I think that in general sparkling wine is hugely underrated when it comes to food pairings. I have worked with wine and food pairing though not for years and years, and read some textbooks on pairings. First off, it's remarkable how different opinions are, so you should never be afraid of trying something new. One of the dishes that gave me a headache before I worked with wine was pork in puff pastry with a creme freiche-based sauce with herbs, garlic, veal stock with red wine, leeks and bacon. Whenever I asked someone at my local wine store I was always recommended a pretty heavy red with high tannin and high acidity to cut through the fat of the dish, which admittedly makes a lot of sense, but such wines tended to overpower the dish a bit. One day I had forgotten to buy wine for the dish and went with what I had on hand: A traditionally made sparkling rosé that had a couple of years on the lees. And I have to say that to my taste buds it works a whole lot better, but it doesn't even come up in discussions because sparkling wine a lot of times has become a thing of celebration or pre-dinner drinks.
I'm hitting wine learning hard, and I can't stop watching your videos. I'll probably rewatch them over and over, redundant information is never bad! But, really, I love what you're doing, and thank you for doing these!
You wouldn't think it but had Braised Beef Short Ribs with some Carmenere and it went well, was a high acid carmenere and stood up well to the beef. Was very aromatic as well.
If I may, I would like to add one small advice.. when you are looking for a perfectly paired wine for your meal, look at the strongest flavor wich that food possess, or flavor that dominate on the plate. For example tagliatelle pasta with mushroom sauce is pretty much similar with spaggeti carbonara, both have white sauce with mushrooms, but carbonara has some bacon inside which is adding some extra saltines on your palet.. thats how it can determine your choise of wine to pair with. Cheers..
The Unknown Winecaster Yes, I use it all the time and it's a great way to see the standard "likeablility" of a wine and to store your personal wine library! When you taste a lot of wines it's easy to forget if you've had that vintage before. Plus it contains lots of info. Also a great way to make a community with other wine ppl.
Wafer-thin mint: I think it's a chocolate mint; so, Ruby Port-style made from Syrah. Howard's being eaten: They look like salmon to me, and I love Salmon meunière, so a rich white Burgundy, maybe a Meursault, from a warm year. Christmas in Heaven: If Christmas is savory -- a big, over-the-top, culty California Cab. We're talking Screaming Eagle, here. That said, since this is technically the dessert course, you might go with a nice Brachetto d'Acqui. I always get mulling spices on nose with BdA's. Thanks for the challenge and cheers!
Thanks so much ! Here's my latest pairing menu. Please tell me what you think - your opinion is highly valued ! first, these are some wine rules for pairing that I've learned about recently, do you agree ? : 1 acid with acid - citrus, or tomato sauce with acidic wines 2 fat with tannins 3 heat with sweet 4 salty needs bubbles - similar to beer and potato ships 5 earthy needs earthy - syrah and pinot noir with mushrooms Here's my menu so far. most are my own creations, some are modified versions of something I've seen. amuse buche: charcuterie with pumpkin oil and arugula, sea salt “soup two ways” vichisoisse made with white pepper and cream, creme fraiche, chive (oil), pear, red pepper corns, and croutons borsht with black pepper and cream, garnish with blue cheese emulsion, dill (oil) and garlic chips and cracked black pepper paired with light reds: gamay or pinot noir or maybe zinfandel "A tale of two tartes" One: tartiflette with watercress salad in vinaigrette with lemon zest and shallot Two: colorful cherry tomato tarte tatin with red pepper corns, drizzle balsamic reduction to finish pair: nero d’avola or dolcetto or barbera d’asti asian scallops big scallop on couliflower puree, around that veloute with turmeric for color, infused with ginger, lemongrass, scallion and garlic baked baby cauliflower, cut into thin fans. salad of charred napa cabbage, thinly sliced fennel, cucumber, with anis seed, rice wine vinagre and sake soy reduction dressing on top of the scallop a scoop of uni, on the side an egg confied in soy, and a tempura shallot ring, and a tempura green bean. finished with: lemon caviar kernels and black sesame seeds and sea salt paired with: chablis or sauv. blanc salad of poached artichokes in white wine and stock, quarter and pan sear for color, serve cold with salad of summer beans, peas, basil leaves, tomato, tomato essence (a la Raymond Blanc) toasted pine nuts, chickpea miso, harissa, and frico. paired with: syrah dessert course: pear poached in winter spices, star anise, and red wine, served whole with stem, and standing, with creme de marron at the base , maybe drizzle with chocolate for some lines across the plate. (cream element needed ? ) pair with ... either dessert wine or champagne or calvados
I love these pairings! Here are the only places where I'd do something different: For "soup two ways" I'd definitely stick to the lighter reds with Gamay, especially Cru Beaujolais -- maybe a Morgon or another cru with some heft to it, being spot on. The tart and scallop pairings sound fantastic to me. I don't think artichokes do well with reds, even if they're dressed with heavier ingredients. I like a Txakoli from the Basque Country when I have artichokes. Champagne sounds lovely with the poached pear but at least sec or demi-sec sweetness. I would drizzle with white chocolate if you're going to do bubbles -- if you want a true chocolate/pear combo then think about a Madeira (which would also go well with the chestnuts) or a red Vin Doux Naturel. Thanks for sharing your suggestions. They made me hungry! Cheers!
