Monday we had ham and other Easter leftovers, with the 2006 Domaine Bart Marsannay rose. Pleasant if unexciting pink, cherry and strawberry fruit, a little touch of pleasant bitterness on the finish, hint of herbs. Could use a tad more body for my tastes. B/B-
Tuesday Betsy was feeling better and told me she was making pork chops with apple- I envisioned opening a Gruner Veltliner or drier Riesling. Then I found out that the dish featured nori (as well as edamame and Japanese yams), and I turned to rose or darker red. I finally chose a Brun "L'Ancien" Beaujolais. Maybe the worst pairing mistake I've made in at least a year. I hadn't read the recipe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dinin ... ref=slogin
First of all, once the cider is reduced, the sauce is very tart. The shichimi togarashi spice mix also clashed with the Gamay. The food killed the wine, and the wine did the food no good at all. I eventually conceded defeat and clung to my seltzer siphon. This might be a wine-proof dish, but if she does again I might try a sparkling Chenin or an off-dry Riesling (with low hopes).
As to the 2006 JP Brun (Terres Dorees) "L'Ancien" Beaujolais, a food friendly wine, just not this food. After the meal on its own, I quite enjoyed a glass. Not as big as the 2005, clean fresh black cherries and raspberries, a light tannic note on the finish. A little bit of flowers, some spice. Really a nice wine that deserved better treatment than being thrown into the pit with the pork chops and nori sauce. F for the match, B+ for the wine.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.