I'm bored... feel like seeing what others would pair with dishes like these. Let's be generous and give it a $40 tops per bottle. Be creative. Have fun. Don't dismiss any aspect of these dishes.

First Course
Marinated Beets, Fresh Chevre, Shaved Fennel, and Frisee. Drizzle of Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Main Course
Crispy Skin Chicken Breast over Spinach, Mustard Green & Toasted Tuscan Bread Salad. Golden Raisins, Pine Nuts, Citrus Orange Vinaigrette.

Dessert
Poached Pears over Chilled Sabayon, candied orange peel, chiffonade of mint

1. I don't think wine pairs well with this. If you must, I'd opt for a Riesling or Gewurtztraminer with moderate sweetness- Spatlese, maybe an Auslese, or Alsatian.

2. Citrus orange vinaigrette with wine? Another choice I'd skip. If forced to choose, same choice as #1.

3. Finally, an easy one. there are a myriad of good pairings. Sauternes would be my first, especially with the Sabayon. Without the Sabayon, it'd be a BA, TBA, or Eiswein. Any of them would also work with the dish as presented.

1 agree with board o that this is not a wine friendly dish, but if pressed; a sparkling saumur

2 A premier cru chablis

3 a pear eau de vie

I KNEW BoardO would say all that.

What is throwing the first dish out of whack here -- is it the fennel or the fact that the beets are marinated (in what might I ask?)?

1. '02 Cantina del Castello Soave Classico ($13)

2. '01 Dom. Monpertuis Cotes du Rhone ($13)

3. NV Ojai Late Harvest Viognier 375ml ($19)

With the leftover $, I'd buy a nice '83 Grahams and pair it with nothing.

jb

TJ, for me it's the beets and the vinegar.