A few great bottles have come and gone around the house lately, ones Ive been meaning to share as particularly good food-pairing wines. Lets dive right in, shall we?
2009 Syrah | Dunnigan Hills, California | $17.99 | BC Liquor Stores
For some reason, I havent been having a lot of Californian wines lately. I think the last few that Id had were pretty big and bold, those fruit-bomb styles that are coupled with upwards of 16% alcohol that leave you purple-toothed and sluggish. Not so with this French-styled Syrah thats loaded with blackberries, blueberries and a whole spice-rack of character, cinnamon, clove, pepper, nutmeg and anise. A good medium weight, those dusty spices went quite well with our pork roast that had a rhubarb and apple compote for a little zing.
Cedar Creek 2011 Eherenfelser | Okanagan Valley, BC | $22-ish | Private Wine Stores
Its been years since I had s Ehrenfelser and Id forgotten how much it simply dazzles. We should be paying more attention to this one, not only because were one of the only places in the world to grow the grape (a German cross of Riesling and Silvaner,) but also because the vines that produce the fruit are 35 years old, lending much character and finesse to the mandarin orange, kaffir lime and honey elements that are gently swathed with perfect minerality and pitch-perfect acidity. Its just so darn pretty and fresh. Twist off that cap when youre having Indian curries, Thai food or even notoriously hard-to-pair sushi or sashimi.
2011 Bianco | Tuscany, Italy | $16.99 | BC Liquor Stores
I dare you to have just one glass. Alberto Antoninis sunny Tuscan blend of Vermentino, Trebbiano and Malvasia is generously juicy, all awash with blood orange, pineapple, lychee and meyer lemon. Theres a few white flowers blooming in there too, jasmine and verbena, making it a highly quaffable pairing for poultry, seafood, a sunny veranda or a plain ol bag of chips.
2008 Ripasso Valpolicella | Veneto, Italy | $29.99 | BC Liquor Stores
Savoury elegance out of north-east Italy thats made from a blend of Corvina, Veronese, Rondinella and Corvinon grapes, but this ones way more about the sum than its parts. The Ripasso part means that the wine has been put through extended maceration (or re-passed) with dried Amarone skins, adding more depth, more richness and more oomph. This is a wine that transports you to Italy, mixed olives, herbs, plums and dark fruit thats been aged in Slovenian oak barrels for 18 months, rounding out those edges and making the whole package silky-smooth. Believe it or not, a perfect pairing for Italian food.
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