| The Goblet and the Gobbler |
By: Clare Kennedy
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The popularity of wine is growing, making it absolutely essential for a party
host to know a little bit about what wines to serve with what food.
But if don’t know a chardonnay from a cabernet, fret not.
We ask the experts.
With holidays just around the corner, anxious hosts may be wondering which wine will best wash down their holiday fare.
And with the interest in wine growing throughout the country — and here in Minnesota — it’s important for a host to know a little bit about wine.
Don’t think that interest in wine is growing? Well, just ask Owatonna-native Charlie Quast, who now owns the Fieldstone Winery in Morgan, Minn.
“About three years ago domestic wine consumption outpaced beer for the first time,” Quast said.
In keeping with wine’s upswing in popularity, the array of wines widely available has gone up. Nowadays, there is more of everything, Dave Isaacson, manager of the Liquor Store at Cashwise Foods: More varieties, more bottles and more wineries. The industry has taken root far beyond California and Europe. Wines from Canada, Argentina, Chile, Japan, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are all available at local stores. Argentina and Chile, they seem to be up and coming
Wineries have even taken root in Minnesota. When Quast opened his winery in 2003 there were 11 total in the state. In 2010, there will be about three times as many.
So how do you know what wine to pair with what food?
When pairing wine with food, the general rule of thumb is this: The lighter the food, the lighter the wine, said Isaacson.
“You want something that balances with it,” Isaacson said. “If you’re eating something that was really sweet, you don’t want a sweet wine because it’s just too much.
Salads, for instance, go well with a Sauvignon Blanc.
“That goes well together because Sauvignon has some hints of citrus and fruit flavors which really brings out the fresh ingredients in the salad,” Isaacson said.
Moving into the main course, turkey, chicken and other poultry are well-paired with a Riesling, Chardonnay, or White Zinfandel. If you’re more into reds, Pinot Noir would work.
If serving a seafood stick with whites, except for salmon which goes best with a red like Pinot Noir.
For ham and other pork dishes, a white with more bite might be in order like a Chardonnay. Otherwise, Isaacson suggested a blended red wine. Blended wines are “easy drinking” he said, and they consist of different types of juice, for example, 41 percent Cabernet, 52 percent Merlot, and 7 percent Sirah.
“It makes for a smoother product, a smoother finish,” said. “A lot of people didn’t like to drink wine because of the alcoholic taste. Blended wines minimize that.”
Heavy, savory meats like steak call for a wine with more punch — usually a red, like a Merlot or Cabernet.
“You need a heartier flavor, a bigger taste,” Isaacson said. “Lots of reds are aged in oak barrels with the skin still on, so they’re a little more bitter.”
For dessert, Isaacson recommended a port wine with chocolate or maybe a sweet wine like Moscato.
Kevin Dillmeuth of Firehouse Liquor recommended some bubbly or a sparkling white. If you really want to go all out, try an ice wine, which wine produced from grapes that were picked shortly after a frost. The result is like liquid candy.
“It’s very delicate and very expensive but very good,” Isaacson said.
But let’s say your main concern when browsing the bottle is price. You’re not alone and you’re also in luck, Isaacson and Dillmeuth said. Over the last two years staff members at Firehouse noticed a shift in the average price customers were willing to spend on a bottle of vino—from $15 to $20 down to $10.
But you don’t have to compromise on taste with an inexpensive wine.
“There are some great wines for $5 to $7,” Isaacson said. “Just because they’re cheap doesn’t mean they’re not good.”
If you’re hosting a large party and you’re looking for a deal a box of wine might give you the most bang for your buck. A box of Franzia, for instance, contains five liters of wine. Boxed wine is no longer a punchline.
“Box wine isn’t what it was a few years ago. Before, it was just a way to get rid of some juice,” Isaacson said. “Now there’s a good share out there that are some really good wine.”
Clare Kennedy can be reached at 444-2376.
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