May 2007

One of the more difficult wine-and-food matches is finding a wine to go with spicy foods, such as curries. Before you start trying, understand the difference between spicy — meaning heavy with spices — and hot and spicy.

Many Pan-Asian dishes can be heavily spiced yet not have intense heat. For example, many Indian dishes have pungent aromas and complex flavors, yet are not necessarily hot on the palate. Similarly, Thai cuisine can be intensely flavored, with the heat of the dish dependent on density of the pepper flakes.

So how to match? Again, start with the heat. If you’re having a high-heat dish, try to go with lower-alcohol wines that have some residual sugar or a perceived sweetness. For example, German Rieslings — specifically from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer — have very low alcohol levels (as low as 6%), and can simultaneously offer a touch of sweetness. A German wine labeled as “QbA” will give you some perceived sweetness, as will one with “Kabinett” on the label. For a bit more sweetness, move up to a Spatlese. All three are likely to offer a refreshing foil to hot and spicy cuisine. Vouvray (from France) has a similarly fruity, almost-sweet flavor profile, though the alcohol is higher. Gruner Veltliner, from Austria, can also be a good choice, as is Alsatian Gewurztraminer, which has complementary aromas and flavors of litchi and rose petals and can be nearly bone-dry or mildly sweet.

Rose wines can also be excellent matches, as most have mild flavors, are lower in alcohol than reds, tend to have a refreshing profile that is similar to white wine, and have enough body and structure to stand up to complex dishes. In addition, many roses have a nice ripe strawberry or watermelon juiciness that resembles hard candy — offering a slight touch of perceived sweetness that foils well against spicy food.

If your heart is set on a red, try a Crianza (Spanish wine based on Tempranillo), which will tend to have a roasted, spiced character that melds well with similarly spicy food. A chilled Beaujolais Cru can be a refreshing match, as can an inexpensive Aussie Shiraz — just be careful about the alcohol level.

You shouldn’t fear matching spicy foods with wines; rather, take it on as a challenge. It can get expensive to try different combinations out at a restaurant, so browse a site like CurrySimple to find spicy additives for home experimentation. For example, you can get packages of Thai-style Red Curry, Green Curry, or Yellow Curry to add to meat, noodles, veggies, or fish, and taste a few different bottles next to the dish. Some matches may not work at all, but others may prove to be mindblowing. And that’s what wine enjoyment is all about — finding the ultimate match.

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After reading Picnic and Barbecue Wines - Part 1, you should have a handle on what makes for good wine selection for this Memorial Day weekend — as well as any other outdoor food fest you enjoy this summer. Now, I’ll suggest some specific wines.

Rose / Pink Wines

Personally speaking, I find pink wines absolutely perfect for barbecues and picnics (and I’m man enough to admit it) — for three reasons. First, they’re easy and light, fitting in with the casual atmosphere; second, pink wines tend to have mild flavor profiles and good acid levels, allowing for varied food matching; and third, they’re best enjoyed chilled, and therefore refreshing on a warm / hot afternoon.

When choosing a rose, stay away from White Zinfandel, unless you know for sure people in the party enjoy it. Most White Zins have a sugary flavor that clashes with many foods (though that same sweet element may be OK for foiling very spicy dishes). Instead, look for dry rose. The most reliable dry pink wines come from Spain (which are often labeled “Rosado”) and the southern regions of France — though there are plenty of good bottles from other areas as well (for instance, California and Portugal have some goodies). Go to the Spain aisle first for the best values, and look for “Navarra” somewhere on the label — that’s a region well-known for rose wine. If you don’t see one from Navarra, don’t fret, as other Spanish regions make fine rosado as well. Then walk up the French wine aisle and look for pink bottles. The best-known rose from France is Tavel, and is likely to have a light pink/orange, almost salmon color. No matter which region you choose from, be sure to get the freshest vintage possible (2006 or 2005 is ideal right now), as pink wines tend to lose their bright, fresh flavors quickly. Here are some of my favorites:

Mas de Gourgonnier Rose (France), Pink Criquet (Bordeaux, France), Sofia Pinot Noir Rose (California), Vega Sindoa (Spain), Guigal Tavel (France), Delas Tavel (France), Domaine Ott Rose (France).

