Wine and Food Pairing

Hello Wine Lovers,

Food and wine pairing can be challenging especially when looking at large displays of wines. The “winefolly” link provides a diagram illustrating relationships of wine to food. The illustration is a quick guide that can help focus the selection of wine with food served.  I found matching the color of the circle around the wine and the color of end of the line above thr food type to be easier than following individual lines.

The chart highlights a basic premise of pairing which, in essence, aligns the weight of wine with the food type. The “weight” of the wine relates to its body, notably the alcohol level and the influence of tannins. The weight of food relates to its intensity of flavor. As such, light red and white wines complement the light delicate flavors of vegetables and seafood; robust flavors from hard cheeses and roasted meats have weights comparable with medium and big red wines.

While a bit of a long read, the Wikipedia link provides a very good and detailed description of wine and food paring that offers a bit of history, describes basic sensory components talks of the weight of food and wine and offers ideas on creation of complementary or contrasting flavors through use of acid and sweetness levels of both the food and wine.

Enjoy and explore,

Mike

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_and_food_matching

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/basic-wine-and-food-pairing-chart/

 

Spring Release in Walla Walla

Hello Wine Lovers,

For several years we have traveled to Walla Walla for our annual Discovery Wine tour.  While most often this is for Spring Release, we have visited other times of the year.  Over the years we have developed a list of “must-return-to” wineries, revisited wineries and sought to always find a new winery to try.

Walla Walla is a unique American Viticulture Area (AVA) as it extends across two states, ranges in elevation from 400 to 2000 feet above sea level, has rain fall ranging from seven to 22 inches and four soil types.  (Go to http://www.wallawallawine.com for detailed information on the area.)  Winemakers use the rich diversity for varietals grown to produce some of the best wines available.  Spring Release is a chance to taste new vintages, enjoy local events and catch up with as well as make new friends.

        

Our short list of “must-return-to” wineries includes Abeja, Garrison Creek Grantwood, Northstar, and Saviah.  These wineries consistently produce beautiful wines, offer a selection of wines that pairs well with a wide variety of foods, can be drunk now or laid down and offer great hospitality.  Other favorites for regular visits include g. Cuneo, Pepperbridge, Tamarack, and Corvus.

In addition to tasting wonderful wines, the views are marvelous and sometimes you get to listen to music while you taste.

        

This year we enjoyed a special treat; a winemaker’s tour of his vineyards where we learned in visual detail about the various soil types, how the hills, sunlight, wind soil and run-off of water effects bud growth, pruning and harvesting of various varietals.

        

Be sure to put Walla Walla on your list of wine regions to visit.

Mike

Reference

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British Columbia Wines

Hello Wine Lovers,

Patti and I recently took a birthday trip (Happy Birthday Patti!) to Victoria, British Columbia (BC).  The weather was perfect, the sites beautiful and we made sure to discover some BC wines.

 

Leaving by ferry from Port Angeles, we first toured the Butchard Gardens and then ate the best fish and chips.  Red Fish Blue Fish is on the docks in the Inner Harbor with outdoor seating and stunning water views.  Patti picked her favorite, halibut, and I couldn’t resist the salmon.  Both were very fresh and yummy.

Over the course of our visit we ate at a number of places (okay we like good food and great wine) including; Il Terrazzo, Pagliacci’s and Stage.  The service was outstanding, the people friendly and the food marvelous.  Dinning allowed us to enjoy the cuisine and sample various BC wines including cab franc, cab sav, and merlot (yes, there were a few others).

 

We also stopped by Artisan Wine Shop.  This is a shop in downtown Victoria a few short blocks from the Empress.  The shop specializes in wines from the Okanagan; the area producing the largest percentage of BC wines.  The staff is knowledgable and they provide samples for your tasting pleasure.

               

Our overall assessment of the BC wines tasted is:  they are light to medium bodied, light to medium tannins, moderate in alcohol and fruity with a nice finish.  For the wines tasted with meals, we thought they paired well with the food served.

In the BC classification system, 100% BC grapes from designated appellations may be labeled VQA or “Vintner’s Quality Alliance”.  VQA wines must meet defined standards to carry this designation.  A second classification is “Wines of Distinction”. These too must be 100% BC wines but the standards are not as stringent as VQA wines. There is a category of wines that may be labeled “cellared in Canada” which includes imported fruit.

There are five official viticultural areas in BC.  These are the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.  Emerging areas under consideration for designation are Kootenay, Thompson/Shuswap and Lillooet. To carry a viticultural designation on the label, 95% of the fruit must come from within the designated area.

While generally thought of a cold, BC is not solely a cold climate producer. Wines from the Okanagan are produced in a mild, dry climate that has a growing reputation for high quality wines.  Red BC varietals include: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cab franc, malbec, and petit verdot.  White BC varietals include, chardonnay, pinot gris, gewürztraminer and sav blanc.

We learned there are only a couple large producers that export BC wine, so BC wines may be hard to find.  So if you happen to be in BC, there are plenty of wines to try.  A great place to explore BC wines is at the http://www.winebc.com website.

Mike

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_wine