, cotton candy type of wine that no respectable oenophile would admit to liking, but probably has enjoyed at some point. Of all of these wines, the Rosa Regale was the only one that really complemented the chocolate (and the chocolate, mind you, was phenomenal).
I always like to end on a positive note. Perusing the wine list at Kirby's, I found it very robust and fairly well-priced, with a lot of unusual selections I have not seen in TX before. Possibly worth a try!
