To set this off with a bang my team and I went all in and went with a three course pairing. Yes for this I had a full team, Chef Jill, Designer Andrea, and Grill Master Rob. It all started with me mentioning that I wanted to put together a wine pairing dinner but had no idea what we should actually make, I just know what to drink with it haha. Turned out to be pretty easy cause within 20 minutes Jill, Andrea, and I had a 3 course meal complete with wine paring planned.
Moscato d’Asti for an aperitif
Moscato d’Asti is a sweet bubbly white wine typically associated with dessert. However I find the bubbles are more fun and enjoyable to have at the beginning of the meal. Since the wine is sweet I actually prefer to do an opposite flavor pairing (opposites attract right?) . For Moscato d’Asti I want the food to be rich, fatty, salty, and a little spicy which can make an amazing pairing with the sweet lightly bubbled aromatic white wine. The appetizer I created was sliced pieces of prosciutto, topped with finely diced serrano peppers, drizzled with high quality extra virgin olive oil, and garnished with flaked sea salt.
Moscato d”Asti used for pairing. Was exceptionally delicious! 
Looks yummy!
Pinot Noir and Grilled Tenderloin
The lovely world of Pinot Noir! Such a amazing grape that is truly one of the best renowned and respected wines of the world. I will get more in depth on Pinot Noir in the near future. My family, who helped inspire this meal, were visiting from Portland, Oregon. Oregon is known for growing high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon (again we can talk about Oregen more in detail soon). I have had the privilege of spending a good amount of time up there in wine country and have tasted some amazing Pinot’s. Long story short my family and I take Pinot Noir very seriously! It is a varietal that is considered more delicate in flavor and nuance and can be made in newer oak giving it more texture and age-ability or made in older barrels where the fruit is the more prominent flavor. Either way Pinot Noir makes an amazing food wine that can be paired with several dishes. For this dinner we chose grilled pork tenderloins with cumin, paprika, and fresh rosemary. I find that Pinot Noir pairs well with leaner meats and earthy accents, such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Also we were cooking for a crowd of 14 people that evening which was perfect cause the tenderloins cook up quick and are cost effective, great for a group! We had several bottles of Pinot to choose from but the one I want to mention is Tresori, a producer is Oregon. The grapes were out of the Chehalem Mountains which is part of the Willamette Valley. The wine was beautiful with its perfect ruby color fragrant with lavender and sweet cherry cola. Absolutely perfect!
All in all dinner was beautiful!
And Sauternes for Dessert!
Sauternes is actually a region in Bordeaux, France that produces sweet white wine often served as dessert. The wine is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, and Muscadelle grapes. It can be made with one of these varietals or as a blend of the three. The wine is made from late harvest grapes, which means that winegrowers let the grapes stay on the vine until they are overly sweet and allowed to be affected by Botrytis cinerea, or Noble Rot. Botrytis is a fungus that punctures the skin of the grapes, water then evaporates out of the grape causing the flavors, acids, and sugars to become concentrated. Sauternes are deep gold to amber in color, very sweet, and have very high acidity levels. My trick for paring dessert is to have the wine being sweeter than the dessert. What does brilliant Chef Jill come up with? Pear Clafouti! (pronounced Claw-foo-tee )
Pear Clafouti dusted with powdered sugar. 
Pear Clafouti is a super simple yet super delicious dessert. It is a lightly sweetened custard baked over buttered pears dusted with powdered sugar. It is mildly sweet, light and airy, and very comforting. Jill put it all together in about 20 minutes too!
My first pairing dinner was a complete success! Everyone in attendance ended up with a different favorite. Very interesting to hear about the different preferences and why. Hands down mine was dessert! What I loved most though was that we all worked together to create a really special family evening, cannot not wait to share more with you too!
Let me know if need a recipe!