I need assistance in putting together a range of wines all from red grape varieties to match a dinner.
Canapes: easy have organised a straight Pinot Noir sparkling from Chandon.
Entree: Is a Jerusalem artichoke soup with gruyere, HELP!!
Main: No problems there, have a couple of surprises up my sleeve (will post tasting notes) they will be a Shiraz & a Cabernet of at least 10years vintage.
Dessert: Rhubarb Crumble, HELP!!
Cheese: Vintage Port, Warres 1985
Please help me with suggestions on what would be a good match...
then again could forget about the soup & dessert & just enjoy the wine
I m not expert at food and wine matching so I will do the easy one first. The Rhubarb Crumble (I hope with cream ) should go very well with a liqueur Muscat or Tokay. If you want to spend in the mid $20 the Seppelts DP 63 Muscat. If the mid to high $30's then the Campbells Gold Top Tokay is the best. For about $50 the Seppelts Rare Tokay and a bit more gets you a Bullers Museum Tokay or Muscat.
The soup is more difficult. Fart-ie-chokes are not easy to match (or stomach ) but the hopefully the Gruyère will give it a bit of flavour. My guess would be an aged mid weight Coonawarra Cabernet or subtle (by red bigot standards) Shiraz. Texture of the wine will be important, you don't want something with loads of obvious tannins that still need to resolve.
In our RB household we probably pick food to go with the wine rather than the other way round.
As Ric said, I'd be happy drinking something like the 96 Mildara white label cabernet (12.5%) with the soup (although that particular soup would not be my favourite) , or say a Seppelt Dorrien 90 or 91.
Being an RB of advancing years and matching waistline I tend to skip desserts and go straight to the cheese. Since there are almost no reds that go with a sweet dessert there is the pragmatic exemption of sweet dessert wines made from white grapes on the RB menu. If you are really intent on all red, it might be possible to find a sweetish sparkling red that might suit, eg Bleasdale Sp Shiraz is nicely rich without much oak. I'd have an alternative sticky handy though, unless you get a chance to try the match well before the dinner party.
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Other option for the artichoke soup could be an old Seppelts etc. sparkling burgundy - the soft earthiness I think would go well with the artichokes and the high acid/blus bubbles would probably cut through the richness of the soup.
For desert what about a sweetish dolcetto - Brown Bros does one, or any other specific Italian red desert wines - had a beautiful one in San Vincenzo last year.
Mark K wrote:I thought these were made from white varieties, Ric?
Mark K
Mark,
You are starting to repeat yourself, yourself, yourself.
Now to answer your question with two questions. What colour is the skin of these 'white grapes' and can you see through a good liqueur tokay or muscat?
Now to answer your question with two questions. What colour is the skin of these 'white grapes' and can you see through a good liqueur tokay or muscat?
Damm internet touretteÂ’s syndrome....
I was just wondering if with all of these muscat and tokay tasting notes if you were going to change your handle.
Been thinking perhaps
TORAFWB (The other red and fortified whites bigot)
TORABGB (The other red and brown grape bigot)
TOASTB (The other anti see through bigot)
TSORB (The semi other red bigot)
For the desert, do consider 'Joseph Fonti' as well. It has the richness of a Tokay/Muscat, but is nicely acidic as well. May work well with the sourness of the Rhubarb.
) should go very well with a liqueur Muscat or Tokay. If you want to spend in the mid $20 the Seppelts DP 63 Muscat. If the mid to high $30's then the Campbells Gold Top Tokay is the best. For about $50 the Seppelts Rare Tokay and a bit more gets you a Bullers Museum Tokay or Muscat.
) but the hopefully the Gruyère will give it a bit of flavour. My guess would be an aged mid weight Coonawarra Cabernet or subtle (by red bigot standards) Shiraz. Texture of the wine will be important, you don't want something with loads of obvious tannins that still need to resolve.
