May brought our Wine Club adventure to the floral, fruity treat called Viognier. A typically crisp, refreshing treat that pairs lovely with spicy food.
My friend E was hosting May's adventure and she pulled together a lovely spread with treats of seafood and spicy goodness:
Pea and Pecorino salad, shrimp with both a sweet chili sauce and a mango sauce (yum!), scallops, smoked salmon with creme fraiche, and artisan rice crackers with a lemony goat cheese spread. A perfect summery little plate (if only the weather could reflect the summer!)
Now on to the wines ...
The first beverage of the evening was a sweet, effervescent treat. It's crisp flavors had just a hint of floral and it delivered on everything Vigonier should. It's always good when your night starts out with a good bottle, because it brings promise of what else you will get to experience. The 2011 Miner was definitely one to write down for a future bottle.
Our next bottle was another California Viogner. I think I've had a few Fess Parker wines before ... but I don't think I've had their Viognier. This was a 2009. It paled in comparison to the first one. It had a more bold flavor than what I'm used to and you could tell it was an oak-barreled wine.
E made an excellent choice by having the ringer also be from Fess Parker. So it was kind of fun to try two different wines from the same year and winery. The Chardonnay was easy to identify as the ringer. It had a big buttery taste and was significantly thicker than the Viognier.
The fourth wine once again brought a brightness with a crisp pear and cinnamon finish. A treat from France, who supposedly do Viognier better than anyone else. While it was no Condrieu (which is perhaps my favorite white wine of all time) it was a good passable Viognier that I could easily sip on a warm sunny day.
We finished the evening with a sweet, California treat from the McManis Winery. This was another good example of what you want from a Viognier. It was crisp, with a bit of peach and a hint of floral to it (I think honeysuckle). A nice bright way to bring an end to good festivities.
The desserts were a lovely coconut macaroon, a chocolate coconut macaroon and a creme brulee in a chocolate shell. It's hard to pass on dessert when it looks like this:
Yes, Viognier always helps signal summer to me. Now I just need the actual weather to catch up. That's probably why at home right now I am just sipping a good Rose this lovely Memorial weekend.
May your holiday weekend be full of happiness and honor for those who've served our country.
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