Saturday Night – Tomato Extravaganza – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  Mick decided on a Tomato based theme for the night as every dish contained fresh tomatoes from his garden.  Mick mentioned that most items in his garden haven’t been growing as well as they did last year except for tomatoes as he got a bumper crop of them this year.

 

The first course was brie barbequed on a cedar plank with bruschetta and toasted sliced baguette.  Mick paired this with a Bollinger’s Brut Rose Champagne (Non-vintage).  We have had this before - http://zippysauce.blogspot.ca/2012/07/friday-night-yet-another-champagne.html so I won’t be reviewing it again.  The Brie was excellent but the wine pairing was just OK.  There was a little too much lime on the flavour of the Champagne which made it seem sharp against the Brie.  Kathy thought a Merlot would be a good pairing for this dish and I think she is on the right track with that idea.

For the second course, Mick did a soup made from grilled tomatoes, onion and garlic.  Mick paired this with a Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. 

The nose on the Cape Point was big for a Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of Irish Spring soap, gooseberry, cat’s pee and some floral notes in the background.  Tasting the wine, vivid flavours of gooseberry and grapefruit with a touch of black licorice run the length of the wine.  The structure was good with fresh acidity, plenty of fruit but the alcohol of the wine peaked through at times making it a little hot.  The finish was a bit shorter than I would have liked but all in all a very easy drinking wine.  I liked it as a pairing with the soup as it stood up to all the different flavours of the soup without an issue.  I really enjoyed this wine, the nose and the flavours to it had me coming back for more very quickly.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick –89, Mark - 90, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 88.25.

 

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

CAPE POINT VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010

 

VINTAGES 285221
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Made in: South Africa
By: Cape Point Vineyards
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Sugar Content: 2 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Tasting Note - Very pale, clear color. Refined aromas of grapefruit pith, menthol, mint and flowers. At once rich and brisk, with intense lime and mineral flavors giving energy to the mid-palate. A distinctly Loire-like sauvignon blanc with a dense core of fruit and terrific acidity. Really rises slowly on the graceful back end. Outstanding sauvignon blanc. Score - 92. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, March/April 2011)

 

The soup recipe was a new one for Mick and it was pretty decent.  It was a bit thin and we all thought a quick two to three second burst with a hand blender would thicken it up and make the consistency better.

 

Click here for Part 2