Loire Valley Wine Dinner

I recently passed my Level 1 Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers! Now it’s time to start studying for Level 2. Since I will need to taste and study specific wines/regions AND I love to entertain, I’m combining the two along with some wine education. Voila! Time to plan a dinner party!

The Loire is home to many medium-body white wines primarily from the Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc grapes, which will be a perfect fit for summer. The Loire also produces light- to medium-body reds including Cabernet Franc and Gamay. I’ve researched food and wine pairings, bought the wine, ordered Loire Valley cheeses, found high-quality maps, and gorgeous photos. I’ll be preparing the food and explaining the wine region and the wine and food pairings.

Before guests arrive, I’ll be tasting each wine using the tasting grid from the Court of Master Sommeliers. This will involve a 4 to 6 minute analysis of the visual components, nose, and taste/mouthfeel. Typically, wines are tasted “blind,” meaning you don’t know what the wines are in advance. Since I know what the wines are, I won’t be tasting blind. However, my goal is to be able to identify these wines with the specific regions (AOPs) of the Loire Valley when given to me blind at a future date.

Here’s the map of the Loire Valley. As you can see from the tentative menu below, we’ll be traveling through the Loire Valley with wines from Muscadet, Saumur, Touraine (including Rose, Gamay, Chinon, and Vouvray), and the Central Vineyards (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume)

The wine regions of the Loire Valley

Tentative menu:

Appetizers: Loire Valley Cheeses, Shrimp Cocktail
Pairing: Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc (Pouilly-Fume & Sancerre), Rose (Touraine), Gamay

Salad: Sliced mushrooms and goat cheese over a bed of mixed spring greens tossed with a lemon juice-olive oil vinaigrette
Pairing: Chenin Blanc (Vouvray & Saumur)

Main Course: Roasted red & green bell peppers, sauteed asparagus, and prosciutto tossed with whole wheat penne and Pecorino Romano
Pairing: Cabernet Franc (Chinon) and Sauvignon Blanc (Pouilly-Fume & Sancerre)

Dessert: Summer berries with zabaglione (alternate is plantation-specific chocolate)
Pairing: Coffee (w/ liqueur as desired such as Frangelico, Kahlua, Godiva)