Tag Archive for 'piedmont'

Viognier/Roussanne/Marsanne Cheese Pairings

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joanie
on August 28, 2008
in Joanie Hudson and Wine and Food Pairing
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Last night, Spiritland Bistro’s Wednesday Wine and Dine theme was Viognier/Roussanne/Marsanne (white wines from France’s Rhone region), and the cheese pairings were so perfect that I must share.  If you haven’t read my previous posts about this event, in short, Spiritland hosts a themed four course dinner on the last Wednesday of each month.  They choose a theme (July’s theme was Rose, September/October’s theme will be SRH Pinot), and during the first hour guests are able to pour themselves a taste of all of the wines that each person brought along.  During this first hour, guests graze on cheese from local shop, C’est Cheese that are meant to complement the wine.  

There were three cheeses last night, all served at a recommended room temperature so that they become almost spreadable on crackers.  First there was the Idiazabal from Spain.  This is a pressed unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese that comes from the Basque country.  It has a buttery flavor with hints of hazelnut and is slightly acidic.  Nice for cutting through the richness of Rhone varietal white wines.  

Second we had Toma Maccagno from the Valle Cervo in Biella, Italy (Piedmont).  This one was best kept at room temperature because it is semi soft to begin with and was the perfect consistency to spread on a tiny cracker.  Toma is made from cow’s milk.  It is rich and earthy and like the Idiazabal has a buttery texture.  

Last there was my favorite, the Hoch Ybrig (hohk ee-BRIG) from Switzerland.  This is a full flavored cow’s milk that has a firm texture and ripe stone fruit essences, primarily apricot.  This wine would also be nice with a Riesling.  

The wine’s were fantastic, as usual, and I particularly enjoyed the 2006 Tablas Creek Bergeron that I brought.  Bergeron is 100% Roussanne (a French Savoie grape). If you are not familiar with the Tablas Creek wines, they are one of my favorite wineries in California and produce Rhone varietals in Paso Robles.  One reason I love their white wines so much is that their acidity keeps them nice and crisp, never cloying.  Their lean character makes them very food-friendly and balanced.  

Hope to see you at the October 6 SRH Pinot dinner!  See a previous post for the menu.  

Spiritland Bistro, 966-7759

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Chateauneuf du Pape Tasting

Published
by
joanie
on January 11, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Joanie Hudson, Wine News and Wine and Food Pairing
. 2 Comments

My wine group got together this week for a Chateauneuf du Pape tasting.  Eleven people, eight wines, and more than enough cheese made for a wonderful night at my house.  Just like with our last Piedmont tasting, it was really interesting to be able to taste all of these wines from outside of California side by side.  

This method of tasting is so educational and really helps me develop my palate.  It allows for memory retention through repetition and highlights flaws or abnormalities. Chateauneuf du Pape is a particularly interesting appellation because of its unique terroir (rocky soil) and strict control over production.  

Located in the Southern Rhone wine region in southeastern France and home to Grenache dominated blends of up to 13 different grape varietals, of which Syrah and Mouvedre are two of the most well known.  

Grenache is a medium bodied red grape known to have soft tannins and aromas of red fruits (think raspberry and strawberry).  It is usually blended to add acidity, structure, and color.  The wines from the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation are high in alcohol (requires the highest minimum alcohol level, 12.5%, of any appellation in France).  

Dry, rugged, rustic, earthy, herbacious - these are adjectives that can be used to describe these wines, whose silky yet puckering tannins make this wine fantastic with food.The intrinsic minerality in these wines is due to the fact that the vines are planted amongst rocks and pebbles.  This is a serious case of the effect of terroir on how the wine tastes and smells.  There is a layer of stones present in the soil of the vineyards called galets (”pebbles”). 

When considering food pairings for Chateauneuf du Pape style wines I recommend hearty Fall and Winter dishes that will not overwhelm the wine while at the same time matching its firm yet soft tannic structure.  Think tied bundles of Provencal herbs and roast lamb.  We had an array of foods to go with the wine, but I would have to say that my favorite pairing was a lentil and butternut squash soup.  

