Distinctive chardonnays came out on top at the first SSU Wine Sense Club tasting of the semester. Imagery Winery’s “2009 White Burgundy ($29)” received the most votes as the favorite wine. A full-bodied chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier in the blend everyone enjoyed the tropical fruit flavors and bright crispness. Other Imagery wines tasted included a Malbec, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc. Imagery Winery, located in Sonoma Valley, is renown for its artistic blends and beautiful labels featuring a different California artist each year. For more information see http://www.imagerywinery.com/.
The SSU WineSense Board had to scramble when the second winery of the night called at the last minute to cancel. (We will not reveal any names.). But crisis often results in innovative solutions, so the Board did a blind tasting of three chardonnays made in different styles. They informed the crowd they were tasting “3 white wines,” – not mentioning that all three were chardonnay. After everyone voted on their favorite, the results were:
- Chardonnay with non ML (Malolactic fermentation) = 19 votes
- Unoaked Chardonnay = 16 votes
- Oaked Chardonnay with Full ML = 13 votes
These results reflect a growing trend preference in the US for chardonnays that are crisper in style, rather than the traditional highly oaked buttery styles.
Food and Wine Pairings
The cooking team allowed the chardonnays to be tasted on their own, and then prepared the following delightful pairings for the other wines:
- Imagery Sauvignon Blanc paired with Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Grilled Zucchini and Shaved Pecorino Cheese
- Imagery Malbec and Sangiovese paired with BBQ Italian Sausage with Chimmi Churri Sauce.