WINE-FOOD TASTING
At the Oakroom in Oakwood Premier Hotel, Ortigas
6pm
Thursday 27th August, 2009
Wines from YATS Wine Cellars
Concept
This is a wine-food tasting dinner.
It is not the ordinary wine-paired dinner although wine-food pairing is the theme of this event. In a traditional wine-paired dinner which we regular hold and they are very interesting and enjoyable no doubt, each course is paired with a particular wine. In a wine-food tasting dinner, each participant is given the same four wines to enjoy with all the courses. Each course is carefully designed and prepared in such a way that the food will pair very well with one or two of the wines and reasonably ok with the rest.
Preference of the individual palate factors greatly into the performance of the synergy. Each participant is given a sheet to record his/her ranking of the pairings. Discussions among the participants are encouraged.
At the end of the dinner, the ratings are collected and the results tallied. While this goes on, cheese and port will be served. Port will be served with that, a Vintage Port and a Sweet (Lagrima class) white port, 50ml of each kind, will be served. Even the dessert course is an exciting pairing discovery by itself.
A total of four dry vintage wines are in the line-up 3 reds and one white, 90ml for each. The white is from Burgundy and the reds are from France, Italy and Spain. In order for all wines to match reasonably well albeit in their own special way to each of the five courses, the wines share certain similarities in terms of acidity, alcohol levels and most importantly amount of unresolved tannins.
A total of 5 courses of food are served, plus the cheese course at the end. The recipes are selected for their versatility with respect to wine pairing and at the same time delectable and somewhat interesting on its own right.
To prevent the temperature from rising too much during the course of the tasting, 50ml will be poured initially and refreshed later with another 40ml chilled to lower the average temperature in the glass. This is of course especially essential for the white.
A refreshing white wine will be served 30 minutes before the start of the event.
A few words about the wines
Denny Wang
Yats Wine Cellars
From Burgundy, France
1987 Beaune, Clos du Roi 1er Cru, Robert Ampeau et Fils
Clos du Roi is a Premier Cru vineyard in Côte de Beaune but despite its location, it probably tastes more similar to wines from Côte de Nuits. The climate is on the wet side and soil is rich with limestone, flint and clay. About 10 years ago, this bottle would have tasted a bit angular, harsh even. 1987 was a difficult year and Ampeau did well to sort out the good from the bad grapes and that resulted in a good effort better than most in that vintage.
The wine has a medium body. Youthful expressions of bright cherry fruits have given way to stern mineral qualities and a firm backbone. The tartness from fresh crisp acidity makes this a food wine. The overall impression is one of lean, steely frame with just enough flesh to give it shape. Despite its austere makeup, there is considerable interest because of its elegance which can only be a result of clever and meticulous wine-making.
In Burgundy, less than 12% of vineyards earn the title of 1er Cru on their labels. These are obviously some of the best sites in the region for growing wine grapes. Other control mechanisms such as production output of 42hl/hectare further ensure that strict selections of grapes are made. Invariably, a 1er cru wine is one that is carefully made with the best ingredients. Anything less would go into a “village” label (name of vineyard or climat doesn’t appear) and sold at substantially lower prices. Smart money seems to suggest that there is wisdom to buying 1er
(and Grand) cru of weaker vintages and hoarding Village labels for great years where everything seems to be so fine already.
From Spain
1996 Ribera del Duero, Crianza, Bodegas Felix Callejo
Although Ribera del Duero is home to the most illustrious names in wines including Vega Sicilia and Pingus, it was quite unknown for a long time until Spain granted it its own DO in 1982. These high-altitude vineyards provide exceptional growing conditions with continental climates of very hot summers with wide diurnal temperature variations.
At altitudes of 750-900m, the principle grape variety Tinto Fino grows thin skin and pack a considerable level of acidity. Tinto Fino is known elsewhere by the name “Tempranillo”. The resulting wine is best characterized as bold, aromatic, powerful and fruity, often with overtones of wood.
Spain “codes” its wines not by terroir and yields but by the length of time spent in an oak barrel and subsequently in a bottle before appearing in shops. A Crianza has to be aged in oak for 12 months, a Reserva also but add another 24 months in bottle or oak and a Gran Reserva 24 months in oak plus another 36 in bottle. I am not sure one should jump to the conclusion that a Gran Reserva is necessarily “better” than a Reserva or a Crianza. Doing time in a barrel softens up the wine for sure and imbue classy oak flavors that can be very attractive if the wine has the other stuff – fruit, concentration, acid and structure – to welcome these infusions. In weaker vintages, that might not be the case. We might want to look at these “classes” as different renditions of each vintage instead.
From Tuscany, Italy
1995 Brunello di Montalcino, Casanuova delle Cerbaie
Brunello di Montalcino is arguably the most sought-after Italian wine although Piedmonte’s Barolo may have a word or two about it. Prices seem to prove its popularity is no illusion. One of the reasons behind its acceptance not only in Europe but all over the world is its diplomatic personality. Unlike a Barolo which is generally more forceful and opinionated, Brunello’s tend to travel in the middle lane, pleasing just about all that come into its contact.
