In September, I served as sommelier at the NJ State Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Section kick off for their new year. I paired four wines with four courses at the Law Center. I also gave the group a quick lesson on the 5 S’s of wine tasting, and using a flavor wheel.

The first course was two passed appetizers: burrata crostini with roasted tomato and pesto, and miniature crab cakes.  I paired them both with a 2023 San Nicolo Brunori Verdicchio del Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore. Pesto is such a strong flavor that I concentrated on that for the pairing. Verdicchio is a wine that really stands up to “green” flavors, as it has some green and herbaceous notes. It also went very well with the crab cakes.

The second course was roasted beet and citrus salad with arugula, goat cheese, and a light balsamic-orange vinaigrette. There were a lot of flavors going on in this salad, from the earthy roasted beets to the creamy goat cheese, and the bright balsamic orange vinaigrette. I went with a favorite rosé I’ve been drinking all summer, 2023 Ravenna Rosato Rosa di Ceparano Fattoria Zerbina, a 60% Sangiovese and 40% Syrah blend. I had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker, Christine Geminiani, at Moore Brothers in October, and I told her how often I enjoyed her rosé this summer; she said that the next year’s will be even better! 

The entrée was an herb-marinated chicken breast with a cherry and red wine reduction, served with wild rice and roasted root vegetables. I went with a classic for roasted chicken: Pinot Noir from Burgundy. I paired this with a 2022 Domaine Florent Garaudet Monthelie Vieilles Vignes. This was a very young Burgundy that was a little tight at first in the glass, but opened up with swirling.  In another few years, it will be drinking beautifully.  

The dessert was lemon and berry cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and a fresh berry compote. I paired this with a 2023 Dao Sardanita Pet-Nat Freire Lobo.  I focused on the lemon flavor, and thought of this wine, as I had it paired with a key lime pie earlier in the summer, and the sourness of the wine and the key lime was perfect! This cheesecake was more berry than lemony. It was still good, but the pairing didn’t sing as well as I planned. This wine is unfiltered, slightly fizzy, slightly sour, and has a bottle cap closure. 

All of the wines are available at Moore Brothers, and range in price from $17-$42. Cheers!