Perfect pairings

sauvignon blanc with asparagus

Just a nit pick on this one, Jenise - if you're drinking Marlborough sauv blanc with asparagus the sauv blanc needs to be at least a year old - it needs to get past the high acid fruitiness and start picking up some of the more bottle aged vegetal characters. Of course, if you get a vegetal sauv blanc to start with it might work in the vintage of release, but often not.
Cheers,
Sue

For me, asparagus matches better with dry Muscat.

[Jenise]

sauvignon blanc with asparagus

Just a nit pick on this one, Jenise - if you're drinking Marlborough sauv blanc with asparagus the sauv blanc needs to be at least a year old - it needs to get past the high acid fruitiness and start picking up some of the more bottle aged vegetal characters. Of course, if you get a vegetal sauv blanc to start with it might work in the vintage of release, but often not.
Cheers,
Sue

Sue, completely understood. And it wouldn't work if the asparagus was overcooked or canned either. Point is, you could pick nits with nearly everything on my list. I certainly don't advocate any wine being drunk too early or served with poorly prepared food. Remember, I was trying to get away from the concept of perfect since there are so many roads to perfection and all won't get there--I was just addressing classic combos in general, and my own kitchen preferences in particular.

As I said in my post about NiagaraCOOL, I spread myself too thin and some of the foods I was planning never hit the table. One such item was grilled asparagus. As a result, I briefly blanched a lot of asparagus, separated the tips from the stalks and froze them separately, with the intention of making a pot or two of Cream of Asparagus soup. What would you folks pair with this?

James, welcome to the forum. You know what, I think if you took the word "perfect" out and substituted a word like 'classic' instead, guys like Hoke would have less to argue with.

"Guys like Hoke"; interesting phrase there, Jenise.

Would you care to enlighten me by telling me what a "guy like Hoke" is? I'd be interested in knowing.

sauvignon blanc with asparagus

Just a nit pick on this one, Jenise - if you're drinking Marlborough sauv blanc with asparagus the sauv blanc needs to be at least a year old - it needs to get past the high acid fruitiness and start picking up some of the more bottle aged vegetal characters. Of course, if you get a vegetal sauv blanc to start with it might work in the vintage of release, but often not.
Cheers,
Sue

Another nit pick, Sue: pairing many Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs with asparagus might easily be considered redundant cuisine

[James Roscoe]

James, welcome to the forum. You know what, I think if you took the word "perfect" out and substituted a word like 'classic' instead, guys like Hoke would have less to argue with.

"Guys like Hoke"; interesting phrase there, Jenise.

Would you care to enlighten me by telling me what a "guy like Hoke" is? I'd be interested in knowing.

Hoke is one of a kind. It's self-explanatory. I don't know why Jenise chose to use the plural. Was she lumping you in with Lou?!?!?!?!?

[Jenise]

James, welcome to the forum. You know what, I think if you took the word "perfect" out and substituted a word like 'classic' instead, guys like Hoke would have less to argue with.

"Guys like Hoke"; interesting phrase there, Jenise.

Would you care to enlighten me by telling me what a "guy like Hoke" is? I'd be interested in knowing.

Guys like Hoke: Clumsy turn of phrase meaning I knew that you, for one, had taken issue with James' post and I thought maybe others had but I didn't have time to go back and re-read the entire thread.

[James Roscoe]

I thought Hoke-bashing was an acceptable sport on this forum.

[Jenise]

I thought Hoke-bashing was an acceptable sport on this forum.

Well, it is. But I don't bash anybody, so that's not what was going on.

Another nit pick, Sue: pairing many Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs with asparagus might easily be considered redundant cuisine

LOL. Only the older ones, Thomas. Gosh, I remember some of the early Marlborough sauv blancs that tasted just like the juice of canned asparagus or canned peas. Talk about drinking your greens!

[James Roscoe]

I thought Hoke-bashing was an acceptable sport on this forum.

Well, it is. But I don't bash anybody, so that's not what was going on.

ANYBODY?!?!? I bet I could through out a few names you could bash (Bush). In the final analysis, you are WAY too nice Jenise. Maybe I'm WAY too mean.

[Robin Garr]

Maybe I'm WAY too mean.

Poll! Poll!

[James Roscoe]

Maybe I'm WAY too mean.

Poll! Poll!

Obviously Roscoe-bashing is also an acceptable sport on this forum! Bring it on!

Dear James,

Interesting that "classic" pairings was mentioned, as that is one of the features I really like in a book that Hoke was involved in testing: "The Wine Lover's Cookbook," by Sid Goldstein. Organized by variety, it has a number of classic pairings that have always worked well for me. A word of warning, the author believes in layering flavors and exact measurements. Most of the recipes have fifteen ingredients or more, and have measurements like "2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar." However, never has a recipe failed me, either.

