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Mr. and I were invited to an event to try a new line of wine by Australia’s [yellow tail]. It’s called Lucky Penny and it comes in one white blend and one red blend. Apparently BC is the first place in the world to be selling it.

Held at Les Amis du Fromage, we joined other bloggers to try the wine as well as canapes that highlight the distinct flavours and aromas in the wine. It’s also a potluck event, so each participant was encouraged to bring a homemade dish that may complement the wine as well.

Lucky Penny Wine

Before we start commenting on the wine, please keep in mind that both Mr. and I are no expert in wine; in fact, we’re fairly new to this. But we believe in sharing our thoughts about what we tried, just to give you another set of opinion.

Lucky Penny White

The white wine is a combination of Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Grigio, and contains the notes of honey, apricot and pear. I personally like my white wine fruity and slightly sweet, so I quite enjoyed this wine. It’s fruity and you can definitely get the apricot note.

Lucky Penny White

Mr. Says: This white is sweet and crisp, with a whole range of aromas and flavours for your senses. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, just know it’s delicious. It’s great on its own, or paired with food. I was on my third glass at the end of the night—it would’ve been the third bottle if no one was looking.

Here are the canapes at the event that were supposed to be paired with the white:

Smoked Duck Breast with Honey Glaze

Foie Gras Toasts with Apicot Preserve

Marinated Pear Slices with Prosciutto

The sweetness and fruitiness of the wine calls for dishes with more intense flavours. Therefore, even though the duck breast was red meat, it worked very well with the white wine. The richness of the meat and its honey glaze brought out the fruitiness of the wine. I think this wine will make a good pair with seafood (shrimps, crabs, oysters and scallops) and Asian-spiced dishes such as curry.

Lucky Penny Red

The red wine is a combination of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and contains the flavours of blueberry, chocolate and vanilla. It’s a 2009 wine so it’s fairly young and it has a thin body.

Tart with Chevre and House Made Blueberry Citrus Preserve

Chocolate and Ricotta Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Serrano

Parmesan Toasts with Vanilla Rhubarb Compote

After tasting the canapes with the wine, I think the stuffed dates with Serrano ham complemented the red wine the best. The wine was surprisingly over-powering so it covered the flavours of the other two dishes. The red wine itself isn’t very memorable but it would make a nice casual red for BBQ or a relaxing dinner at home on a week evening.

Final Thoughts

It’s a testament to our diverse culinary scene that [yellow tail] chose to launch its new wine in BC. We brought some pork sausage and apple canapes as well as deviled eggs to the event, and they both worked pretty well with the Lucky Penny White. Both priced at $17.99, I think they’re of decent value, probably more so for the white wine. I’ve had better red wine (to my own preference anyway) in the same price range.