White Wines

For many, the best option for an outdoor party is a nice chilled white wine — partially because a cold beverage is most appropriate on a sunny day, and also because white wines tend to match well with a number of different dishes. Best bets:

• Sauvignon Blanc from France (esp. Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume), New Zealand, South America, or California (make sure it’s unoaked)
• Chablis from France (not from California!)
• Vouvray or Muscadet from France
• Pinot Grigio, Orvieto, Soave, Vermentino, or Verdicchio from Italy
• Pinot Blanc from France or Italy (also labeled as Pinot Bianco)
• Riesling from Germany — make sure it’s dry; look for “Kabinett” on the label
• Albarino or Rueda from Spain
• Gruner Veltliner from Austria

Some suggestions: Sartarelli Verdicchio Classico, Fair Valley Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa), Bruni Vermentino “Plinio”, Domaine Seguinot Bordet Chablis AC (France), Norton Sauvignon Blanc (Argentina), Brander Sauvignon Blanc (California), Masi Masianco Pinot Grigio (Italy), Argiolas Costalomino Vermentino (Italy), Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc (NZ), Clean Slate Riesling (Germany), Pierre Boniface Apremont (France), Basa Rueda Blanco (Spain), Las Brisas Rueda (Spain), Bodegas Aldial “Naia” (Spain)

Red Wines

You can go two ways with red wine at a barbecue: get a bottle to go with everything, or find something specific to burgers (or steaks, if they’ll be on the grill). When trying to match with everything, the easiest route is a bottle of Beaujolais — preferably a Cru Beaujolais, which means you’ll pay somewhere between $12-25, and the label will include one of these names on it: Brouilly, Chenas, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Regnie, or Saint-Amour. Any of those appellations can be chilled, and will match with a wide variety of foods — and will go particularly well with grilled white meats such as pork and chicken (i.e., bbq ribs, shish-kebab). Beaujolais-Villages is OK, too, though not as interesting as a Cru. Whatever you do, don’t get a Beaujolais Nouveau — its shelf death was mid-January. The brand that is most likely to be seen in stores is Georges Duboeuf, aka “The King of Beaujolais”. Louis Jadot is also reliable — but don’t be afraid to try different brands, as you may find a gem (if there’s a Beaujolais other than Duboeuf or Jadot on the shelf, chances are the store’s wine buyer found something he/she thinks is special).

Matching a wine with burgers is fairly easy, and should be an inexpensive exercise. Simple French reds such as Cotes-du-Rhone or Minervois work nicely, as do soft red Zinfandels from California and Shiraz from Australia. If you limit yourself to a price range of $9-$14, you will likely find that most of these wines will be excellent for burgers: Merlot, Shiraz / Syrah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon (particularly soft ones from South America), Malbec, Garnacha, Monastrell / Mourvedre, Dolcetto, Nero d’Avola, and Petite Sirah.

Some of my all-time favorite red wines for burgers and barbecue are: Wrongo Dongo, Delas Cotes-du-Rhone “Saint-Esprit” (France), Domaine Cros Minervois, Vinos Pinol Ludovicus (Spain), Quinta de Parrotes Alenquer Tinto (Portugal), Chateau La Roque Pic Saint Loup, Croix du Mayne Cahors, Spadina Nero d’Avola, Chateau Calbet Cabardes, Kanonkop Kadette (South Africa), Mas de Guiot Grenache-Syrah, Rock Rabbit Syrah, Domaine de Gournier Merlot, Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile), Elsa Bianchi Malbec (Argentina), Juan Benegas Malbec (Argentina), Kermit Lynch Cotes-du-Rhone (France), Punto Final Malbec Reserve (Argentina), Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot (California), Castano Monastrell (Spain), Vinum Cellars PETS Petite Sirah

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This coming weekend is Memorial Day in the USA, which means picnics, barbecues, and similar outdoor parties and get-togethers — it’s the unofficial beginning of the summer for most.

