A Sommelier's wine secrets
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Syrah is one of my favorite wines to make and drink. Shiraz, on the other hand, is not one of the wines on my list of favorites. I find this amazing since the wine is made from the same grape. It’s just the climate and winemaker that creates the vast differences in the style, aroma and flavors of the wine. Rhône style Syrah wine possesses a certain elegance, along with an earthiness and notes of black current, white pepper, violet and olive. On the other end of the spectrum, Shiraz wine possesses a denser, fruit forward and tannic characteristic with notes of blackberry, plum, jam, violet and licorice. One grape, two totally different wines. As far as the name is concerned, it would have been a marketing faux pas for the Australians to have the same name for such a dissimilar product. The Australians first used the name Syrah like the French, then soon altered it to Scyras, and finally changed it Shiraz after the ancient city where the grape originated. It was the French who first deviated from the original ancient spelling, changing the name to Syrah, mainly because they couldn’t pronounce Shiraz. Neither name or wine style is bad, they’re just different.
Sometimes Sommeliers just want to drink and not think, so letting someone else pair wine for you is the best treat ever. On a recent lunch trip to Spago Beverly Hills, I decided not act like a knowledgeable wine professional, but to sit in the passenger seat and let someone else drive for a little while. Well, I was so impressed by the outstanding experience that I decided it warranted writing a blog about it. In fact, this little episode has blossomed into a new road show for me that I’m going to call The Secret Sommelier. Every once in a while, when I’m dining out, I’m going to keep my wine knowledge to myself, be a careful observer and later blog about my wine pairing experience. To give you a little background, Spago was the first restaurant that famous Chef Wolfgang Puck opened in 1982 and has remained an LA dining destination ever since. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Spago wine list is the most extensive and comprehensive in Los Angeles. This 65-page book of wines is daunting even for the most hard-core wine professional, so it made sense for this to be my first stop. After enjoying the ambience of Spago’s entry and marveling at the extraordinary antique wood lobby bar, we were seated in the light, airy atrium in the middle of the restaurant. My partner in crime and I carefully ordered dishes that would be a challenge to pair with wine, but the waiter did an outstanding job by pin pointing a 2015 Sancerre from Lucien Crochet, Le Chêne (Sauvignon Blanc), to pair with my lightly breaded Soft Shell Crab. The crisp acids and mineral notes of this Sancerre harmonized impeccably with the rich, savory flavors of the soft shell crab and even worked well with the tanginess of the vinegar-based salad dressing.
My friend ordered the Stir-Fried Chinese Noodles with Tiger Shrimp, Shiitake Mushroom and a black bean glaze, which was beautifully paired with a 2015 Albariño, Mar de Frades from Rias Baixas. The brininess and acidity of the Albariño perfectly accompanied the sweet, succulent shrimp and the saltiness of the black bean glaze. When I first made the decision to repress my education and go along for the ride, I was simply anticipating a chance to relax and enjoy the passive experience of a drink and fine lunch. Instead, I discovered that Spago is not only an awesome place to relish a well-prepared meal, but that there is a little something doubly enjoyable about a great wine pairing selected without a moment’s thought of my own. Shhh, it’ll be our little secret. Just imagine a bunch of women hanging out, drinking wine and discussing the different aromas and bouquet they detect. Then, of course, they would start discussing what food would pair the best with the wine. I’ve seen this happen again and again, and it doesn’t matter if they’re in a formal wine tasting or a social event. Women in general tend to utilize their sense of smell and taste in more situations than a man would. I think the perfume, soap and cosmetic industries can vouch for that. Is it just a serendipitous phenomenon that women are sensitive to smell and taste or is it natural selection? There have been numerous studies to support the fact that women generally have a better sense of smell than men (Nelson, 2000). Of more significance, moms have an even better sense of smell than women who have never given birth. Nature has created the ability for women to accurately recognize their young in the wild and to detect threats to their young through smell (Fleming et al, 93). Odor identification is critical for maternal behavior and detecting nasty wines. In retrospect, nature has created the best wine component and flaw detectors. Now when my kids whine about visiting another winery, I simply tell them that if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be able to derive so much pleasure from wine. Now, go wait in the car. When visiting new locations, nothing is more rewarding or fascinating than exploring regions that may be off the beaten path or require a bit of travel time out of the city. There is just something alluring about losing oneself in the local landscape, people and culture and experiencing the country first hand. The challenge is formulating where to go and how to get there. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to both of those problems. Wineries tend to be found somewhat off the beaten path, in the heart of the countryside and often around picturesque winding rivers. If, instead of simply focusing on a mode of transportation that gets you from point A to point B, you consider incorporating wine as part of the peregrination, you just may add a whole new dimension to the journey. Why just take a regular train from one city to the next when you can take a wine train? Instead of merely going horseback riding through the countryside, consider a trail ride between wineries. Not only do you get to experience the landscape close up, you get to immerse yourself in the local culture, wine and cuisine. Getting to know the topography from a hot air balloon is great, but even better if it starts and ends at a vineyard where you can literally taste the terroir that you just flew over. Mundane river cruises take you from one heavily visited site to the next, but a wine river cruise will take you to parts of the country that are rarely seen. The simple trick of considering wine transportation when contemplating travel arrangements not only provides easy options for getting around, it adds more opportunities for an extraordinary vacation. When one thinks of German wines, one automatically thinks of big blonds…I mean white wines. You know, the typical Riesling, Müller-Thurgau or Silvaner. However, on occasion you will find a seductive red with great body that comes from Germany. The most common red German wines being Spätburgunder (pinot