Occasional Wine Council
The December 29 Occasional Wine Council was called to order on a cool SoCal evening. There would be seven of us; five veteran’s (Tom Plant, Linda Kissam, Carmen Micheli, Robin and Marc Simpson) and two newbies (Coletta and Karsten Boone). There’s always anticipation in the air when a SoCal native gets to wear a sweater to an event and the tasting menu for the evening is Champagne. My taste buds were tingling in anticipation.
Champagne Wine Line-Up
Each taster is assigned a wine. They are asked to bring a dish to share with the group based on that wine. Classic Champagne food pairings are always fabulous, but what happens after you’ve exhausted the same old tired combinations (i.e. oysters and Champagne, caviar and Champagne, and so forth, yawn…boooooring!)? It was time to get my head into the game and try some Champagne food pairings that can be enjoyed even when you are not wearing a pair of stilettos or a tux.
Given the request (and the sometimes heated competition to come with a great dish), I quickly remembered one of the key rules of wine pairing: Compliment the meal or provide a delicious contrast. The contrast can come in the form of flavor, or it can come in the form of style. On most Wine Council nights, we have a minimum of six wines and some really stellar creative dishes. The pressure to perform was on.
Corn Dogs & Champagne: The perfect match
Off to the computer I went to research some out of the box pairings. The first thing that popped up said Champagne and fried foods are super pals. Fun, quirky and indulgent. But who would have thought that the trick to the corn dog / Champagne pairing is that the mustard is what has to compliment the Champagne, not the corn dog. Both the mustard and the Champagne are sharing the job of bringing acid to the dish. It’s important not to get too acidic of a bubbly, the flavor profile must match the thickness and richness of the mustard. The right Champagne takes this guilty pleasure to the next level… and thank goodness the seven Champagnes Tom Plant choose for our Council did just that.
Wine Reviews and pairing suggestions
- Alcardet Brut MetodoTradicional N/V – Crisp, citrus
Carmens Chicken Salad with peppered wild honey & crackers
elements of lemon and orange with mineral notes that accentuate its citrusy tang. Expect flavors that are bright, fresh, and vibrant; clean rather than fat tasting, the citrus joins up with stoniness at the finish. Drink now or in the next few years. A hit with Carmen’s Honey Nut Chicken Salad with Honey, my corn dogs and potato chips. An auspicious beginning.
- Mionetto Prosecco D.O.C. Treviso Brut “Prestige
Food & Wine Pairings
Collection” N/V (About $14) : This sparkling wine had a little more character than the first wine. It has a lovely fruity and floral nose and palate with notes of honey, green apple, and apricot. Smooth, yet dry on the palate. You can find this wine at BevMo. Paired beautifully with Robin’s apple-apricot tarte tatin, the corn dogs, the chicken salad, and Tom’s “Crack Bread.”
- Mionetto “Gentle” Prosecco N/V: A straw-colored wine with a rather timid character. The aroma is fruity, reminiscent of pear and citrus with a slightly floral bouquet. The wine is fresh and crisp with apparent apple and peach flavors. Fermented in the Charmat method it went well with Coletta’s flavorful Pt. Reyes blue cheese biscuit with chives and velvety wildflower honey and Marc’s quiche with Gruyere, pears and cranberry bread.
- ZED Moscato Rosé – $15 – This versatile wine paced as our
ZED – #1 Pick of the night
second favorite sparkler. Think sweet-ish , pink and bubbly presented in an edgy bottle. A scent of rosewater and fresh-picked grapes comes to mind. It had an interesting feisty effervescence. ZED was created to specifically speak to female consumers who demand a Sparkling Rose Moscato in a sweeter style, but the manly men at our table loved it too. It went with just about everything including the corn dogs, potato chips, quiche and the blue cheese biscuits tarte tatin.
- Perrier-Jouët Blason-Rosé , $76– Our #1 pick of the night
Cream biscuits
by a landslide, this 50% Pinot Noir and 25% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier really shines. Pale, bright pink, elegant. Showcases a pungent mix of scents of redcurrant, cherry and licorice. Juicy red fruit flavors are braced by a note of blood orange. Finishes brisk and decisive, this wine has a whole lot of confidence. We loved it with every dish on the table including Karsten’s cream biscuits with Ferrari prosciutto, scallions, Parmesan and organic Adriatic fig spread. The quiche, tarte tatin and salted fudge were also great partners with this sparkler. A definite must buy.
- Mumm Napa Brut Prestige $20 – Primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it opens with layered white blossom aromas, followed by creamy vanilla, citrus, stone fruit and melon. Refreshing acidity and fruit character makes it a good food wine. The “Crack Bread,” chicken salad, corn dogs, potato chips and salted fudge bites were a tasty match.
- Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut $40: A great end to another great
“Crack Bread” * Picture courtesy of Tom Plant
tasting the distinct mature and toasty character balances the crisp white fruits and sparkling acidity. It is on the sweeter end of Brut, which adds richness to this yummy non-vintage sparkler. It was a good match with the chicken salad, “Crack Bread” and salted fudge bites.
If you’re intrigued with the idea of a “Crack Bread” recipe, Tom is delighted to share his secret with you. “I prepared my “Crack Bread” for the Napa Valley for Mumm Napa Brut Prestige. To be honest, it’s actually called Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls. I enhanced it by adding garlic, scallions and pepper jack. Also food friendly, the tarte tatin and potato chips were a wonderful match.” You can find the recipe here http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/recipes.html?article=10657378 .
