Wine Dinner 2 - Ocean Samurai (3/18)

My mom was up for the woman's NCAA tournament games (Go Hokies!), so of course it was time to do another wine dinner. This time we wanted variety, and we got takeout from Ocean Samurai. We also loaded up on some good wines at Vintage Cellar. Unfortunately, the cat could not join us for this one. 

Course 1: Dumplings, Salad, Spring Rolls and Champagne

Name: Tendil & Lombardi Cuvee Brut Champagne

Variety: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay 

Region: Balnot-sur-Laignes

Country: France

Bottled: Cellars Vienna, VA

Year: Unknown

Price: $16 from Vintage Cellar 

Official tasting notes: "lovely toasty biscuit quality" and "minerality, freshness, and length" from the Chardonnay (from the website) 

My tasting notes: crisp apple, sweet, cinnamon, slightly dry but also sweet, slight lemon

We got three appetizers to try pairing with this wine... 

The first was spring rolls, and this one paired the best. The tartness/sweetness of the sauce brought out the sweetness in the wine and canceled the bitter/dryness. This was our favorite paring across the board, and it was a bit unexpected. I read that doing a sparkling wine first helped keep the mouth "entertained" and warmed up for the meal. This was definitely a good choice. 

The blandness of the spring rolls complemented the wine and made those flavors stronger. All while the sauce brought out the fruity flavors of the wine. 

Our second pairing was goyza dumplings. These were beef dumplings and our least favorite pairing. The fat of the dumplings made the wine taste thicker and almost buttery. This was not a pleasant flavor with the sweetness of the wine. With the soy sauce that came with the dumplings also clashed with the wine. The salt made the wine taste a lot more bitter. 

The third appetizer was a salad that came with the meal. We forgot about this, and had already picked out some appetizers we wanted to try. This pairing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as the spring rolls. The salad was rather bland, so it didn't do much to the wine. The dressing conflicted with the wine a bit and brought out the bitterness. 

Overall, our favorite pairing was the sweet sauce/simple flavors of the spring rolls. This wine was a suggestion from the Vintage Cellar based on the price point and flavor of the wine. I will definitely be getting more :)

Course 2: Hibachi Steak, Fried Rice, and Sake

Name: Ozeki Nigori Strawberry Sake

Variety: Sake 

Region: USA product

Country: USA

Bottled: Ozeki Sake, Hollister, CA (USA)

Year: Unknown 

Price: ~$15 at Vintage Cellar

Official tasting notes: "This cloudy sake beautifully combines the tropical sweetness and creamy texture of Ozeki Nigori Sake with a light and refreshing strawberry flavor. Using the best rice and strawberries grown in California." (from the website)

Tasting notes: melted strawberry milkshake, creamy, sweet, thick, strawberry

We wanted to be traditional and pair our food with sake. I really enjoyed this sake, but not with the steak. It was super sweet and tasted like a stand-alone desert. With the food, it tasted like two heavily competing flavors. We all agreed that it was better alone. This would pair well with fresh fruit or ice cream... maybe some bread, but nothing with a strong flavor. I know nothing about sake, and this was a recommended flavor by the staff. It also caught our attention because of the pink bottle. I will be trying this again tomorrow for desert after dinner. I am curious to try other flavors of sake. I have heard negative things, so we went with one that looked like it would be sweet. Next time I won't be scared to try lower sweetness sake. 

The sake tasted like a melted milkshake to me. I really enjoyed it, but with the steak, it tasted bitter. Also the salt of the fried rice made it taste like it was almost curdling in my mouth. 

Course 3: Takoyaki with Spritz Almare Orange Wine

Name: Spritz Almare - Aperitivo Italiano

Variety: Glera

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Bottled: San Pietro di Feletto

Year: Unknown 

Price: ~$15 from Vintage Cellar 

Official tasting notes: sunset orange color, refreshing, "citrus notes and a pleasant fruitiness", bubbles and "special taste of the real Italian craft Spritz" (from website) 

Tasting notes: very orange, sweet, spicey, cinnamon, orange zest, slightly bitter 

This wine caught our attention at the Vintage Cellar because of its color. We paired it with our desert. We get Takoyaki every time we go to eat at Ocean Samurai. It is a sweet red bean-filled fried dough patty shaped like a fish. The wine paired really nicely with it. The sweetness complemented the sweet dough. Also, the spices added to the red bean to enhance the flavor and add depth.

The wine bubbles also added an interesting mouth feel to the meal. I really enjoyed the wine and will be getting it again. I even have some left over for a wine night with my neighbor tomorrow!