Weekend Wines

Every couple of months or so my wife and I host a dinner party for a group of our friends. The point of this dinner party is to try out new wines that we've never had before, and to try our hand at good wine and food pairings. We hosted one of these parties over the weekend and tried a number of different wines with some good, old-fashioned Texas BBQ. I spent the day slow cooking a brisket and some sausage on the smoker and our friends brought the traditional sides of beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, and bread. The whole affair was quite yummy, especially considering we ended the evening out on the deck where I smoked an AVO signature robusto that was absolutely splendid. For those who are interested, here are some of the wines we drank (in order, I think).

Marquis Philips 2003 Vintage Holly's Blend (SE Australia) - a "different" wine that seemed like an odd blend. Given that there was some left over, I suspect it wasn't a favorite.

Robert Eymael Monchhof 2003 Estate Riesling - sweet, but not overly so. Paired well with the spicy BBQ sauce.

Georges Deboeuf 2002 Beaujolais (painted red bottle, very colorful) - a very good beaujolais. Slightly sweet and fruity.

Domain de Colette Regnie 2002 Beaujolais Selection Vieilles Vignes - another good beaujolais, but not as sweet.

Parker Station Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2002 - a mild pinot that went well with the food.

Borsao Campo de Borja 2002 - a Spanish red that is not overpowering.

Ficklin Vineyards Old Vine Tinta Port (Madeira) - a sweet, fruity end to the evening.

We also had a Pinot Grigio that was in a really tall blue bottle, but the person who brought it took the bottle with them and I don't remember what it is. All in all it was an excellent evening with friends.