On May 12th, I was invited to a wine tasting with my sister-in-law that took us to the local golf course of En-Joie in Endicott, NY. This golf course is known far and wide for being the host of the Dicks Open! Besides being a challenging golf course, En-Joie houses an amazing establishment called JJ's Grill and Catering. Along with having some killer food which I'll touch on more later they were hosting a wine event put on by Opici. There was something for everyone including Diora Rosè of Pinot Noir, Z Alexander Brown Sauvignon Blanc, Julia James Pinot Noir, Cesari Justo, and Coppola Prosecco.
You may be asking, what is Opici? Opici is a family owned wine distributor based out of New Jersey. "For us, family is everything. From its origin in 1934 and for each and every day following, Opici Family Distributing has been family-owned and operated by four generations of the Opici Family...Our over 600 employees are the foundation of our business and our strongest competitive advantage. They continue to honor the long-lasting traditions of service, integrity, loyalty, and hard work. They, too, are the Opici Family." They distribute to a large portion of the East Coast including the following States; Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington D.C. if you are as interested as I was, please visit their website at https://opicifamilydistributing.com/
I have always considered myself a wine lover, but sadly I had never done an official wine tasting! I can officially say it was a blast and I highly recommend partaking in one! I also was able to spend some much needed time with my sister-in-law, while expanding my wine knowledge and cultivating my ever growing palate! The hostess was great and to make the night even better she did trivia regarding the wine which was awesome. Now lets get on to the main event of the night: the FOOD! Oh my lord, it was HEAVEN! The cooks did such a fantastic job! Each meal was paired with a lovely wine! To make it more fun for you readers I have rated and included the list of wines and food below.
*Now don't take my wine ratings too seriously as your palate may or will be different from mine. I am not a dry wine gal so take this fact into consideration.*
1. Diora Rosè of Pinot Noir with Tomato Basil Pizza
My sister-in-law, Jacqueline, and myself were confused at first. Why is a Rose being mixed with a Pinot Noir? The gentlemen who sat at our table were also curious as we've never seen a Rosè with Pinot Noir. Being said, I actually somewhat enjoyed this wine. I'm not a huge semi dry fan (as mentioned above) but the notes of floral and citrus (primarily grapefruit) surprised me. The Tomato Basil Pizza...TO DIE FOR! If I could have had more, I 100% would have. I have had a few different tomato basil pizzas in the area, but by far this ranks number 1! For the wine, I gave it a solid 3 out of 5 and pizza a 5 out of 5. I would have done a semi-sweet to compliment the savory. The best of both worlds.
2. Z Alexander Brown Sauvignon Blanc with Antipasto Salad
At first, I questioned the wine because it looked like The Zac Brown Band. Well, come to find out, I was right. From the trivia facts that the hostess provided, Zac from the Zac Brown Band, is very passionate about his wine business. I did not know this! Now, as it is a dry wine, I was not a fan. There were hints of melon in the Sauvignon Blanc, which I think is what deterred me as melons such as honeysuckle and honeydew I am not a fan of. However, it did somewhat complement the salad. The salad was fantastic! From the peppers to pepperoni and the salami to the cheese it was great! I’m a sucker for Italian meats and cheeses. I will say, the Italian dressing was a bit too strong for my liking paired with the Sauvignon Blanc. Had the wine been semi-dry vs a dry, I think it would have complemented it better. The wine I gave a 2 out of 5 (based solely off my own palate) and the Salad a 4 out of 5 as the dressing was too strong.
3. Julia James Pinot Noir with Sausage Broccoli Raub Over Homemade Pasta
Fun fact about this wine, that yes we learned at trivia, Julia James has been with Opici for many generations. This wine definitely took me by surprise! The notes of cherry were absolutely there. The absolute weirdest part was the hostess stated that she would have paired the meal with a different wine. I personally thought it was perfect! It was awesome! People were saying that the sausage was too spicy, but as a spicy food lover with a spicy personality, it was AHHHMAZING! Then the homemade pasta!?! *chefs kiss* by far this other than one other, which will be mentioned at the end, was one of my faves. Oh and the pizza. The pizza was amazeballs also! The wine (even though it was semi-dry) I was absolutely impressed with. So, I gave it a 4 out of 5. The food I gave a 5 out of 5 because this spicy girl loves some spicy food.
4. Cesari Just with Chicken Parm Cutlet with Green Beans
When Jacks (Jacqueline) and I received the paper to rate the wines and food, we were wondering…what that actual eff is a Justo? Again the guys that were sitting at the same table as us were wondering the same. Apparently, it’s a wine that is like a mix of American and Italian? Gusto the Italian and Justo American for “Just right”? If I am wrong please correct me. Needless to say. I was NOT a fan. WAYYYYY too dry for my liking. It did not compliment the food at all, in my opinion. When I think of Chicken Parm, sure a red wine, but not as dry as this was. It was like licking cardboard. Again, my own personal opinion. However, the guys really enjoyed it. To each their own. The chicken parm though was fantastic. Out of the chicken parm that I have had in the area, which we live in a fairly Italian populated restaurant area, it’s in my top 5. Overall, the wine I gave was a 1 out of 5 (again not a dry person so, if you are it may be different) and the food I gave was a 5 out of 5.
Last but not least…
5. Coppola Prosecco and Olive Oil Citrus Cake
Let me tell you…if I could have bought this wine I would have in a heartbeat! I may not like peach fruit, but in wines…I am such a sucker. Speaking of sucker, I am also a sucker for the Godfather which, again, another fun fact we learned, this was part of Frank Coppola’s family wines. So, you come to me, the day of my second blog post…haha just kidding. Anyways, the wine was absolutely to die for. I would buy it and drink it again in a heartbeat. As for the cake…FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY I wanted to take an entire cake home. It was so freaking good! Both Jacks and I wanted to take some home, but unfortunately we were unable to do so haha. The Prosecco paired with the cake that had notes of lemon and orange zest topped with a homemade whipped cream…wow. That’s really all I can say. Wow. It was phenomenal! So, for my final rating I gave both the wine and the cake a 5 out of 5. What a hell of a way to end the tasting!
Overall, for my first wine tasting, it was fantastic! I would absolutely attend another one! I want to send a huge shoutout to my sister in law for inviting me and her boyfriend Trevor who helped cook everything! Also shout out to JJ’s. They did a fantastic job with the food and overall venue. For more information and menu options for JJ’s I have posted their site here (https://jjsgrillandcatering.com/). Also a great shout out to Opici and the hostess because without them this post would not have been possible. The wine was amazing and how they were paired was very interesting and where it may not make sense to me now, hopefully with a few more tastings under my belt, it will make sense to me in the future.
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