Chances are, you will be throwing or attending one of these outings, and also likely be eating something off an outdoor cooker, be it a grill, hibachi, pit, spit, or smoker. The food may range from the simple, all-American hot dogs and hamburgers to good ol’ southern BBQ chicken and ribs to a fish fry to shish kebabs to a roast pig. Naturally there will be a keg or a cooler full of beer, probably punch, and also some soft drinks such as soda, iced tea, or lemonade. But what about wine? People — in the USA, anyway — are drinking more wine than beer these days, but does that mean a selection of fine vintages should replace the time-honored tap?

Of course not. Beer is still a more pairable beverage when it comes to barbecue, with its easygoing quaffability and obtuse flavor profile — assuming the chosen brew is a popular, mass-produced lager (i.e., Budweiser, Coors, Rolling Rock, Corona, etc.). However, there’s no reason not to offer wine as an alternate (if you’re the host), and the gift of a bottle is a fine gesture as the guest. But what wine to choose?

If you’re the host, the choice of wine is easier, because you know what foods you’re serving. Use the same food-and-wine-matching sense you would at the dinner table — high acidity for fatty foods, red wines with red meats, etc. — but also consider one or two “cocktail” choices for drinking socially (i.e., a fat Chardonnay or jammy Shiraz). Also take into consideration the wine-savviness of your guests — are there geeks in the crowd? Pedestrians? Don’t waste the money on a Didier Daganeau Pouilly-Fume if a jug of Paul Masson or 1.5L of Yellow Tail will do the trick.

As a guest, it’s appropriate to offer a wine (or two) that you enjoy yourself. At the same time, try to bring something that will match with a wide array of dishes (simple whites, roses, easygoing reds) — particularly if you’re unaware of what is being served. By the same token, if it’s the type of party where you are bringing a dish, be sure to also bring its perfect pairing.

And what exact wine varieties are best for these outdoor fetes? Come back tomorrow to find out!

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I picked up this bottle for three reasons: first, it was under ten bucks; second, it was a red wine from the Langhe (in Piedmont / Piemonte, Italy), which is something I don’t often see available; and third, it is a really, really heavy bottle with a really deep punt—so I figured if they spent so much expense on the glass, the wine inside HAD to be decent.

The nose has a funky smell. Some geeks might say the wine was backward, or in a “dumb” stage. I say it smells funky, because it doesn’t really show any specific nor ripe fruit; the aroma seems to be a musty mixture of earth, herb, and unripe, maybe dried fruit. Usually mustiness indicates a problem with the cork, but this bottle employed an artificial cork that is supposed to be impervious to TCA contamination. And anyway it didn’t smell like THAT kind of musty; it was more herbal and dried fruit than anything.

On the palate the wine had similar dried fruit and what the Italians call “brush” ; it’s kind of like an earthy element, mixed with raspberries and blackberries that are starting to dry out, and what you might expect a bush branch to taste like. There are also some cocoa and black cherry flavors — typical of the grapes (this wine is half Barbera, half Dolcetto). Personally, I like a wine that has a little more ripeness, especially when drinking alone, but this wine has a place at the table next to a plate of sausage and broccoli rabe, or a selection of cheeses. It has something of a dusty character, thanks to drying acidity and tannins that make an appearance in the midpalate and remain apparent through the finish. Let this wine breathe a little by pouring it into a decanter, or leave it to sit in your glass for about 20 minutes, and it will be much more interesting than straight out of the 28-pound bottle. Putting it in the decanter should also make pouring the wine a lot easier, and keep you from suffering a hernia.

a-6 t-7 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 85 Points

Importers: Verdoni Imports, WinesWeAre

Find this wine at a retailer near you through Wine-Searcher.

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Ideally, wine is made for food – though mass production wineries that make superripe, sickly sweet, fat fruit bombs would like you to think differently. One of my favorite white wines for food is Vermentino – a wine that may as well be unknown among all but the most advanced of wine geeks.

