Easter Sunday dinner (Spain)

Wines -
2005 Montevannos Ribera Del Duero Crianza
2008 Dinastia Vivanco Rioja Crianza
2002 Oriel Priorat Alma de Llicorella
2004 Robalino Albariño Rias Baixas
2010 Aletta Garnacha Campo de Borja
2008 Protos Verdejo  Rueda








Food -
Duck proscuitto
Lamb proscuitto
Ermesanda cheese
Manchego cheese
Monte Enebro cheese
Maple syrup and honey baked ham
Asparagus in Hollandaise sauce
Tortilla with Broccoli and cheese
Tortilla with Spinach and cheese
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Flan

Ermesenda and Monte Enebro cheeses

Manchego cheese and lamb prosciutto

For tapas, I paired the Ribera del Duero, the Rioja, and the Priorat with the cured meats and cheese. While I don't have a very strong palette and couldn't pick out many specific flavors, I was surprised by how easily I was able to figure out which wines tasted better with which foods.

Ribera del Duero and duck proscuitto

Priorat

Rioja

The Rioja and Ribera del Duero were both made with tempranillo grapes, however they both had very distinct tastes. The Rioja was more mild, and tasted best with the fatty and flavorful duck prosciutto and the Monte Enebro cheese (, which is a mild cheese made of goat's milk. The Ribera del Duero had a much sharper flavor, and tasted best with the manchego cheese , which is made from sheep's milk and is also sharp. The Ribera del Duero also tasted great with the lamb prosciutto, which had a very game-y flavor that was almost sweet. The Priorat was more spicy than the other two reds, and had more berry flavors; it also complimented the lab great. The Priorat also paired beautifully with the Ermesenda cheese, a milder and slightly tangy cheese made from cow's milk.

Albariño

Moving onto dinner, I paired the Robalino Albariño with a maple syrup and honey baked ham, and tsome asparagus in Hollandaise sauce. I first tried the wine with the asparagus, and immediately handed my glass over to my dad - hating the taste of it. Albariño is a very crisp and strong white that was very acidic.; the asparagus made it taste even more bitter. Convinced by my dad to try it again, I tasted it a second time with the ham. I was surprised at how much better it tasted. The sweet ham brought out some honey flavors in the Albariño and countered the acidity, softening the wine a lot.

Desserts

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to taste the Garnacha or the Verdejo wines. I had intended to pair the Verdejo with the tortillas, and then the Garnacha with the chocolate cake - but by the time I finished stuffing my face with food and wines (for the sake of taking tasting notes, of course), I was far too full (and starting to get a little too drunk) to continue.

Post-meal father/daughter nap

I'm still interested in seeing how these two wines pair with food; I had previously tried a Garnacha with some Soppresata salami and Manchego cheese, but did not like the pairing. After watching Gary Vaynerchuk's Valentine's day episode, I'd be interested to see if I'd like the wine better with dessert than I did with my snacks. And as far as the Verdejo, I'm usually not a huge white-drinker so I'd also be interested to see if I'd have a different opinion on it if paired with the right foods (like the Albariño).