After a hard day of work at, I felt like I was allowed to get drunk during my closing side work activities. As the head bartender, sometimes making a bunch of insane drinks is a lot of work and I feel especially drained after a shift. I bought myself a wine flight at Guacho Brazilian Grille, a small three course meal, and enjoyed my wine pairing with my fellow coworkers. The following is a blog of my experiences with different wines and some of the best food in Blacksburg.
Coworkers and I enjoying Wine and Dinner After a Shift
Course 1: Dados de Tapioca with Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc
My appetizer consisted of cheesy, crunchy tapioca tots with a side of a smokey, chipotle sauce. It is my absolute favorite appetized at Guachos, and I couldn't wait to pair it with one of the wines that we offered. I opted for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, because I felt like the mozzarella and parmesan within the goey tapioca pearls would pair perfectly. This bottle is typically acidic, light bodied, with bold notes of gooseberry and cat piss. It's fairly dry, but it is a popular choice among customers. However, I feel like because I had a more tomato based, spicy sauce on top of the appetizer, I should have paired it with a bolder red.
Name: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Vintage: 2022
The pairing, however, was actually quite pleasant. I felt like the more acidic, tart nature of the wine really lit up the spicy sauce. The cheese perfectly melted into the wine, really enhancing the buttery, savory nature of the tapioca dice. A red, however, I felt would have made the sauce more tantelizing and complex. My coworker, after I exclaimed my excitiment for the pairing, sort of laughed at me. When I gave him a piece to try, he told me I was crazy. Interesting different palates operate. I felt like the dry, lightness to the wine brought out complexity in an already dense sauce. My coworker, however, thought the wine drowned out the forte sauce, neutralizing its characteristic smokiness.
Course 2: Estrogonofe and grilled Jalepeno with Root 1: Carmenere
My next pairing was an estrogonofe. It is a traditional Brazilian stew, composed of a rich, creamy mushroom sauce, and pichana- a cut of sirloin famous in Brazil- slices. Typically it is served with rice and fried potato sticks, but I added a side of jalapeno to make the stew a tad bit more spicy. It's one of my favorite dishes that we serve at Guachos, and I was excited to pair it with one of my favorite wines, Root 1 Carmenere. Although more of an off dry and sweet red, I felt like this wine would have been a perfect pairing for the inherent creamy, rich nature of the stew. I was wrong.
Name: Reserva Root: 1 Carmenere
Variety: Carmenere
Region: Colchagua Valley
Country: Chile
Vintage: 2019
I felt like, for whatever reason, I really lost the characteristics I love in both of these things when I paired them together. I love how sweet, savory, and light bodied the carmenere is. It is such an easy wine to drink, but I felt like the entre sucked out any of the wine's sweetness, turning it uncharacteristically dry and bitter. Meanwhile, the estrogonofe lost the depth it typically has. I feel like I assumed the pichana, a typically juicy and fatty steak, would have paired really well with a red, but I think I should have picked a wine that could have cut the fattiness. Perhaps a more acidic white would have been more elegant.
Course 3: Churro with St. Kilda Brut
Finally, I paired a sparkling St. Kilda Brut with warm, homemade churros with a doce de leite brigadeiro drizzle. All I have to say is wow. This was possibly one of the best food and wine pairings I have ever had the pleasure of indulging in. The dryness of the Brut was the perfect way to cut the sweetness of the dessert. Typically the brigadeiro is an extremely rich, sweet experience, but the brut cut the sweetness down in a way that had me longing for more. (Since the brigadeiro is an immensely rich, sweet Brazilian fudge, typically it is served in smaller portions. It keeps it from being to overwhelming for a patron. The wine, however, kept the pastry from being too overwhelming.)
Name: St. Kilda Brut Cuvee
Variety: 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir
Region: Southeast Australia
Country: Australia
Vintage: 2022
Honestly, although I knew a sparkling wine would be the perfect ending to my meal and that it typically will pair well with any sort of food, I did not expect it to be as enjoyable as it was. As previously stated, the dry, acidic, light bodied nature of the wine put the typically overloaded sweetness in the churro in check. The carbonation as well really opened up my appetite, acting as an aperitif. I can never eat dessert at a restaurant. I always feel too full and bloated to really enjoyed it. This wine pairing, however, allowed for my senses to appreciate the warm, gooey sweetness of the dessert.
Although my pairings were in varying success, I felt like my dinner was overall successful. The already rich in flavor food at my workplace was enhanced, and I was able to understand its flavor profile in a manner I had not yet been privy to. It was as if new knowledge- never thought to exist- of an establishment I have worked at for five years had been unlocked. Moving forward, I feel as though my performance as an employee will be enhanced, allowing for my future patrons to have a more satisfactory experience.
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