Posts Tagged ‘food pairings’
MWG September 11th tasting: Natural gas
Glou partner Jack Jacob joined the Mo’ Wine Group on September 11 to lead a tasting of several of the agency’s private imports. This being Glou, all the wines were natural (see this earlier post for a working definition) and many of the winemakers involved have shunned the restrictive controlled appellation designation. We began with an impressive sparkler.
Vin de France 2013, Pet’Sec Blanc, Domaine des Capriades ($31.50, private import, 12 bottles/case)
Based in the Loire Valley’s Touraine region, Capriades founder and co-owner, Pascal Potaire, is considered the king of pet nats (short for pétillants naturels, natural sparkling wines produced using the méthode ancestrale). This example is made from organically farmed Chenin Blanc with a dollop of Cabernet Franc (70-30, according to some reports). Spontaneous fermentation without additives. Maturation in old barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unsulphured and closed with a crown cap. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Glou.
Complex bouquet: apples, lemon, chalk, hint of perfume, eventually pipe tobacco. Fine bubbles, trenchant acidity, clean fruit, veritable strata of minerals and a very long tart and saline finish. Pet nats have a reputation for being summer sippers – off-dry fizzies for uncritical drinking – but this bone-dry and bracing wine is far more serious and accomplished than that: a refreshing and engaging aperitif that’s also substantial enough to accompany oysters on the half shell. (Buy again? Naturally.)
(Flight: 1/9)
Etnalogico
Etna 2010, Rosso di Verzella, Benanti ($23.75, 11348459)
Around 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio from 40-year-old vines grown on the northern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of 700 m (2,300 feet). (An SAQ wine advisor told me the 2010 was, exceptionally, 100% Nerello Mascalese but I’ve found nothing to support that claim.) The grapes are picked by hand in mid-October, destemmed, pressed and macerated 20 to 25 days in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is matured in 225-litre barrels for eight to ten months. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca di Moreno de Marche.
Dried black cherry, red currant, brick dust, dried herbs. Medium-bodied and satin-textured. The lithe fruit is on an equal footing with volcanic minerality; the acidity is illuminating if nipping; the supple tannins show some astringency on the long, savoury finish with its cedar and spice overtones and lingering maraschino. So dry and so drinkable. Pair with red meats, especially ones cooked more than rare, game birds or rabbit stew. (Buy again? Yes.)
Sincere Sancerre
Sancerre 2013, Terroirs, Domaine Sylvain Bailly ($23.35, 10861808)
100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines 20-plus years old grown in various parcels. Manually harvested. The must produced by slow and gentle pneumatic pressing was chilled and clarified by settling. Alcoholic fermentation used indigenous yeasts, took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and lasted 15 to 30 days. The wine was matured on its lees in stainless steel tanks, then racked, cold-stabilized and lightly filtered. Bottled in the spring of 2014. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Les vins Dupré.
Textbook Sancerre nose: gooseberry, grass, chalk and flint, hints of kaffir lime leaf. Rounder and less sharp than expected, fruity but very dry. Green grapes, salt and minerals dance across the palate, then segue into a smooth finish marked by crescendoing chalk and tart acidity. Earlier vintages have had more dazzle but this is, as always, well made and very fairly priced. Good with the season’s first Trésor du large oysters on the half shell and with shrimp marinated and grilled with butter, lemon, garlic and tarragon. Certifiably great with Crottin de Chavignol. (Buy again? Sure.)
Dido’s ferment
Montsant 2011, Dido, Venus la Universal ($26.85, 11376994)
Organically farmed Grenache (75%), Syrah (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Merlot (5%). Medium-long maceration of the whole grapes. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Around 60% of the wine is matured in barrels of various sizes for 16 months, around 40% in concrete tanks and a fraction in clay amphorae. Minimal amounts of sulphur are the only additive. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importation Épicurienne R.A. Fortin.
Engulfing nose of blackberry and black raspberry, sandalwood spice, turned earth, cigar box, and graphite with a fresh tarragon-like overtone. In the mouth, it’s rich yet elegantly fluid, fruity yet dry, clean and pure at its core. Acidity enlivens while tight, velvety tannins provide backbone and lend an astringency to the long, savoury finish. Cellar for two to five years or carafe an hour before serving, preferably with grilled red meat, braised oxtail or beef stew with red wine and prunes (recipe follows). (Buy again? Def.)
And, yes, the title’s a pun: Dido’s Lament.
MWG July 17th tasting: Lip-stingers?
A word of Occitan/French origin, piquepoul is usually translated as “lip-stinger.” The grape variety is reportedly so named due to its high acidity.
