When we began the process of determining which wine would be best suited for our dish and for use in the Janet Lefler Dining Room, we started at the simplest point of breaking down the basic flavors of the dish. We instantly knew it would have to be a big red wine, because of the fact that the meat was going to be braised. When you braise meats like beef you develop a deep and rich flavor from red wine, tomato paste, and the searing of meat. We understood that it would be a rich dish that would need wine that had tannins to cut through the fat of the meat, yet have enough spices to be able to stand next to it. With all of things considered we chose three wines that we thought would be the grape to dance with this dish, those wines were Nero D’Avola from Sicily, Malbec from Argentina, and Zinfandel from California. Though different each of these grapes had something to offer, and were definitely worthy companions of such a rich dish.
After our initial visit to Red Hook Winery we found out which grapes would be available to us, and then had to make decision on what we would use based on our previous research. After tasting and discussing our potions, we all agreed that our blend would be 50/50 Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. We came to this decision easily because we thought about these options in advance if the initial grapes we wanted to use were not available. On the way to the winery for the second time we said what the blend we wanted to use would be, and found out that the other groups were thinking the same thing. We discussed options with Professor Dagorn and Professor Goodlad, and came up with a new blend we thought would be a hit for sure. Our new blend, Velvety Red, would prove to be exactly what we wanted to go with the dish we chose. The blend comprised of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. We enjoyed the floral aroma, and bold rich flavor without it being overbearing. We agreed that it would need a little bit of time to age in oak barrels to give it a little more body, and be a true winner for our entree.
