In case you missed last week’s column, I was telling my readers about a nice wine and food pairing I attended about two weeks ago. A small group of friends had convened at our host’s house, and we were surrounded by a great array of food and French wine.
In the column, I focused on the white wines and food we enjoyed. This week, I’ll cover the foods and red wines that were part of the evening’s festivities. I am not using names to protect the innocent!
Our host for the evening, as explained last week, was superfluous with his generosity. After snacking on an assortment of treats to ready the taste buds, we moved from the garden area to a large outdoor dining table where dinner was being served.
Words will not do justice to the spread of culinary delights that were set before us.
The vegetable side dishes consisted of asparagus, mushrooms, small sweet onions, assorted peppers and full-size carrots that had been peeled down until they were all uniform in size. All of the vegetables had been brushed lightly with olive oil, which keeps the vegetables from losing moisture, and grilled until tender and crisp. The slight charring of the vegetables brought out some sweetness and some smokiness that paired perfectly with the wines.
The main courses included grilled Italian sausage, Dijon-thyme encrusted chicken breast with a citrus marinade, and center-cut lamb chops that were seasoned with salt, thyme and Meyer lemons. We tried some interesting wines from a few small regions in France, red wines that were strategically chosen for the meal. The first bottle’s label read like this:
Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin
de Beaujolais
2003
Labels on wine from other countries can be confusing, but with some practice, you can begin to understand the themes behind the wording.
Brouilly is an appellation in the sub-region of Beaujolais, which is in the region of Burgundy. The 12 appellations in this region are divided into three levels of quality: the basic Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and the Crus of Beaujolais. Brouilly is recognized as one of the grand crus (vineyard areas) that have distinct characteristics in the wine it produces. This wine was jammed with cherry and nice acidity. It was low in alcohol and can be purchased for around $17.
The next two bottles came from the northern Rhône region, an appellation called Saint-Joseph. This appellation is often underrated because it sits so close to the more famously known regions of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage. The labels looked as follows:
Saint-Joseph
Saint-Joseph
“Offerus” – J.L. Chave
Rouge – Phillipe Faury
2001
2001
By just looking at the label, most folks would be hard-pressed (no pun intended) to decipher the dominant grape used in these wines. Understanding the Rhône region, you could safely guess that the syrah grape is used in most red wines, either by itself or blended with other grapes.
The “Offerus” from J.L. Chave, $21, was very fruity, densely colored and delicious. Again, it was very low in alcohol at 12.5 percent.
The Rouge from Phillippe Faury, $22, was also fruity, but with noticeable pepper and smoke.
After we finished dinner, we took a short break from the gluttony and contemplated what would polish off the evening’s tasting. Our host suggested two dessert-like wines.
The first was a French offering, a 2002 Domaine la Tour Vielle Banyuls that retailed at $22 for 500ml. This wine was very sweet with a slight flower bouquet. The Banyuls is made from the grenache grape and the addition of 5 to 10 percent distilled spirits during fermentation.
The final surprise of the evening came with the one wine not from France. The 1999 Oremus Tokaji Aszu came from Hungary, one of eastern Europe’s most significant wine-producing countries. It was so smooth and rounded by citrus and spice, I could have knocked down the whole bottle myself. A 500ml bottle would cost you $54 – all the more reason to savor it slowly.
Our host, to whom I am eternally grateful for this experience, also shared with me this quote from Sergio Esposito, a well-respected wine merchant in New York City:
“I ultimately understand a wine best when I drink it the way I was taught: at the table with my friends and family. In my home, wine isn’t doled out gingerly or swirled and spat. We don’t analyze its mid-palate. Wine isn’t reserved for haughty connoisseurs or for people with deep pockets or a vast knowledge of varietals. It’s for everyone, all the time.
“A glass of wine doesn’t stir up our insecurities or competitive natures. Its presence brings joy, not anxiety. What I have learned is that you can comprehend a wine much more fully simply by restraining yourself from judging it. Just drink it. I guarantee you’ll find what you are looking for if you don’t look so hard.”
Salud!