Languedoc 2013, Picpoul de Pinet, Château Saint-Martin de la Garrigue ($19.15, 11460045)
100% Piquepoul Blanc from vines averaging 25 years old. The grapes are picked late in the season, pressed, macerated ten hours on the skins, then cold settled and racked into the fermentation vessels. The slow, temperature-controlled fermentation is followed by four-months’ maturation on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. 14.5% ABV according to SAQ.com, 15% (!) according to the label. Quebec agent: Bergeron-les-vins.
Lemon, quartz and chalk, hints of honey and paraffin. Very dry but fruity, with lots of extract. Electric acidity keeps things fresh. An herbal/floral note – think lemon verbena – perfumes the mid-palate while minerals come to the fore on the bitter-tinged, lightly saline finish. Surprisingly cool, with no alcohol apparent on the nose or palate. Puts the lie to the old saw that Picpoul is the Muscadet of the Midi. Would make a fine pairing for grilled fish and shellfish but is also substantial enough to accompany a local specialty, encornets à la sétoise (aïoli not optional). (Buy again? For sure.)
Languedoc 2013, Picpoul de Pinet, Ormarine, Maison JeanJean ($13.50, 266064)
100% Piquepoul Blanc. The grapes are pressed and macerated on the skins, then allowed to cold-settle. Enzymes are added for enhanced aromatics. Low-temperature fermentation involves selected yeasts. Screwcapped. 12.5% ABV. Maison JeanJean’s website is broken so I can’t verify, but this appears to be made by the Cave de l’Ormarine and to be very similar if not identical to their “Carte noire” bottling. Quebec agent: Sélect Vins.
Lime zest, pear and passion fruit. In the mouth, a light spritzy prickle, straightforward fruit and some creaminess. Crisp if not as vibrantly acidic or minerally as the St-Martin. Short finish and a faint buttery aftertaste. A perfectly correct, simple wine that wowed no one around the table, though a few did say they’d buy it as a cooking wine they could also drink in a pinch. (Buy again? Unlikely, especially as my go-to cooking wine runs about $3 cheaper.)
Wild thing?
A couple of weeks ago, the Pork Futures guys and I got together for an evening of baby sitting and burger grilling. Among the wines popped and poured was a bottle N had brought back from a recent trip to Greece. It left us scratching our heads. You’ll find our comments below.
Santorini 2012, Assyrtiko by Gaia – Wild Ferment, Gaia Wines (€13.00 in Athens)
100% Assyrtiko from an upland vineyard reputed to produce grapes more aromatic than those from other parts of the island. After pressing, the must is macerated on the skins for 12 hours at 10°C. About half is then transferred to stainless steel tanks and half to new 225-litre barrels (40% French oak, 40% American oak, 10% acacia). Fermentation with ambient yeasts is spontaneous; the tank batch ferments at 16 to 18°C, the barrel batches at 26 to 28°C. After fermentation is complete, selected tanks and barrels are blended and bottled. 13% ABV.
N: “Disjointed at first (website says to decant it for 1/2 hour). Makes no sense why one would oak Assyrtiko. Slightly narrow and linear (also a bit surprising for a wild yeast ferment – maybe the oak tramps it down). Much more agreeable with the potato salad and even the burger.” (Speaking of that potato salad, which truly did make a fine pairing, you’ll find the recipe after the jump.)
A: “Bizarre. Smelled funny. Not banana or butter but something vaguely off-putting. There’s a sourness to the nose, a bit like the drain of my sink. And the oak came off as cheesy. In the mouth, the wine had a unique texture – viscous. Quite nice with food though.”
Me: Ashy nose. Extract-rich but balanced. Honeyed but dry. Unexpected cantaloupe at the back of the palate. Minerals mainly take the form of salinity on the finish. Subdued acidity for a Santorini Assyrtiko. The oak isn’t heavy but seems beside the point. Less crystalline, rounder, smoother, softer-focused and, paradoxically, tamer than my go-to Santorinis like the Hatzidakis. On its own terms, not bad. But not what I’m looking for in an Assyrtiko.
Gaia is represented in Quebec by Le Marchand de Vin. At the Printemps grec tasting in May, one of the agency’s sales reps was pouring the 2013 vintage of the wine, which he implied may be showing up at the SAQ for around $24. My sketchy note reads: “Nose: Mineral, a bit farty, lemon, white grapefruit. Mouth: Clean and snappy. Fruit and white flowers on finish. Only a bit of an acid bite. The wood is discreet. ‘Sweet’ up front but very dry on the finish. Buy again? Maybe.”
Get a grip?
