Wine pairing dinner
There’s a recommended order in which wines should be tasted – i.e. White through to Red; Dry to Sweet; and Young to Old. It’s not law, however! You won’t be ostracised from the wine loving community if you go off-piste at all. It’s a useful guide, but it’s not the eleventh commandment!
For example, when judging at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) we are given red wines first! There’s a good reason for this. If tasting whites first, as recommended above, bearing in mind that there will be perhaps 30 to 40 to judge (and this is each day, by the way!) the natural acidity in them will slightly damage the palate for that day’s session, therefore making it more difficult to judge the wines that come afterwards, the rosés, and the reds. It’s therefore done in reverse order.
Also, when considering the wines for a pairing dinner, there are other considerations that come into play. And so it was when I sat down with the Seymour family, owners of Ca Pepe Restaurant (http://www.capepe.com/), Moraira a few weeks ago. Working with Harry Seymour, Maitre D and IC Wines and Drinks, and his brother Daniel, Head Chef, we chatted about the recommended order as above, but also the menu that Daniel was going to create.
The Amuse Bouche was to be served with the Sparkling Wine, and there was going to be a fish course, which would suit a white very nicely, but that would be a hot dish, whilst the Chicken Liver Parfait, would be cold! So, we decided on a rosé wine to accompany the chicken liver, followed by the hot Sea Bass, paired with a white. Sometimes you have to walk on the wild side!
What a great night it was, full to capacity, everybody turned up on time and clearly already in a great mood and totally up for a rather special evening. From the comments afterwards, it seems that their expectations were met, with interest!
The Ca Pepe Amuse Bouche was partnered with a Sparkling Wine, not a Cava, but one made by the descendant of the family that made the first ever cava in Spain. Now making his splendid fizz, outside of the DO Cava, Pepe Raventos, farms biodynamically and has even managed to improve the quality of the Cava he was making before leaving the DO.
A golden hue greets the eye as the wine sits in the glass, fine bubbles springing continuously from the bottom to the top. Raventos i Blanc, Blanc de Blanc Spanish Sparkling Wine is made with the traditional white fizz varieties – Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada. It’s actually their entry level sparkling wine – giving an indication as to the quality of the others in their portfolio! Like all Raventos fizz it has enjoyed at least 18 months on its lees, which has given an added dimension to the finished product, Outstanding, and my favourite wine of the night, and this from a high quality platform!
Our off-piste rosado, pairing the quenelle of chicken liver, itself a work of art, as well as a culinary high point, was Bodegas Albret Rocío Rosado 2018. They’ve fermented this wine in barrica, French oak – plus they’ve let the wine rest in the barrel for a further 2 months. It wouldn’t be correct to say that this rosado is really a wannabe red wine, but it does have some such aspirations. It has body as well as a delightful strawberry nose – dry, yes, but a slight fruit sweetness that picked up the caramelised onions on which the parfait rested. Lovely!
Mara Godello 2018 hales from DO Monterrei, southern Galicia on the border with Portugal – look out for wines from this area, very good quality, but not usually as expensive as the wines of, for example Rías Baixas, also from NW Spain. Fermented in Stainless Steel the wine rests a few months with its lees, gaining some complexity and allowing it to cope well with Daniel’s grilled Mackerel fillet adorned with, amongst other delights, a little pickled fennel. The Godello grape variety, often displays a little ‘hinojo’ (fennel) on the nose so we thought it an ideal partner. Fresh, citrusy with a hint of pear Mara Godello is a wine to which I’ll return.
Our superb Magret de Pato, Duck Breast, was served with Monteabellón 2016, a DO Ribera del Duero wine made from 100% Tempranillo, usually called Tinto del Pais in Ribera del Duero, but they are using the Tempranillo name, probably for better international recognition.
It’s had 14 months in oak, 70% French, 30% American, and on the nose – well, for me it speaks of Spanish red wine – in a blind tasting anywhere in the world I think we’d all guess that this wine is from Spain. I recommend opening this wine a good hour before serving, decanting if you are able to, so that the heavy oak aromas dissipate a little, allowing the dark bramble fruit to join the aromatic party! I’m not certain, but this could have been the most perfect of pairing on the night!
Finally, we wanted to serve a more local wine with the dessert, opting in the end, for Bodegas Vicente Gandia’s Fusta Nova Moscatel, served from the charming 50cl bottle, brimming with honeysuckle, some orange peel spritz, good acidity yet luscious sweetness, and a flick of lightly coloured honey, perhaps Acacia, on the palate. Frozen mango parfait, coriander, toasted coconut and raspberries with this wine – what a way to finish!
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