Dinner- Blu (Argentina, France, Italy)
Blu is a quaint little restaurant on the edge of Norman, Oklahoma that offers good food and a great wine selection, including wine flights. I went to dinner with a fellow classmate, and we enjoyed our time with good food and good wine!
I ordered the "Passport" wine flight. It came with a Nero d'Avola, a Grenache, and a Malbec. All bold reds that were ready to be paired.
First, we ordered a typical charceutterie board that had loads of stuff. Apples, feta, parmesan shavings, beets, hard-boiled eggs that were soaked in beets, priscutto, capicolla, salami, goat cheese, smoked salmon, capers, pickles, mustard seeds, strawberries, brie covered in jam, white cheddar, and an avocado. For this appetizer course, I paired it with the Nero d'Avola. This was the Stemmari Nero d'Avola from Sicily. It was sweet, with hints of raspberry. Its jammy body went really well with the fatty brie and the jam on top. I also thought it brought out the smoothness of the cheese. It had a little bit of smoke that paired well with the smoked salmon and the saltiness of the caper. It was a great pairing to me and it had no downfall.
For my main course, I ordered the Quinoa and Vegetable Stack. It was a bed of quinoa with a dijon and lemon vinaigrette, accompanied by parmesan brussell sprouts, and a vegetable stack that consisted of a portobello mushroom capped with mozzarella, a roasted tomato, red onion, summer squash, and zucchini. I opted to pair the Grenache with the sides, and the Malbec with the main vegetable stack. The Domaine de la Damase Grenache is from France. It had high acidity, and a big, bold, fruit flavor. I did taste the hints of leather that ran throughout as well. I personally thought its acid flavor brought out the mustard vinaigrette over the quinoa, and its acid bringing out the lemon flavor on top. Quinoa is delicate though, so I think the Grenache may have overpowered the grain a little bit. The black bean mash stood up well to the challenge though, with the citrus flavor upping its complexity. The third wine was The Loca Linda Malbec, which I paired with the veggie stack. It was extremely fragrant and smelled immediately of apple and vanilla. It paired really well with the thick and smooth cheese that covered the mushroom. All of the vegetables were bold and flavorful, and really alluded well to the crispness of the wine. The malbec was probably my favorite due to its impeccable balance. These wines are not only meant for big gamey meats, but can even accompany a vegetarian entree very nicely. Cheers!
Name: Stemmari
Variety: Nero d'Avola
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2016
Name: Domaine de la Damase
Variety: Grenache
Region: Cotes du Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2014
Name: Loca Linda
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2015
I ordered the "Passport" wine flight. It came with a Nero d'Avola, a Grenache, and a Malbec. All bold reds that were ready to be paired.
First, we ordered a typical charceutterie board that had loads of stuff. Apples, feta, parmesan shavings, beets, hard-boiled eggs that were soaked in beets, priscutto, capicolla, salami, goat cheese, smoked salmon, capers, pickles, mustard seeds, strawberries, brie covered in jam, white cheddar, and an avocado. For this appetizer course, I paired it with the Nero d'Avola. This was the Stemmari Nero d'Avola from Sicily. It was sweet, with hints of raspberry. Its jammy body went really well with the fatty brie and the jam on top. I also thought it brought out the smoothness of the cheese. It had a little bit of smoke that paired well with the smoked salmon and the saltiness of the caper. It was a great pairing to me and it had no downfall.
For my main course, I ordered the Quinoa and Vegetable Stack. It was a bed of quinoa with a dijon and lemon vinaigrette, accompanied by parmesan brussell sprouts, and a vegetable stack that consisted of a portobello mushroom capped with mozzarella, a roasted tomato, red onion, summer squash, and zucchini. I opted to pair the Grenache with the sides, and the Malbec with the main vegetable stack. The Domaine de la Damase Grenache is from France. It had high acidity, and a big, bold, fruit flavor. I did taste the hints of leather that ran throughout as well. I personally thought its acid flavor brought out the mustard vinaigrette over the quinoa, and its acid bringing out the lemon flavor on top. Quinoa is delicate though, so I think the Grenache may have overpowered the grain a little bit. The black bean mash stood up well to the challenge though, with the citrus flavor upping its complexity. The third wine was The Loca Linda Malbec, which I paired with the veggie stack. It was extremely fragrant and smelled immediately of apple and vanilla. It paired really well with the thick and smooth cheese that covered the mushroom. All of the vegetables were bold and flavorful, and really alluded well to the crispness of the wine. The malbec was probably my favorite due to its impeccable balance. These wines are not only meant for big gamey meats, but can even accompany a vegetarian entree very nicely. Cheers!
Name: Stemmari
Variety: Nero d'Avola
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2016
Name: Domaine de la Damase
Variety: Grenache
Region: Cotes du Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2014
Name: Loca Linda
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2015
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