Douro 2012, Diálogo, Niepoort ($16.85, 12098033)
A blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) and Tinta Amarela, among others (for what it’s worth, SAQ.com gives the proportions of the named varieties as 40%, 30%, 20% and 10% respectively), from vines averaging ten to 20 years old. Manually harvested. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, malolactic fermentation in large barrels and stainless steel vats. The wine is matured 12 months in used 225-litre French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. 13% ABV. If I’m not mistaken, the wine is marketed with country-specific comic strip labels and even cuvée names (e.g. Twisted, not Diálogo, in the States). The local bottling – titled Hunter – comes with a critter label of sorts drawn by Montrealer Claude Cloutier. Quebec agent: Alivin Canada.
Subdued, dry-smelling nose of plum, black cherry, pencil lead, old wood, savoury herbs and definite balsam notes. Disconcerting on first sip: not limp but virtually gripless. The acidity and tannins are so soft your attention settles on the supple, pure and fresh if dry fruit. A faint lactic vanilla streak colours the otherwise ephemeral finish. A half-hour in the carafe adds a little depth and vibrancy, but this welterweight is most notable for its elusive substantiality. Looking for a red wine to go with your piri-piri chicken? You got it. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Morel certainty
Gigondas 2010, Pierre Henri Morel ($33.00, 11996157)
Grenache (60%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvèdre (10%). Fermented in concrete vats for three to four weeks, with daily pump-overs. Matured for 12 to 18 months, mostly in concrete vats but partly in 600-litre barrels. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Clos des vignes.
A nose more closed and subdued than the Signargues‘s, the blackberry and sour cherry wrapped in leather, garrigue and old oak. Bigger, sterner and more structured too, with grippier if fine tannins. The fruit is pure, focused and held in check by savoury and mineral flavours and sleek acidity, while the spice-scented finish lasts long. This has leg of lamb written all over it. Carafe an hour before serving at cool room temperature. In contrast to some overachiever Gigondases, not a blockbuster and all the better for it. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG June 12th tasting: Terrano fortunato
A member of the Refosco family, Terrano is an ancient grape variety grown mainly around the northeastern Adriatic in Croatia, Slovenia and a sliver of Italy that includes Trieste, whose basic red wine it makes.
IGT Venezia Giulia 2010, Terrano, Benjamin Zidarich ($34.85, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Terrano. While the estate isn’t certified organic, it uses no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides in its vineyards. The grapes for this wine where manually harvested, crushed and macerated on their skins in open vats for four weeks, with four punch-downs a day and no temperature control. Alcoholic fermentation was spontaneous, with ambient yeasts. The wine was transferred to large oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, then to a mix of medium and large Slavonian oak barrels for approximately 20 months’ maturation. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with a small dose of sulphur. Total production: 4,000 bottles. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Earthy, spicy, red fruit and peonies. Exuberantly fruity, even juicy, but dry: a middleweight with incisive acidity, velvety tannins, a slatey substrate and great purity. Vibrant right to the end of the faintly saline finish. Though delightful, our bottle should have been cooler (say, 16-17°C), like the one at Le printemps dézippé, where it was one of the standout reds. (Buy again? Done!)
In La Terra Fortunata, Fred Plotkin writes that Terrano “is a versatile wine that pairs with many foods from the Tirestine and Carso kitchens, including cevapcici (ground meat patties), pork products, cheeses, potatoes, cabbage, and fruit. The most famous pairing is one of the simplest: the Terrano and ovi duri (hard-boiled eggs) that one can consume in any buffet in Trieste.”
MWG June 12th tasting: Crystal therapy
IGP Vin des Allobroges 2012, Schiste, Domaine des Ardoisières ($64.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
The steep, terraced, mountain-side vineyards, formerly forest land above the village of Villard, were created in the late 1990s. From the start, all farming has been organic and biodynamic. This is a blend of four of the estate’s five white varieties: Jacquère (40%), Roussane (30%), Malvoisie (aka Pinot Gris, 20%) and Mondeuse Blanche (10%). The varieties are vinified separately. After manual harvesting, the grapes are lightly pressed. The musts are chilled, clarified by settling and transferred to third- to fifth-fill barrels for alcoholic fermentation using indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is not systematic. The wine is matured for 12 months in barrels, then racked, blended, lightly filtered and bottled. Production: around 7,000 bottles. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
One of the most crystalline wines I’ve encountered. Fresh, dry, ethereal and above all pure. Intertwining scents and flavours of wax, white fruit, minerals and flowers. Exquisite tension between acidity and extract. Long saline, white spice-haunted finish. An elegantly balanced wine with every quality. Breathtaking now though the estate claims it can age for up to a decade. A knockout with Reblochon cheese. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
Brett happens 