Is there a "Perfect" Wine Pairing?

It seems like every time I taste a new wine, I'm pleasantly surprised.  When I first began pairing wines with food, I would let the "rules" of pairing drive my choices.  But lately I'm not so sure that the rules apply as much.

Sure it's true that often a white wine is preferable to a red wine for seafood but I'm stretching the boundaries lately. I've been known to pair a red wine with fish and and a white wine with red meat.  And I've been pleasantly surprised.  

Just the other night I was out with some clients and ordered a delicious Pinot Noir (the Director's Cut from the Francis Ford Coppola winery) that went just as well with seafood as it did with the NY Strip I had for dinner. I feel a little uncomfortable at times because it has been assumed because I really enjoy wine that I should pick it out.

Puts a lot of pressure on to live up to that reputation.  Here's the thing, I only can tell you what I like. I love the people who tell you they can taste all these wonderful flavors. Sometimes I get a hint but mostly my response is "Yep, that's good wine." 

What about you? When was the last time you were surprised by an unusual pairing?

One of the things I dearly love is cheese.  One would think with my love of cheese and my proximity to Wisconsin I would be a Packers fan. While I am surrounded by rabid Packer fans (I think rabid is appropriate), I am still a Bears fan.  I guess it's my long-term support of the Chicago Cubs that makes me long suffering. 

But I digress.  

Cheese and wine are great partners.  You may have read my earlier blog on the Cheese Clock that the Artisanal Cheese Company developed to help you.  You can find it at www.artisanalcheese.com.  Not only can you purchase some outstanding cheeses, you can pair them with wines designed to bring out their best flavors.

I'm not really a sweet wine person but . . . when I tasted some strong, even stinky, cheeses with a nice Sauternes the pairing was almost magical.  

From now on, I'm going to be a little more ambitious about the pairings of my wines with various foods.  I think the most important element isn't always what you're eating but the quality of the wine you're drinking. 

With winter coming on, I'll be spending more time in the Man Cave. And with it I'll be pushing the envelope in my wine pairings.  I hope you will be, too.

Wine Country Treats or Day 3 of the Great Sonoma Wine Vacation

As the sun rises on day three in wine country I'm pretty excited about the day ahead. After a little work in the morning, I head down to Santa Rosa to pick up my brother and sister-in-law and move them up to the Dry Creek Inn for the rest of the trip.

As they checked into the hotel and Roxanne finished her work for the week, I began planning the day.  Our first stop would be Seghesio Family Vineyards.  I was looking forward to experiencing the family tables. 
I had spoken with Tony earlier on Thursday to ensure that all food issues were dealt with so I wasn't too worried there wouldn't be anything for them to eat.  So when we arrived, they were ready for us.  We were a little early so we took a quick look around the tasting room. They had a few new logo items that we needed to take home with us.

So while we were waiting, we started the current tasting of the day. While it may have been 5 o'clock somewhere, it was only a little before noon in California so we were doing a leisurely tasting.  While we normally split the tastings, since we had plenty of time we each had our own.

As the rest of the folks sharing the Family Tables with us arrived and caught up on the tasting, we headed back behind the tasting room for a brief tour of the winery.  This was something I wasn't anticipating. 

It was interesting tour through time. I found the history of the winery from bulk wine production to becoming a fine wine producer. With insights not only into the the successes of the winery but some of the challenges as well.

We made our way up to the dining room where Chef Peter delivered a perfect plate to match five wines.  We started with a arm corn salad with chanterelle mushrooms, arugula and romano beans which was paired with the 2009 Costiera Pinot Noir.  This was followed by a duck confit crepinette and a Santa Rosa plum compote paired with their newly released 2010 Monte Rosso Zinfandel.

Perhaps the most unusual pairing was the swordfish, fregola sarda, early summer veggies and a cerignola tapinade paired with the 2005 Omaggio.  If you don't think a red wine can complement seafood, think again.  This was perhaps my favorite pairing of the day.This was followed by hand-cut egg noodles, rock shrimp and a piquillo almond cream paired with the 2007 Aglianico.

The lunch concluded with an almond bite paired with the Dionigia Port.  All in all a very successful lunch.

After placing an order, purchasing some souvineer glasses and a quick thank you to the team, we were off for a day of tasting at some other vineyards.  First up was a trip back up to the Francis Ford Coppola winery for the view and a tasting. 

I found the Director's Cut Cinema to be my favorite.  Once again I'm finding myself intrigued by the taste and aromas of blends rather than the straight varietals. It's not that I'm not enjoying the zins, cabs and carignane's but there's something about the the winemaker's skills coming to play putting the right mix of grapes, appellations and vineyards. 

That's what's going on here with the Cinema. A little Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from Dry Creek Valley and some Cabernet Franc from Knight's Valley.These sub-appellations of Sonoma all bring something special to the party.

Having been invited to a party with friends that evening, I picked up a bottle of the Cinema to take with me.  After enjoying the view on the patio, we got back into the car and headed off to Bella Vineyards.  This vineyard boasts really beautiful views up in the Dry Creek Valley just north of Healdsburg.

Ok. You really can't go wrong with any of the views. this is such a beautiful area of the country.  For those of us landlocked in the midwest, it's a real treat to see the majestic beauty that is found in Sonoma and Napa counties. 

With a tasting in their cave, my brother picking up a bottle of wine here, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before an evening out.

In our travels over the last few years to the Sonoma wine country we've made a few friends and this evening one of them was hosting a party at their home.  This spectacular evening with friends old and new was the absolute highlight of the trip.  Although, the primary purpose of our trip this time would begin bright and early on Saturday morning. 

The 9th Annual Zin & BBQ Festival at Seghesio Family Vineyards and I'd be helping out the winery team as they tried to knock off world class BBQ masters Chris Lilly and Dr. BBQ.  But that's for next week's blog post.  Until then, enjoy the company of great friends with some really fabulous wines and make a few memories of the summer of 2012 before it ends all too soon in a couple of weeks.