Wine Pairing Dinner #2 - The Palisades

On Wednesday, two friends and I decided to venture out to Eggleston, Virginia to try a wine-pairing dinner at The Palisades restaurant. It was a very pretty drive and from the outside it looked like a hole in the wall. I really liked the interior decor too.

The outside

The Inside


Every Wednesday, they have a theme of dinner from a different part of the country. This week's theme was Chile. Here is the menu that includes the dishes and wines of the night:

What I thought about the wines on their own:

1. Chardonnay, Terranoble 

Grape Variety: Chardonnay 

Region: Central Valley

Country: Chile 

Year: 2015

Price: $12

Cellar Review: Attractive color and interesting aromas, such as ripe pear, pineapple, mixed with butter & vanilla notes

My Review: Smell of white flowers and pear on the nose. The taste was delicious and very crisp. It was a dry white but not too dry.

2. Cabernet Sauvignon, Terranoble

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Central Valley 

Country: Chile

Year: 2013

Price: $10

Cellar Review: Deeply colored and delightfully aromatic, it displays notes of chocolate, tobacco and red fruits

My Review: This was a very hard wine to smell because the glass was so small and full (glass size really does matter!). I got subtle hints of black berries but that's it. The taste was medium bodied but a little plain. 

1. Camenère, Chocalan 

Grape Variety: Camenère

Region: Maipo Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2011

Price: $11

Cellar Review: This selection is distinguished by its intense color and exceptional fruitiness

My Review: A beautiful aroma of plum on the nose. Extremely peppery and oaky on the nose. Definitely not as fruity as the Cab Sav.

Wine Food Pairing Review:

Milcaos: Chilean style potato pancakes with caramelized onions & olive oil (the bottom item)

With the Chardonnay: Tastes good. The crisp white wine complements the plain pancakes. 

With the Cab Sav: Amazing! The potato gets creamier with the cabernet sauvignon. One of my favorite combinations of the night. 

With the Carmenere: Not a great combination, the wine definitely over powered the pancakes. 

Empanada: Pastry filled with cheese (middle item)

With the Chardonnay: Really good! It was my favorite food with the chardonnay, it brought out the dry apple flavors. 

With the Cab Sav: Not a great combination, the cheese clashed with the berry-like wine.

With the Carmenere: The empanada was too bready to even make a good judgement. I was kind of dissapointed with the food as a whole. It made the wine taste too full and bready. Not a great combination with anything.

Pastel de Choclo: Sweet corn pie with beef, chicken, raisins, olives and hard boiled egg (top item)

With the Chardonnay: The wine gets lost in this food.

With the Cab Sav: The fruity undertones did not complement the egg. The wine was not bold enough.

With the Carmenere: The spiciness of the wine was balanced out with the cheese and chili combination. 

Danielle, Courtney, and I!