October 29th, 2009
Pairing the right wine with your food can make or break your meal. Most people follow the general rule of thumb: white wine with light colored meat like chicken and fish and red wine with dark meat like lamb and steak. But, the art of pairing the two is a bit more advanced than that. When meat is not the prominent food or you’re not sure about the pairing, try complimenting lighter foods with light wines and heavier foods with dark wines. For example, when deciding on a wine for a pesto pizza with prosciutto and cheese, try and Zinfandel rather than a Sauvignon Blanc – this will prevent the pizza from being overpowered by the wine.
Practice makes perfect, so experiment with a couple of different wines. Cook up an entree and grab a few bottles that match the criteria mentioned above. Try out each and decide which you enjoy the most. Got a special bottle of wine you want to open? Plan your meal around it. If it is a Chardonnay, consider cooking fish or chicken with a cream sauce. If a Syrah is your wine of choice (or just the evening), a delicious pepper steak will be a fabulous compliment.
Want to learn which wines go perfectly with specific meats and spices? Try this Wine and Food Pairing Guide available for free online.
October 16th, 2009
I recently had the opportunity to attend a Spanish wine Seminar, explaining the Spanish regions and climates, and tasting several Spanish wines. Below are tasting notes that I observed for each of the wines I sampled.
- Gramona Imperial Gran Reserva 2004 – An interesting Cava with earthy overtones; good acidity.
- Terra Guada O Rosal 2008 – Similar to a Gewurztraminer, it contains 70% Alberino; semi dry with good fruit.
- Martin Sancho Verdejo 2008 - Lovely French style; good acidity.
- Louro do Bolo 2007 - Has white burgundy characteristics; lightly oaked and quite delicious.
- Ramon Bilbao Edicion Limitada 2006 – Aged 14 months in new oak an dis 100% Tempranilo; should continue to age very well.
- Papa Luna 2007 – Similar to Valpolicella; 25% of the Garnacha is refermented.
- Valtuille 2005 – A cabernet franc in style; peppery and slightly tannic.
- Conde de San Cristobal 2005 – Tempranillo with Cabernet and Merlot aged in American and French oak; delicious!
- Val-Llac 2004 – With tobacco and cherry flavors, this wine is produced from 100 year old vines; big flavors that are best shared with friends.
- Dios Baco Pedro Ximenez – An incredible Sherry that is aged 35 years; it would be most delicious over vanilla ice cream.