Contrary to what you might think, Vermentino is not what an Italian woman screams when she sees a rat run across a Florentine piazza. Rather, Vermentino is a grape that produces white wine – the best of which come from Sardinia (Sardegna).

Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino is one of the best examples of the varietal you will find easily in the United States. It is fresh, clean, and ripe, expressing pear, peach, spice (cardamom? vanilla?), and a touch of grapefruit on both the nose and the palate. It also has hints of lemony citrus, mineral, and herbaceous flavors, and is held up with a good edge of racy acidity. Texture is smooth, almost creamy. Though it appears to be a simple, light and refreshing wine when ice cold, if you let it warm a bit you’ll find it is actually rich and complex. Fairly unique, I’d say it’s what you would get if you crossed a rich Chablis Premier Cru with a Pouilly Fume. Drink it with almost any appetizers, smoked fish, cured meats, seafood, poultry, pork, or spicy foods. It also cuts right through overly garlicky dishes, such as what you might find in Greek cuisine. A winner in every way, and a good value at around $11.99. Buy as fresh a vintage as possible (2005 is current).

a-8 t-8 b-10 fc-10 v-8 ~ 94 Points

Importer: Winebow

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No doubt you’ve heard this one, especially if you subscribe to one of the large-format wine magazines, such as Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. They review a lot of California Chardonnays, many of which may be described as “fat”.

For example, any of a number of white wines have this phrase in the notes: “… Round and fat with a long, butter- and honey-filled finish … ”

So what is meant by “fat” ? Luckily, it has nothing to do with your waistline. Generally, a wine that has a lot of fruit concentration but low acidity is often defined as being “fat”. If the acidity is so low it is displeasing, the wine may be called “flabby” or “insipid”.

Though a lot of New World Chardonnays are described as “fat”, those aren’t the only wines that need to go on a diet. For example, Condrieu and other big white wines from the Rhone Valley have been described as such. Further, fat wines are not relegated to whites; on occasion you may see the term used in a red wine review. As a general rule, fat wines come from very hot regions, and as such also tend to be overly ripe and have high alcohol levels as well.

Finally, fat wines are not necessarily bad; quite the contrary, in fact. Most often, “fat” is used to praise a wine’s generous fruit concentration, and is a complementary term to “mouthfilling”, “big”, or “round”.

And don’t worry — fat wines have about the same amount of calories as “thin” wines, and are assigned the same amount of points by Weight Watchers.

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How can you possibly walk by this bottle?

It has a colorful, prideful looking, fat-ass rooster on the label, which claims to be a shade under fifty pounds. If you are someone who likes big, monstrous Chardonnay, you might surmise that this oversized rooster stood for something similarly substantial. And you’d be right.

Rex Goliath Chard exudes wide open, delicious aroms of rich, ripe, spicy fruit: pear, apple, vanilla, honey. In the mouth, you get lots of ripe, sweet, heavily oaked pear fruit upfront, as well as candied peach — like you would taste in a fruit salad. A heavy, almost cloying mouthfeel contributes to a creamy smooth texture. The midpalate shows honey and canned peaches in syrup. All the fruit upfront gives the impression of a quick exit from the palate, but in fact the finish has decent length, and tastes of candied pear, peaches, and wood.

Let’s call a spade a spade and explain what this wine is: an oak-soaked, sugary sweet Chardonnay. Personally, I go for this type of wine maybe once a month, but there a lot of people who love this style. If you are type who enjoys oaky Chardonnay, then at under ten bucks, this is a great value. If you are not, and the wine somehow presents itself in your glass, I highly recommend you try it with really spicy food — the sweet fruit and oak will temper nuclear-level buffalo wings, spicy Thai, General Tsao chicken, and similarly hot dishes. At the same time, the alcohol level is high enough to add gasoline to the fire, so it’s not a perfect match.

