Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [107]
Off-Dry Wine—Moscato or Riesling—with Chips and Salsa
Another “opposites attract” combo, but of a different nature. What you will discover is that a little bit of sweetness really helps to cool the heat of spicy foods—one of the reasons a margarita tastes so good with Mexican food. Try Moscato d’Asti or a German Riesling Spätlese with some corn chips (not too salty) and salsa (medium or hot). To really see the difference that the sweetness makes, open a full-bodied California Chardonnay and taste it with the chips and salsa. You may start to sweat, because the alcohol in the wine really emphasizes the spicy heat. Not refreshing at all. Taking this lesson to its logical conclusion, go with off-dry wines when you’re eating spicy ethnic foods (Mexican, Thai, Indian, and so on).
Matches Made in Heaven
Classic combinations are “classic” for a reason. They work beautifully. Here are some of the famous ones, and a few tips to use when trying them.
Wine and Cheese
“Cheese,” to the average American, often means bright yellow cellophane-wrapped singles or the multipurpose, bland “Cheddar” that has little to do with the flavorful English original. When we graduate to grown-up cheese, we figure it has to be somewhat stinky to be real, so we go with triangles of Brie from the supermarket dairy case.
The wine lover needs to look at cheese a little differently. For most wines, the moldy rind of Brie (one of its great virtues) overpowers the flavor and leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. Although there are exceptions, generally the best cheeses for wine are the subtler ones. My favorite cheese by far for all wine is Spanish Manchego, an aged sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha district. Italian Parmigiano Reggiano (the real stuff), which is an aged cow’s milk cheese, runs a close second. These two just seem to go with every wine, but especially the full-bodied reds that are the best candidates for cheese in general.
You should also try Muenster (the real French kind) with Alsatian Gewürztraminer, and Brunello di Montalcino with Pecorino Toscano.
Foie Gras and Sauternes
It sounds trite, but it’s true: You haven’t lived until you have tried this combination. (This does not apply if you are put off by the idea of liver, because foie gras is just that—specifically, fattened goose or duck liver, a delicacy worshiped by the French.) This match is a glorious illustration of both contrast and complement. The contrast is flavor—sweet wine and savory foie gras. The complement is texture—luscious, almost syrupy wine and meltingly rich, silken foie gras. It is also an utterly decadent match, featuring two of the most expensive stars in the gastronomic universe.
Champagne and Caviar
Speaking of decadence, here is another classic combination that I think is well worth saving up for. Some wine and food commentators argue that it is not a great combination, because the caviar, which some say can seem fishy, can overpower the delicacy of Champagne. But I have never been disappointed. The key is to get good caviar—specifically, farmed American sturgeon roe from companies such as Sterling Farms or Tsar Nicoulai. (Due to overfishing, Caspian sturgeon have become so seriously endangered that I cannot recommend imported caviar). I have also found that the best Champagnes for caviar are the light and medium house styles (see Appendix B for a list), and especially the category called Blanc de Blancs. Its vibrant acidity is a great counterpoint to the fishy-salty-oily caviar.
Try other roe (fish eggs), too, such as salmon roe or flying fish roe (tobiko in Japanese markets).
French Chablis and Oysters
The same idea, acidity as a refresher to fishiness (or in this case, brininess), applies here. With bivalves, who needs a squeeze of lemon when you can have Chablis? In fact, I like all forms of bivalves and raw seafood (including sushi and sashimi) with Chablis (and also Champagne).
Big Red Wines and Steak