Last week, 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 using an aroma and flavor wheel to describe wines.

The first course was two passed appetizers: burrata crostini with roasted tomato, and miniature crab cakes with pesto.  I paired them both with a 2023 Domaine Frabrice Gasnier Chinon Vin Mousseux de Qualité La Cravantine. This 100% Cabernet Franc sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley, with aromas of strawberries and watermelon, and flavors of red berries and some salinity and spices on the palate, goes with anything. This is a great, all-around wine to always have on hand. 12.5% ABV. Available at Moore Brothers and Princeton Corkscrew for $24. 

The second course was a roasted beet 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 beats to the creamy goat cheese, and the bright balsamic orange vinaigrette. I went with an orange wine I recently discovered and have been enjoying:  2023 Field Recordings Amber Waves, a blend of Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, and Chardonnay grapes from Paso Robles, California. After pressing, the juice is left on the white grape skins for 37 days to impart color and body to the wine. Unlike many orange wines that taste like sour beers, this wine tastes like a full-bodied white wine, with aromas of white flowers and apricot, and flavors of apricot and citrus on the palate. 13.9% ABV. $20 from Total Wine and More. 

The third course was herb-roasted chicken with a cherry and red wine reduction, served with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. I paired this course with a 2023 Gerard Bertrand Le Chouchou, a light red blend. After pressing the (mostly) Grenache and Syrah grapes, the juice is left on the skins for just one day, before undergoing fermentation. Once malolactic fermentation is complete, it is matured in stainless steel vats for three months. The result is a light-bodied, lower alcohol red wine, which is served chilled. Aromas of strawberries and fresh cherries from the Grenache and some spice from the Syrah combine with red berry flavors on the palate, with soft tannins.  11.5% ABV. Available at Total Wine and More for $22.

The dessert was cheesecake with a blueberry crumble topping. I paired this with a 2023 Ratzenberger Bacharacher Riesling Kabinett Feinherb. “Bacharacher” coming from the Roman name for the area, Bacchi Ara – “the altar of Bacchus”—due to the famous black Devon slate in the soil. This 100% Riesling wine is off dry, but not semi-sweet. Aromas of lemon zest, peaches, honey, and apricot combine with flavors of white peaches, pineapple, and dried apricot on the palate. What I love most about this wine is the classic tension in Rieslings that the Germans strive for, between sweetness and minerality, which is almost electric. This wine sings. 11% ABV. $25 at Moore Brothers.

Cheers!