1st Dinner and Wine Pairing: Cornish Game Hens | Andeluna, Torrontes 2010, Argentina

So, this is my first EVER blog about anything.... ha. I have no idea about blog etiquette or censorship, so shit man, fuck it.  I'll try to keep it upbeat and enjoyable, whatever that means.  Here goes nothing:

On the dinner table for tonight, we're cooking up a pair of Cornish Game Hens purchased from the exquisite poultry department at Kroger's by the Math empo.  The wine I decided to pair with dinner was called Andeluna, Torrontes 2010 from Argentina and was priced very reasonably at about $9 US (€6.94 EU, ¥694.08 Japanese).  I found a recipe on online (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cornish-game-hens-with-garlic-and-rosemary/) that seemed very simple, even for those that do not consider themselves master chefs, which would pretty much be 99.617% of us (don't quote me).  If you have NEVER had a cornish (game) hen before, they are basically smaller, younger versions of chickens with a very light taste, not gamey, versatile in that they will absorb flavors depending on the recipe, and very moist since they are cooked whole.  Hopefully the Torrontes grapes will add a nice flavor.  Since these are whole hens however, they will take some time to cook.  But since they are small (check the pics!), they will require less time than an a normal chicken and much less time than a turkey.  I won't get too detailed about the recipe since you can just go to the damn link up top!  I used a little less garlic than the recipe asked for.  Also, I did add some carrots to the roasting dish and made a side of mashed potatoes cause, well, mashed potatoes are the tits.

 -All of the ingredients for the Cornish game hen dish.  In the picture you will also spot what God may call his favorite beer: Fat Tire. Which that same God has finally sent to us on the east coast from great state of Colorado.  Fat tire has absolutely nothing to do with the recipe but sometimes, drinking is just good old-fashioned fun.

-Prepped and ready for the oven.  I think the breasts should always be pointing up, never down.... ha ha.

The Andeluna Torrontes 2010 from Mendoza, Argentina is a white wine that the wine "guru" at Kroger's described as having "flavors between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay although it is NOT a mixed flavor wine."  I will do my best at describing the taste and quality without sounding retarded since I actually don't know a great detail about wines and wine tastes...yet.  Typically, when I attempt to pair wines with food it will be a generic Red Cab with a steak.  However, even I, and most novice wine drinkers, will be able to write some kind of sensory/quality evaluation...as long as its from heart and encompasses true feeling and emotion aaaand lets move on... I'll write an overall evaluation at the end. 


Evaluation:

While we were waiting for dinner to finish up, we decided to go ahead and try the wine without the food first.  The wine as chilled for about an hour in the fridge.  I got super serious and did the whole "swirl, smell, swirl again, then taste" sequence in actual wine glasses.  Firstly, I could see how clear the wine was even for a white wine.  It was so clear and nearly colorless that the wine glass looked as if it were full with water.  I actually needed to take a couple pictures before getting the light just right to see a slight hint of yellow and gold; and I really mean a slight hint (see the top most picture).  Initial aromas filled my nose with a fruity and white grape smell with the tiniest bit of what I perceived to be Oak.  This wine was not pungent and rather pleasant on the nose compared to some super oak-y whites or those overly smokey and spicy reds.  To my surprise, because I only drank red wine consistently, I was beginning to like these Torrontes grapes; easy on the nose, not intimidating visually, a nice stepping stone into the "white" scene for me.  The initial taste was quite nicely balanced between the sourness and sweetness of the grapes with absolutely NO harsh alcohol taste and barely any bitterness; already music to my palate. Upon the second taste, I couldn't tell any more complex tastes.  At this point, I would say this was a well balanced wine that is very easy to drink (could be dangerous :-O) especially for those just getting into wine.  I couldn't wait to try it with dinner.

The wine paired the dinner quite nicely.  Every sip (well, more like a couple sips at a time) was a nice refreshing break, or "reset" of sorts, from the flavors of the cornish hen dish.  However, I may as well have been drinking water.  If the wine were a bit more complex, it may have enhanced the flavor of the dish instead of just cleansing my palate.  Overall, a light bodied, drinkable wine in the Andeluna Torrontes at a reasonable price that I would probably buy again if I was having a summer cookout...and my friends were coming to eat all my food and drink all my booze.

-Euro out.