This is probably on the shelves of your local bookstore, but you can also get a preview on Amazon. (Robin, please feel free to stick the WLP affiliate in there). Some of his classic pairings are Marinated Mussels and Roasted Red Bell Peppers with pinot grigio, for instance, not something that immediatly comes to mind.

Walt

Interesting that "classic" pairings was mentioned, as that is one of the features I really like in a book that Hoke was involved in testing: "The Wine Lover's Cookbook," by Sid Goldstein. Organized by variety, it has a number of classic pairings that have always worked well for me.

I have that book! I love it too. So Hoke was involved.
Maybe someone here knows the answer to a question I've often asked myself - is Sid Goldstein related to Evan Goldstein MS?

Interesting that "classic" pairings was mentioned, as that is one of the features I really like in a book that Hoke was involved in testing: "The Wine Lover's Cookbook," by Sid Goldstein. Organized by variety, it has a number of classic pairings that have always worked well for me.

I have that book! I love it too. So Hoke was involved.
Maybe someone here knows the answer to a question I've often asked myself - is Sid Goldstein related to Evan Goldstein MS?

Dunno, you're a noted wine critic, why don't you pick up the "hot phone" (Burgundy colored, of course) and call him?

I have a real love-hate relationship with TWLCB, because of its complexity. I would much rather have a very good match with half the work, but it is geared almost exclusively to "Saturday night" dishes. His new one, "The Wine Lover Cooks with Wine" is a lot simpler, which is great, but I don't necessarily need to *use* the wine, I just want it to match. Maybe I should try simplifying some of the original's recipes and post them here.

Walt

Zin and BBQ - I agree it depends somewhat on the BBQ and the Zin. Interestingly, at a tasting of Zins and sauces a couple of years ago, most people at my table thought that most of the Zins were better with the classic Marinara sauce than with a slightly sweet, mildly spice "barbecue" sauce.

Oloroso sherry is very nice with barbecued red meat in a variety of styles.

On the other hand, one of my best Zin-food pairings ever was a middle-aged Ridge Lytton Springs with anchovy and sausage pizza.

But before we scare people off, the first thing to say is the number of GREAT food-wine pairings is not very large and the number of really bad ones (as in making the food or wine taste WORSE) is quite small. IMHO.

Interesting that "classic" pairings was mentioned, as that is one of the features I really like in a book that Hoke was involved in testing: "The Wine Lover's Cookbook," by Sid Goldstein. Organized by variety, it has a number of classic pairings that have always worked well for me.

I have that book! I love it too. So Hoke was involved.
Maybe someone here knows the answer to a question I've often asked myself - is Sid Goldstein related to Evan Goldstein MS?

No, he's not, Sue.

Yes, I was involved in the book---along with a lot of other people, mind you. Sid was simply gracious enough to give me a little mention, thassall. We had the pleasure of working together for several years, and since we were both lovers of good food and wine (especially together) we did a lot of happy collaboration, exploring food and wine affinities.

The 'field testing' was the most fun part, natch, but I assisted Sid with some of the wine information as well. I subjectively think that section is rock solid, concise, yet informative (for which all credit goes to Sid!).

Sid also co-authored a couple of terrific books with John Ash, by the way. He was deeply involved in the development of what came to be known as "wine country cooking" in some areas, and "California Fresh" in others.

Walt's right in that the recipes echo Sid's meticulous nature: the recipes are very precise and detailed. But they also work exceptionally well. They are very reliable. And the food and wine pairings are meticulously tested as well. It's a good, sturdy, reliable resource book, and I'm proud to have been a small part of it.

But before we scare people off, the first thing to say is the number of GREAT food-wine pairings is not very large and the number of really bad ones (as in making the food or wine taste WORSE) is quite small. IMHO.

Wise words, my friend. Wise words that we should always remember when food and wine pairing is discussed.

[Jenise]

But before we scare people off, the first thing to say is the number of GREAT food-wine pairings is not very large and the number of really bad ones (as in making the food or wine taste WORSE) is quite small. IMHO.

I'd like to repeat this as well. The search for perfection is a mostly futile search that leaves me cold. Perfection, when one finds it, is going to be some happy coincidence of the way the food is seasoned and the mood/age of the wine involved. It's really more important to concentrate on the last half of Christian's (Christian, that is you, isn't it? Welcome back) statement--it's really a lot harder to screw up than most people imagine. Choose a wine of relatively equal body and sweetness to the dish, and you usually have a good pairing.

Perfection, when one finds it, is going to be some happy coincidence of the way the food is seasoned and the mood/age of the wine involved.

I once had a glass of Mission Jewelstone Chardonnay 1994 (Hawkes Bay, NZ) with a plump, perfectly ripened Golden Queen peach straight off our tree. It was that particular wine, at the time 2 or 3 years old, that particular peach and that early summer evening. This still to me is one of the most divine wine and food matching experiences I've had, which I've never been able to repeat with any other wine - though we have tried.