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What Wine Should I
Serve With That?
I have a fun experiment for you to do at home or at a social gathering (it does make for interesting conversation). It will certainly answer the question "What food would go well with this wine?" Taste is such a personal thing, so I can't give you the answers to this experiment, however, I think in some cases it will be quite obvious what the wrong choice would be. For this experiment, you're going to need the following items; lemon, bittersweet chocolate, honey or sugar, aged cheddar cheese, green olives (they have to be green), spicy peppers and of course wine. There are a number of different wines that you could choose (I would choose one that I enjoy entertaining with). If you're going to be doing this with a number of people, it would be good to get a number of different wines such as a low acid Chardonnay, a high acid Sauvignon Blanc, a sweet Riesling, a light Pinot Noir, a high acid Chianti, a ripe Merlot and a full Cabernet. If you are unsure about these wines, you can ask your local wine merchant to give you a hand or you can email me and I'd be more than happy to help. Once you have all the things you need, taste the wine all by its self. Remember how it tastes (its probably a good idea to write it down). Now taste it after you've had a chance to sample a piece of food from the list. You'll have a different taste in you're mouth as the compounds in the food react to you're taste buds. You can now taste the wines against the rest of the foods but please remember to keep the peppers until last, they'll burn your taste buds and you won't be able to taste anything effectively after that. The results that you have will be so valuable in choosing the right wine to go with that special dinner you have planned or wowing that wine aficionado friend of yours when you're out on the town. Cheers and enjoy responsibly, Jason Ernst |
September's Feature Producer Kendall-Jackson of California
Kendall-Jackson's winemakers are committed to quality and the belief that only the best grapes, artisan winemaking techniques and an emphasis on blending can produce outstanding wines.
Situated in Fulton California (60 miles north of San Francisco), Kendall-Jackson blends not only different grape varieties, but varieties from several vineyard lots, enabling them to produce a consistently high quality wine from year to year.
I have chosen these wines for the month because of their quality, value and their ability to be matched with food or to be consumed on their own as excellent sipping wines.
2000 Semillon/Chardonnay "Collage" Retail price $13.95 This Straw yellow, 60% Semillon, 40% Chardonnay from Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Monterey is fermented in stainless steel and a little oak to enhance fruit. There are flavors of ripe apple, pear and pineapple of Semillon with citrus-rich essence of Chardonnay fruit and just a hint of vanilla oak character. 2000 Cabernet/Shiraz "Collage" Retail price $14.40 This beautiful ruby red/purple blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz. Being aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels, and stainless steel tanks, gives this powerful red a depth of a blend twice its price. Forward blackberry fruit of the Cabernet combines with the slightly smoky, spicy flavors of Shiraz making it and almost perfect match to grilled duck. |