Other favorites were  roasted polenta and toasted baguette slices with a sweet quince paste.  I would advise against too much garlic or spice because your palette will not be overwhelmed and it will take away from the wine.  I made this mistake by putting too much garlic on the bruschetta.  

I could barely taste the first wine because of this.  Also, for high alcohol wines such as these (defined as higher than 12%) avoid salty dishes which can make wine taste bitter.  Keep in mind that tannin is not only found in grape skins, but also can be found in, for example, the skin of walnuts.  Match tannin with tannin and incorporate something like walnuts into your cooking.  Match the herbaceousness of the wine with herbaceous food.

Our wild card wine was the 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Grenache/Syrah.  This very approachable wine exhibits a fruitier quality, being that it is relatively young and from California, than those grown in the Southern Rhone.  It was very popular in the tasting and received second place out of the eight!  I love it with green olives and fresh bread.

Joan Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Piedmont Tasting

Published
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joanie
on December 6, 2007
in Joanie Hudson and Wine and Food Pairing
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If you are ever interested in learning more about a specific wine region or varietal, grab a group of friends and host a themed wine tasting.  A couple of coworkers and I started a monthly tasting group to do just this so we could learn more about tasting through focused study.  Our first tasting was Pinot and last night we had our second, focusing on wines from the Piedmont region of Italy. 

Varietals from this region, which is located in the area surrounding Alba bordering France, include Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto and Arneis (to name a few).  Our meetings focus around dinner and blind tasting. 

Each person brings a bottle, and upon arrival it is immediately poured into a numbered decanter by the host, who gets a completely different experience of the blind tasting because they know what is being served.  I have been really excited about this tasting ever since the theme was chosen because these unique wines are not easily accessible or inexpensive. 

Nebbiolo is the grape of the Barolos and Barbarescos and rarely is it seen grown outside of Piedmont (though we actually produce a Nebbiolo from the Stolpman Vineyard).  It is so easy for me to get sucked into only drinking California wines, especially Santa Barbara wines, because they are familiar and easy to get. 

When learning about wine it is so important to focus on specifics and have a comparison level for what you are drinking.  Don’t just drink wines because they are familiar and easy to get your hands on, but do some research, go to your local wine store, ask your wine snob friend to show off his knowledge, and try something new.

Eleven decanters lined up next to each other (all full of red wines) on the kitchen counter is quite a sight.  These wines, although characteristically concentrated and tannic are lighter in color than I would have expected, almost like an older Burgundy.  One by one we tasted and talked about the wines, remaining surprisingly focused the entire time. 

All of the wines exhibited dry, mouth puckering tannins, gripping mouth feel, and aromas of dehydrated ripe fruit, truffles, and concentrated liquorice.  Barrel and subsequent bottle aging allows the tannins to soften and makes for a more approachable wine.  It was interesting to see how time can allow this to happen and be able to detect this softness.  Long lingering, astringent finishes showed unique complexities coating the entire mouth and sides of the tongue.

The food of the night was perfect for the wines, including grilled rosemary lamb with truffle butter, vegetarian meatballs (whose acidic tomato sauce went perfectly with the slight acidity characteristic of Italian wines), Bagna Cauda, and a selection of Fontina and Truffle cheeses. 

Truffles seemed to appear everywhere - in the wine, in the oil drizzled over the grilled vegetables, in the cheese, and in the butter used on the lamb.  Here is where the integration of food and wine contributes to transforming these parts into an experience.  Wine number three was the Santa Barbara Winery 04 Nebbiolo, and tasting it with the truffle cheese was an unbelievable pairing. 

The night felt very Italian not only in terms of the wine, but also the food, and most importantly sharing these things with friends and good company over a few hours.  I brought the wine that won the tasting - a 1997 Moccagotta Bric Balin Barbaresco.  It really stood out from the rest, and after each wine we tasted I said I still liked wine #2 the best (which turned out to be my wine).  So I guess that means dinner is at my house next time… Chateauneuf du Pape tasting?

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