I think it’s fair to say that when most us think of think of pairing wine with food, our visions turns to classic reds and whites. But when was the last time (or perhaps any time) that you’ve given over to the thought of pairing Sherry with food? And perhaps the first question to put to rest is: is sherry a wine or not?
Sherry is indeed a class of wine, a fortified wine. Depending upon the style you choose, the level of alcohol lies between 15-20%. And while the alcohol level surpasses that of all traditional wines, make no mistake that this class is perhaps the single finest and most diverse wine for food pairing. That’s right, sherry, due to its diversity in style, offers the most options in food pairing.
For those of you who have read my ranting and ravings over the last couple of years about wines for the Thanksgiving feast and leftover strategies, I hereby offer to you a pass…….a get out of jail card free, if you wish to move on. But for those new to the Wine Inquirer or even those who wish to “refresh” their strategy, then stay with me here because I can save you LOTS of confusion, not to mention money.
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that potentially throws the “kitchen sink” on to your plate: turkey, stuffing of nearly every variety and texture you can think of, cranberry sauce, veggie dishes both warmed and cold, yams and Idaho’s and that’s just the core of the event. Dessert can be every bit as hectic ranging from traditional pumpkin, pecan and apple pies to cheesecakes, chocolate and………..well, you get the point.
As the calendar turns to November and snows have already whitened the ground in many parts of the country, I know that the late autumn and early winter holidays aren’t far behind. Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas and New Year’s open the door to savory foods, sweets and good times with family and friends. While I’ll soon make my annual plea concerning Thanksgiving dishes with wine, it’s the wine and food pairing finishing touches that can really take the dinner over the top. Imagine pairing chocolate, cheese and wine together in one irresistible, palate coating experience. But with so many choices of chocolate and cheese, not mention wine, where do you start? For that answer, we made a trip last spring to Lake Champlain Chocolates(www.lakechamplainchocolates.com) in Burlington, Vermont to speak with owner Jim Lampman.
Jim founded the artisan chocolate factory in the 1980’s after challenging a staff member of his then company, The Ice House, to manufacture a top quality chocolate. The test chocolate was received so enthusiastically by patrons, that Jim “saw the light” and established Lake Champlain Chocolates. It’s been up, up and away ever since, the line of chocolate expanding to include seasonal delectables such as Thanksgiving turkeys (which we order), Chocolate Santa, Stocking Stuffers, Chanukah chocolates, Chocolate Snowflakes and Coins, holiday truffles and gift baskets. Their chocolate ranges from milk to dark and incorporates the freshest local ingredients such as maple syrup, cream, butter and honey to yield some of the “best chocolate in the country,” according to the New York Times.
Ah Italy... land of delicious foods, wine and food pairings, and a zest for life & exquisite fashion (is it a coincidence that the country is shaped like a boot?). Some of the most popular foods in the world hail from this European gem, including the world's most popular cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano. What makes Italian formaggio so darn delicious? I personally think it's the cheese makers' dedication to making cheese that captures the flavors of the region from which it comes.
Nothing is more demonstrative of this than in the case of pecorinos. All pecorinos are made of sheep milk (the Italian word for sheep is "pecora"), so you would think they would all be similar. Mama mia, that couldn't be further from the truth. While many pecorinos are known for their saltiness (think Romano from Rome or Sardo from Sardinia), the one I really find interesting is Pecorino Lucano from Puglia, the heel of the boot. This raw milk treat is aged just four months, yet has developed a buttery & almost sweet flavor. Not only is it a superb snacker, but it works incredibly well shaved over the region's famous ragu. Primitivo is the dominant grape of the region & the wine pairs perfectly with Pecorino Lucano.
The Aglianico grape variety certainly is not a household name. In fact, I would guess the majority of wine enthusiasts barely know of its presence. Yet if you’re in search of a red that can be robust, intense, and hugely tannic, opening the door to food pairings with equally big dishes, this is one you should search out. You can learn more about the grape and wine by clicking here.
The “size” of an Aglianico is really a function of its winemaking style. If fashioned in the more traditional style, the wine can be a monster with inky black fruits, over the top rough tannins and sharp acidity. This profile reminds me of some of the traditional “old world” Barolos. And similar to the Barolos, you need to pair them with equally big and meaty dishes. On the other hand ( similar to the increasingly modern approach in Barolo ), more modern approaches are aiming at a wine that’s more approachable with fruits that are fresher, tannins that are more rounded and a balanced acidity. This results in more flexible wine and food pairing potential than their traditionalistic cousins.
Dolcetto’s name is translated into “little sweet one,” the wine often gifted with explosive ripe red and black fruits and dark color. What it lacks in Barbera’s acidity, it makes up for in depth of fruit. As you will see, it can certainly match up to many of the same foods as Barbera, but also can be enjoyed on its own, if crafted well.
The home of Dolcetto is in the Piedmont region, most classic in Alba, Dogliani, and Ovada. While the grape is planted on occasion outside of Italy, it has yet to reach the quality nor attention that it so richly deserves in the Piedmont region.
Dolcetto is a grape that could be described as unpretentious, charming and straight forward. It’s an early ripening variety, easily grown without the idiosyncrasies of other grapes. The result is a wine that, if matured in unoaked containers, is meant for near term enjoyment. Occasionally, you may find a Piedmont vintner blending Dolcetto with Barbera but my experience has been that that usually is not the case.
