Dinner - Homemade with Family (Spain)

Over spring break, I made a three course wine dinner with my mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law.  We first decided on each course, and then decided on a wine pairing to go with it.  The first course was crustini with goat cheese and Spanish cured meat, paired with 2014 Lost Creek Chardonnay.  The second course was paella paired with 2015 Reserva Rose Wine.  The third and final course was a molten chocolate cake, paired with 2013 Plungerhead Zinfandel.

When tasted without food, the first wine, the chardonnay, had a light citrus and pear smell.  It was almost clear in color, with a very light yeast or butter taste.  The mouthfeel was hot and smooth, and not dry.  The strong legs of the wine indicated high residual sugar, which agreed with my feeling that it was on the sweeter side.  When paired with the crustini, the wine smelled sweeter.  Along with increased acidity, the wine tasted more buttery, less fruity, and cooler.

Before eating the main course, I tasted the rose.  Without food, it smelled of raspberry or cherry and had weaker legs.  It tasted fruitier, sweeter, and less dry than I was expecting.  It reminded me of an acidic fruit punch.  When paired with the paella,  the wine got more acidic and less fruity.  Some family members were not in agreement, mainly my sister and dad, and felt as though the wine got more fruity.  Most agreed that the food gave the wine more burn.

The zinfandel had strong legs, was deep red in color, and had what can best be described as a "red wine" smell.  It tasted strongly of campfire, and had a dry mouthfeel.  Once paired with the very sweet molten chocolate cake, the wine got significantly more acidic, and the campfire smell was brought out.  My dad felt that this wine paired very well with the cake, whereas my mom felt that it "kills the chocolate cake."

I am unsure whether I felt that any of these wines truly paired with the food.  I enjoyed the chardonnay, whereas I was definitely not a fan of the zinfandel, but I don't believe that those opinions had anything to do with the food pairings.  I don't think that my wine pallet is developed enough to recognize the flavors in wines that I like, let alone to pair them with foods that I like, but I feel that this dinner was a decent attempt.  I see how these wines pair better with the food than others, but they did not make me enjoy the food any more or less than I would normally.