February is the month of Presidents, National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day and of course, Valentine’s Day! And though the latter is past, you can still show your sweetheart (or yourself!) how much you care. Here are a few ideas to continue your Valentine’s Day celebration, focusing on wine and food.
The guidelines of red with beef and white with fish have been gradually shifting over the past several years. Even so, guidelines are meant to guide us, not force us to follow absolute rules. You have a great chance of making inspired pairings if you follow a few key ideas.
If you want to serve beef, lamb or venison, go with a bold red wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or a Bordeaux blend. The tannins (bitter flavors) in the wine will combine nicely with the fat in the meat. If you plan to have pork loin, a medium bold red wine like a Merlot, Sangiovese or Côtes du Rhone blend would be delicious and a great pairing. These pairings follow the principle that the wine should have the same flavor intensity as the food.
Maybe you’re in the mood for raw oysters, and you’d like a wine to complement that pungent, saline treat. There are a couple of wine categories to choose from that ensure a great pairing. Sparkling wines such as Champagne, Prosecco and Cava all bring high acidity, and the bubbles provide a nice contrast to the silky smooth texture of the oysters. You could also go with a light white wine without bubbles, such as Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, Albarino or Vermentino, all of which are light bodied, usually crisp, and often with bracing acidity and citrus notes. I heartily recommend a Vermentino, a varietal I fell in love with owing to a chef friend of mine and after tasting several bottles on a recent trip to Sardinia. It’s almost always dry, has flavors of grapefruit and citrus, yet its minerality and salinity make it wonderful with shellfish, as the grapes are heavily influenced by the saltiness of the sea breezes of Sardinia.
Of course, what would a special dinner be without dessert? One of the wonderful wine surprises I had in the past year was a pairing recommended by a friend. Leading a wine tasting with all Italian foods and wine, dessert was a dark chocolate gelato paired with a Brachetto d’Acqui, a sweet, sparkling red wine made from the red Brachetto grape grown in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. The delicate, light bodied, high-acid wine with bubbles and the taste of strawberries contrasted wonderfully with the rich, dark, creamy chocolate gelato. A vintage Port would also pair well with chocolate. If chocolate isn’t your thing, you could go for a crème brûlée paired with a sweet white wine like Moscato, a sweet Riesling, or Chenin Blanc.
The wine world is wonderful, and it’s calling your name. You owe it to yourself to answer “yes.” Go beyond the “tried and true” to find the “tried and new!” As you celebrate with friends and loved ones, uncork a bottle, raise a glass, and appreciate all the good people and things in your life.
For private wine education and tasting events, in your home or office, phone 757-647-2571 or email Steven.uncorkedevents@gmail.com. The author’s Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/UncorkedEventsLLC.
