Palisades Wine Dinner Report

This past Wednesday, two friends and I went to Eggleston, VA to Palisades Restaurant for their special Wines Around the World Argentina vs. South Africa. The drive to the restaurant was absolutely terrifying but I was excited to try the food and wine once we got there.

Below is the menu from dinner, provided by the restaurant.

Africa

Braai Spiced Pork Shoulder 

African BBQ spiced pork shoulder, features cloves, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, turmeric & coriander

Barista 2016 Pinotage

Chicken Peri Peri

Chicken dish marinated in paprika, ginger, and lemon

Simonsig 2015 Chenin Blanc

Argentina

Lamb Locro

Andean Stew with beans, squash, and potatoes

Alta Vista 2013 Cabernet Savignon

Salmon Cakes with Chimichurri

Spiced salmon cakes with chimichurri made with cilantro, basil, scallions, jalapeños, and honey

Alta Vista 2015 Torrontes 

The plating was nice--I wasn't sure what to expect from this so but I was pleasantly surprised that although we made reservations for later they didn't run out of food or start giving out small portions! That said I did take issue with the wine glasses....

Perhaps the most disappointing part of this wine dinner was that the glasses we were given were very small, very obviously intended for dessert cordials and not table wines. This really set the tone for the meal. Although we probably were poured larger portions that the other attendees because of the size discrepancy, the wine glasses made it extremely difficult to sniff and swirl the wine. 

The first course, the Braai spiced pork shoulder and pinotage was delicious and probably my favorite pairing of the meal. The Barista 2016 Pinotage wine had dark cherry and coffee flavors (it was difficult to get a good grasp on the smell because the damn glass was so small). I sipped this coffee before eating the pork and found the wine was very bold with a smooth texture and finish. I absolutely LOVE coffee, more than I love wine (I know, I know) so I loved this wine. The pork dish was very delicious--I found the allspice and cinnamon to be the strongest flavor in the BBQ. This nicely paired with the Pinotage; I was surprised this was the case given that both aspects to this pairing had BIG flavors however they melded nicely. The fat and cinnamonny-sweetness from the pork went well with the coffee flavors in the wine. 

The second course, the chicken peri peri and the Simonsig 2015 Chenin Blanc was also delicious. The Simonsig wine was difficult to taste because of the shape of the glass that it was in but it tasted fruity and sweet like pineapple and lemon, maybe cantaloupe? The chicken dish was well cooked and juicy. It was very spicy and tasted very strongly of ginger. I was not sure that these two distinct flavors would work together but they paired nicely--the spicy ginger and paprika really came out in the chicken dish when paired with the wine, probably due to the shared lemon flavors. 

The next pairing was Argentinian lamb stew and Alta Vista 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, the stew was absolutely delicious--it was very spicy with strong pepper and onion flavors. I would have loved to just eat a whole bowl of this! So good! Unfortunately, I did not like this wine at all. The wine itself smelled like plums and cherries but was dry, very tannic, and brought out the spices in the dish. It had a weird acidic after taste, leading be to believe perhaps the wine needed more time to age. Together, the wine and food pairing became overpowering and incredibly unpleasant. The Cab really brought the spiciness out of the stew to the point that I could not continue eating it while drinking wine while the stew brought out the acidic spiciness. I was hoping the fat from the lamb would soften the wine but unfortunately, things really just started going downhill with this pairing. 

Finally, and perhaps most unfortunately, was the salmon and Torrontes pairing. The salmon cakes were incredibly hard and dry. I did not so much taste the traditionally acidic and delicious salmon flavor I am used to--this was more like eating a chalky biscuit. This pairing was just BAD. The wine was spicy and very citrus-y. It had a very light body and mouthfeel but I don't know if it was the tannins or the acids or the fact that it was paired with further foul flavors but I really did not care for this at all. This was very disappointing. 

Overall, this dinner got a 4/10 from me. The first two pairings were delicious and I wholly plan on trying to get a hold of the pinotage wine vintage because I thought it was SO GOOD! The majority of the food was also delicious, with the exception of the salmon. Unfortunately, I really did not like the Argentinian pairings planned for this dinner. I will not set huge stock in this tasting as my overall opinion on Argentinian wines but for this particular meal, South Africa triumphed, in my opinion, over Argentina. I am glad to have enjoyed this meal with friends who are also in the course but between the small glasses and the bad food, I think for my next wine dinner I'll cook something up with friends to avoid the drive, save some money, and experiment in the kitchen. 

***Dr. Boyer gave me 30 points extra credit for reaching out about the Argentinian student wine mixer but unfortunately it was full!