Otherwise, don’t try matching this with food; it is expressly a cocktail / fireside sipper.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-5 v-8 ~ 86 Points

The Rex Goliath Wines website

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There’s something to be said for branding in the wine marketplace. A wine label that can produce a consistent wine, year after year, or follows a particular philosophy, makes your wine buying much simpler. We’re not necessarily talking about “formula” wines produced for the masses by huge corporations such as Gallo, Beringer-Blass, or Bolla (though those wines have their place on the shelf too). Rather, we like to find wines that can be trusted to deliver a certain expectation. Naturally, the quality of the vintage can have an effect on a wine, and we can accept that. But even in bad vintages, we like our “trusted brands” to have consistency in style — perhaps to go as far as having a trademark, or an obvious goal in mind during the winemaking process.

For instance, the Ravenswood winery in Sonoma, California has a very clear message: “No Wimpy Wines.” It’s more of a promise than a message, actually, and they deliver on that assertion throughout their range of Zinfandels, Cabernets, Merlots and other reds (I have to admit I’ve yet to try their whites). Regardless of which wine you choose, if it says Ravenswood on the label, you are guaranteed to get a plump, rich, heavy wine full of ripe fruit.

Interestingly, they don’t use state-of-the-art technology to extract gobs of jammy fruit from the grapes. Instead, winemaker Joel Peterson employs “old school” techniques, relying on the quality of the fruit to produce the wine. It’s pretty boring, really: the grapes are crushed, native vineyard yeasts are added, the juice sits with the skins for a few weeks, and then it’s aged in small French oak barrels. OK, there’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist of it.

Because of the “Old World” winemaking process, the hardest part of Peterson’s job is finding the fruit. The “Vineyard Designate” wines, for example, are made from grapes grown in tiny vineyards in distinct locations north of Sonoma-based winery. Each of the 10 vineyards is carefully cultivated by its owner. That’s right, Ravenswood doesn’t own the vineyards — they count on experienced, meticulous growers to produce the grapes every year. It makes for an efficient, effective operation — the growers concentrate on the growing, the winery focuses on the winemaking. And the resulting wine is very high quality, usually worthy of 5-10 years of cellaring.

But that’s the top of the line; if you can get your hands, and afford, on one of those wines — such as a Zin from Dickerson, Belloni, Teldeschi, Sangiacomo, or one of the other vineyards (it will have the vineyard name on the label) — by all means do so. You won’t be disappointed.

More likely, you’ll see the “County Series” and the “Vintners Blend” labels in your local shop. They cost less, and are ready to drink upon release, and in my experience have excellent price-to-value ratio. In other words, you get what you pay for, which to me is another key component in trusting a particular brand. As with the Vineyard Designates, Joel Peterson is not too proud to admit that the grapes for “County” and “Vintners” are purchased from farmers. The Vintners Blends are often remarkable values, because some of the fruit blended in is the “declassified” juice from the Vineyard Designates. In other words, any juice that doesn’t meet the extremely high standards of the specific vineyard bottling, ends up being part of a Vintners Blend. So you’re getting grapes grown for fifty-dollar wines in a ten-buck bottle.

The County wines are somewhere in between — both in quality and preparation. Grapes are sourced from farmers in various vineyards in the California county specified on the label. While the vineyards are good quality, they’re not on the extreme level of, say, a Rancho Salina or Big River, and therefore not worthy of “single vineyard” status. If you are familiar with the way France assigns its appellations, then a loose comparison would be that a Ravenswood Vineyard Designate is akin to a Cru, while a County Series wine would be similar to a village wine. For example, Ravenswood Old Hill Zinfandel would be like (in classification, not taste) a Cru Beaujolais “Brouilly” while Lodi Zinfandel would compare to a Beaujolais-Villages. Or something like that.

In the end, what is printed on the label is not nearly as important as what you like. However, if you like big, bold, rich, ripe red wines, then chances are very good that you will enjoy wines made by Ravenswood. Further, there’s a quality wine for every budget — their entry-level “Vintners Blends” start at right around ten bucks, the “County Series” wines are in the $12-18 range, and the “Signature Series” go from $25-55.

Find Ravenswood wines at a retailer near you through WineZap or Wine-Searcher.

Visit the Ravenswood website (a.k.a., “Department of Zinformation”)

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