As Dolcetto is low in natural acidity, it tends to lack that zip that accompanies Barbera and thus doesn’t quite pair as well with fatty or highly textured dishes. The wine is not intended to pair with fine or elegant cuisine. It’s advantage, however, is in its ability to pair well with more rustic, everyday dishes such as burgers, sausages, pizza, and roasted chicken and appetizers and hors d’oeuvres such as antipasto or a pasta dish with a creamy tomato sauce. Deli sandwiches of nearly any composition work very well with Dolcetto. And for those looking for a different style of wine to pair with chorizo, Dolcetto will work well. You can even pair the wine with mild fish or shellfish. Halibut, salmon, scallops, trout and even shrimp, if prepared in a mild tomato based sauce, accented with a little pancetta, sausage or ham, works delightfully. Add some olives and sautéed onions and you have yourself quite a tasty pairing. And don’t shy away from enjoying a glass by itself.
Over the years, I’ve grown to love Barbera wines, made from the eponymous grape variety. As Piedmont’s most widely planted grape, comprising nearly half of the red-wine grapes planted in northern Italy, it makes for a lively, readily available and affordable wine.
Barbera is remarkable for its diversity of expression as well as terroir. It can exist as an everyday wine, light and tart or as a hearty and full bodied age worthy candidate. While the grape is grown in Italy, US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Uraguay, it reaches its height in Piedmont, most of what is exported to the US being very good quality and good value, as well. US styles tend to be somewhat generic in style and can result in mediocre wine, although they can be more full bodied and balanced when yields are low and the winemaking process is controlled. The take away point here is that not all Barberas are created equal.
We had a friend in from the east coast recently and wanted to surprise her with a unique culinary experience. While southwest cuisine is everywhere and certainly prepared exceptionally well by many of our local establishments, we were searching for something a little out of the ordinary. Then it hit me, how about JBar? With Janos’ southwest flair applied to Latin cuisine, this was the perfect setting. It’s a casual atmosphere, ideal for a warm and humid summer evening when you just don’t want to dress up.
Janos’ triad of restaurants: the flagship Janos, the more casual JBar, both on the property of Westin La Paloma and the new Downtown concept, all place an emphasis on top flight dishes with Janos’ unique approach to southwest accents and sauces.
With a wall of towering thunderstorms rolling in from the east, we barely made it to the restaurant before the deluge unleashed. The staff escorted us to our table with a window view so our guest could stare in awe of the lightning display. For a starter, I ordered the Chilled Sopa de Ajo Blanco white gazpacho with garlic, almonds, grapes and garlic croutons. I’ve not enjoyed this dish so I thought it would be fun to try something new. The sopa was quite thick in texture and while enjoyable, it seemed to lack flavor. However, the entrees were top notch.
About a month ago, I prepared a dish…………….ok, I should probably qualify it as an “experimental dish”, for dinner. I forged ahead with a concept extracted from a book that I referred to recently called Taste Buds and Molecules by Francois Chartier. In this book, Francois, through years of painstaking research, has identified specific molecules and compounds inherent to foods and wines that give them their particular flavor and taste. Once you’ve identified the overlap between a given universe of food and wine related scents, the door is wide open for experimental pairing. While I detailed the overlap between several herbs and vegetables with wines in the last segment, this time around I dug into a new universe punctuated by a molecule that all but chemists and perhaps a few obsessive chefs are aware of. It’s called Sotolon or 4,5-dimethy-3 hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone for chemistry buffs. So why is Sotolon so intriguing?
This little known molecule is responsible for the unique flavor of curry, walnuts and recreates the odor of caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses beef bouillon, figs , dates, prunes, dried mushrooms, soy, black or smoky teas, coffee, mature rum and Havana tobacco. It’s also found in fenugreek seeds, simulating the aroma of maple syrup and molasses and is responsible for the aroma of rancid walnuts. But as they say, wait……………there’s more.
In the last segment, I highlighted a universe of both herbs and vegetables as well as white and red wines that have anise like aromas, all courtesy of specific biochemical compounds. Common sense indicates that testing different combinations of these food elements and wines should yield some excellent matches. So over the last ten days, I’ve experimented with a few lighter summertime dishes that incorporate these elements, writing down the results. The process kind of reminds of Chemistry 1a lab classes where given specific ingredients and instructions, you were to conduct the experiment, document your results and draw conclusions. Well, I can share with you that most of the combinations that I assembled were wonderful together, notwithstanding an error I made with the last one.
The first was a flavorful and energetic dish. I sautéed in a pan a couple of bunches of thin asparagus in olive oil, fresh garlic and a little lemon zest and juice until the asparagus became tender with just a touch of browning. While this was ongoing, I boiled a batch of lobster stuffed agnolotti. When the pasta was done, I layered it on to a plate, squeezed on just a little lemon juice, added the asparagus spears and sprinkled dried basil on top. I love this combination because the dish has substance, courtesy of the pasta, yet it’s lively due to the asparagus, lemon and basil accents. The lemon adds a nice touch of acidity. On the side, I assembled a salad of heirloom tomato, mozzarella and basil accented with rosemary olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. Now it was time for a matching wine.
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