noir), Portugieser, Trollinger and Dornfelder. I’ve discovered a wonderful Dornfelder wine made by Sander Winery just outside of Frankfurt. This organically grown red wine possesses notes of red currant and boysenberry with delicate tannins and low acidity. In other words, it’s gulpable. The Dornfelder grape was actually an experimental hybrid created from the Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe grapes, whose primary purpose was to add color to blended wines. Dornfelder wines pair well with regional sausages, barbequed meats, sauerbraten, and dark chocolate. Just a thought….a glass of Dornfelder with a Ruben Sandwich would be sehr gut. Müller-Thurgau and Pinotage are obviously very different in that one is a white grape and the other is red. Another striking difference is that one comes from the Northern hemisphere and the other from the Southern hemisphere. Despite these vast differences, both varietals are similar in that they are the product of varietal crossings. The parents of Müller-Thurgau are Riesling and Silvaner. Riesling, a cool climate varietal, possesses intense fruit flavors and complex mineral components, but sometimes has problems ripening. Silvaner, on the other hand, tends to be a hardier varietal which ripens in sites where Riesling can’t. So, you put them together to create Müller-Thurgau. Then you have the best of both worlds, intense flavors and complexity in a grape that can ripen in the most challenging of places. Pinotage is a varietal crossing between Pinot noir and Cinsault. Pinot noir, as we all know, is a fickle varietal, which is a challenge to grow if the conditions and soil are not just so. Despite that, it can possess the most incredible fruit flavors with a variety of spice notes. South Africa, the home of Pinotage, has brutal terrain making pinot noir nearly impossible to grow. Cinsault, on the other hand, prolifically grows where no other grape can. When you combine these together, you get incredibly complex fruit that can grow in the most adverse conditions. But the best thing that both Müller-Thurgau and Pinotage have in common is that they’re both really good to drink. When I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, I was astounded by the numerous uses of wine for “medicinal purposes.” It seemed every household had its secret stash of wine for the occasional medical emergency. Interestingly enough, these emergencies occurred precisely around the end of the day, in close proximity to dinner. I don’t know why this was such a surprise, for I knew that wine had been used for therapeutic remedies for thousands of years. Specifically, in 3000 B.C., the Sumerians consumed wine and used medications made with wine for medicinal purposes. Homer’s Iliad refers to wine being administered to wounded soldiers for wound dressings, as a cooling agent for fevers, and imbibed for use as a purgative and diuretic (JAMA, 1977). In seventeenth-century England, wine was used as a tonic for preventing illness and as an important component of therapeutic remedies to provoke vomiting, sneezing and to clear imbalances in the upper body (Tree, 27). In colonial America, wine was used to cure colic, worms and green sickness (A. Johns, 1947). My personal favorite is for wine infused with sage as a cure for married women suffering from “melancholy.” Did they prescribe 750 mls taken before your husband gets home for that malady? I’ll have to remember wine for its purgative properties the next time I hear about the newly found wonders of Resveratrol. One of the most uncertain things for wine professional, restaurateurs or wine lovers is whether or not decanting wine is necessary. Will decanting release the aromatic components of the wine or will it increase the deterioration or oxidation process? I want to present a few thoughts about decanting from Emile Peynaud, “the man” (Director and Professor of Bordeaux University Center of Oenology). Professor Peynaud conducted numerous research studies on decanting to rationalize its purpose in terms of the science of Oenology.
Decanting is a very old process of separating the clean wine from the sediment or particle deposits that have formed in the bottle. Most wines today are fined or filtered in some way before they even reach the bottle, making decanting obsolete. Peynaud’s 1st Rule of decanting is that only bottles which have deposits need to be decanted. Deposits or particles in suspension can be felt by the tongue, thus changing the wine’s structure, lessening the aroma and making red wine bitter. Peynaud’s 2nd Rule is if decanting is necessary, it should be done at the last moment just before serving, never in advance. Older wines are usually more delicate and sensitive than younger wines so limiting their exposure to oxygen is beneficial. Finally, the 3rd Rule is only wines suffering from some fault (like reduction) should be decanted allowing the wine to have some contact with air to correct the problem. There are a million exceptions to these decanting rules. They may be based on science, personal preference or the varietal itself. What are your rules for decanting? With the holiday season upon us, one can’t help to think about what to give the person who has everything. Of course, wine is a great answer to this perplexing question. When I give wine as a gift, I try to think out of the ordinary and choose something like Port, Prosecco, Moscato d’Asti or Tokaji wines. These are wines that people don’t normally purchase for themselves, so they enjoy getting them as gifts. Ruby or Tawny Port or a Hungarian Tokaji will please the person who enjoys flavorful red wines which exhibit complex notes of fruits and spices while being lightly sweet. These wines can be stored easily until they’re ready to be consumed. Prosecco and Moscato d’Asti are a spritzy sweet alternative to Champagne and will be enjoyed by the connoisseurs who enjoys fruity and floral notes and a bit of sweetness. All four of these wines can be purchased at various price ranges allowing the buyer a little purchasing flexibility. If you’re not familiar with these wines, I would be happy to post additional information about these wines. For centuries, it has been the French tradition to release the Beaujolais Nouveau the third week in November. However, sometime in the later half of the twentieth century, French winemaker and marketing genius, George Duboeuf, exposed the rest of the world to this Beaujolais marketing madness. The funny thing is, Beaujolais wine is meant to be consumed during the heat of the summer with light dishes as an alternative to white wines, not served in November, when people are eating heavier dishes. Beaujolais wines are made from the Gamay grape which possesses soft, fine tannins and notes of red fruit, bananas, pear and bubblegum. This is the perfect summer deck-wine which pairs well with pizza or Barbecued pork. So why worry about Beaujolais Nouveau in November? Je ne sais pas. |
Annette Solomon, CS
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December 2021
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