WHINE # 49

 

 

 

A DUMMY’S GUIDE TO MATCHING FOOD AND WINE:  One can easily get carried away in an attempt to find the perfect wine for your dinner table.  For example, Opimian recommends that Barolo be served with Kale-stuffed squab breast, with squab ragout and Castelmagno cheese.  I’m afraid my bottle of Barolo might get quite dusty waiting for Betty to whip up that particular meal.  Just as easily one may pay no attention to what is served with what.  And that does no favors to either the food or the wine.

Wine always is better with the right food, and food is certainly better with a well-matched wine.  Are there some easy rules to follow?  Yes, it’s quite simple.  First, serve full-bodied wines with robust food and pair light wines with foods that are delicate.  Second, match acidic wines with foods high in acid content, such as meats served with tomato or lemon sauces; and serve tannic wines with foods high in protein, such as red meat.  Finally, if the wine is for sipping and is not accompanied by food serve something that is not particularly high in either acid or tannins.

By way of review, acid in wine (and all wines contain acid) give the wine a sharp, slightly sour taste that makes our mouths water and is noticeable on the side of the tongue.  Tannins in wine leave a slightly bitter taste and make the mouth feel particularly dry.  Both sensations are pleasant in the right context.

Some examples of wines high in acidity are Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc.  Low acid wines include Merlot, Chardonnay and Viognier.  Wines high in tannins include Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.  Low tannin wines include Pinot Noir, Gamay and Grenache.  Finally, Malbec is medium in both tannins and acid.  If in doubt try Semillon for a White and definitely Malbec for a Red.  South American Malbecs will match almost any food.

WHAT DID I DRINK LAST YEAR:  In my last Whine (# 48) I gave some data on what wines Canadians are drinking.  Looking back through my wine diary I clearly am not in line with my compatriots.  For example I drank almost no Canadian wine and my bias toward New World wines is clearly much greater than that of other Nova Scotians.

Two-thirds of all the entries in my diary are from the New World with almost 30% of all the wines I drank coming from Argentina.  Chile ranked second at 16%.  In terms of Old World wines Spain was my favorite at 13%, squeaking ahead of France (12%), California (11%) and Italy (10%).  However, I have to confess that my good wife and drinking partner heavily influences my choices and complains whenever I choose an Old World wine, except when we are having pasta and then she wants an acidic Italian.

MY FAVORITES IN 2013:  As I have mentioned several times I keep a wine diary.  I like to make brief notes on each bottle I open and to rate the wine on a 10 point scale.   Most of the wines I drink score between “7” and “9” but occasionally I give a wine a “10.”  In 2012 I only gave 6 “10’s” but in 2013 I was more generous.  Here are the wines that I scored at “10”.  The ones with asterisks were also on my 2012 list.  Note the about half of these wines were from South America, but then I drank more South American wines than anything else.

2004   Familia Schroeder Pinot/Malbec (Argentina)

2003* Alfa Crux Tempranillo/Malbec/Merlot  (Argentina)

2004   Perdriel Single Vineyard Malbec/Cabernet/Merlot (Argentina)

2007* Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

2008   Finca Flichman Gestos  Malbec (Argentina)

2006   Long Flats Destinations Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)

2007* Louis Martini Napa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

2008* Villard Special Blend (Chile)

2008   Marques Casa Conca Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

2005* Legaris Reserva Tempranillo (Spain)

2004  Gran Dama de Toro Tempranillo (Spain)

OPIMIAN CELLAR OFFERING 223:  My recommendations this time include three relatively inexpensive wines and one a little pricier.

7467  Serra Vinho Verde 2013 is a wine I recommend every year.  I frequently serve it as a reception wine but it is also good as a summer sipper.

7486  My next Whine will be entirely devoted to sparkling wines but in the meantime here is a Cava that is well worth the modest price.

7492  Ramon Bilbao Single Vineyard.  You might want to keep this a year or two when it will become a great food wine.

7528  Chateau de Montmirail Gigondas.  Very similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape but perhaps even better.