Under the hood of a Brunello di Montalcino is the Sangiovese grape, which is called “Brunello” in the town of Montalcino. Sangiovese is also responsible for Chianti although it is blended with other varieties over there. These grapes produce a wine that delivers a round and soft mouth-feel, medium-body, medium-intensity, fruit flavors well integrated into a smooth texture of soft round tannins. When young, it can be a little jammy but that develops into something less fleshy and more elegant after about 10-15 years in bottle.
Popular food that pairs well with a Brunello includes game and red meat. This is one wine that can match well with complex sauces.
From Burgundy, France
1999 Saint-Romain, Chateau Des Guetts, Francois Parent
If you are not very familiar with the wines of this Burgundy Appellation, you are not in the minority. Saint Romain is in Côte de Beaune. If you have heard of Auxey-Duresses, St Romain is its adjacent neighbor, almost an extension, somewhat near to the famous district of Meursault.
Geographical proximity aside, the (white) wines of St. Romain is more reminiscent of a Chablis than a Meursault. These are classic white Burgundy, emphasizing purity of Chardonnay grown in soils composed of clay and limestone. The essence of a St. Romain white wine is elegance, vigor and a distinct dose of minerals. These elements combine to give it a racy personality, refreshing with very sip but not overpowering as some Chablis can sometimes be. St. Romain white wine is delicate and light not only in weight but also in flavor intensity. In short, it doesn’t jump out of the glass.
The problem with this style of wine which one can be forgiven for describing as “classic” is that it needs a few years to shed its rough edges. Honeyed flavors do not come through until 5 years or so of cellaring.
This is a Burgundy-lover’s wine, quite true to form of how 90% of Burgundy likes to render its Chardonnay – light, crisp and unobtrusive.
1995 Barros Vintage Port
NV Porto Douro, Imperial Rouge, Daniel Sanders
Although 95 was not the greatest vintage, not in the class of 94 and 97, it does mean that it is a lot more drinkable than those from big years. The 95 Barros is noticeably more chocolate than anything else, rich but mellow and currently drinking rather well. This is a perfect item in a vintage port cellar to keep naught fingers away from the 97s, 94s and even the 85s that are resting and ageing beautifully. Those great vintages promise great things to come and it is a crime to stop them from reaching those heights.
Vintage Port and Stilton is one of the top 10 classic wine-food pairings. In fact it goes very nicely with a great deal of blue cheeses. However it is interesting to see how the white port performs with some of the blue cheeses, especially the more salty ones like a Bleu d’Auvergne for example. The color of the Imperial Rouge – ignore the word “Rouge” for it is misleading – betrays its age. All sweet (white) wine picks up yellow, brownish hue with age due mainly to oxidation. Since it is a Non-vintage, there is no indication of age. Perhaps you can make your own educated guess on how old it is.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FOOD
Chef Jerome, Oakroom, Oakwood Premier hotels
As our taste buds migrate toward quality food and beverages, our world of taste is expected to expand and becomes more complex.
We know great food when we taste it and we know a great drink when it crosses our path but for the ultimate dining experience it is essential to find a match between these two facets that compliments one another.
Today wine event will provides for those curious about food and drink combinations as well as those looking to shake up their usual "tried and true" Cab with steak pairings.
Mini potato tortilla with shaved Serrano ham
Bite torte size ‘tortilla de patatas’ served with delicate dry cured Spanish ham
***
Fresh shitake and parmesan risotto
Classic rich risotto mix with Parmesan cheese and Shitake mushrooms.
***
Unilateral cooked back of salmon on braised leek
Thickest part of Norwegian salmon pan fried on one side to maintain moisture with thin leek strips as bed for texture.
***
Oven roasted chicken supreme with tarragon, tomato confit and marble potato
Boneless and skinless breast of chicken baked until golden brown in smooth tarragon jus
***
Dark chocolate mousse with orange peel
Tempting and decadent Swiss chocolate sweetness with a hint of Grand Marnier
***
Selection of Bleu Cheese and crackers
Simplicity of water crackers acquainting a distinctive English blue cheese to end a pleasurable evening
Coffee or selection of teas
TRAILER
Denny Wang
YATS Wine Cellars
This dinner is first and foremost about having a lot fun while enjoying good food with fine wine. The educational element creeps in throughout the evening not in the form of boring lectures and speeches but through actual comparative tastings. Four wines are lined up in front of us so that all of them can be tasted against each course of the dinner. With four wines and four courses – not counting the cheese course – we have a mathematical combination of 16 pairings to put to a test. Certainly some will work better than others and that’s good because it would be boring and not very informative if that’s not the case.
I don’t know if this would interest some of you or not but let me share with you anyways a bit of what happened behind the scene to prepare for the wine dinner tonight.
The selection of wines was based on certain constraints and parameters that provide some common denominators within the lineup. The first and more important common denominator is acidity. All four wines have good level of acidity but the manifestation of vigor varies significantly among the four. Tannins and degree of oakiness affect how much of that acidity captures the attention of our palates. Next is the issue of alcohol levels, something that I hope to keep within a reasonably narrow range of 12.5 to 13.5% ABV. The White weighs in at 12.5, the Spanish at 13 same as the Clos du Roi but the Brunello gave me a bit of a worry at 13.5%. The other thing I wanted to level out on this playing field was the amount of tannins. The white has practically none, so I need the reds to be low in (perceptible) tannins. I am not too worried about the Ribera del Duero which is mild to begin with, only slightly worried about the Brunello because younger versions didn’t taste too tannic. But I was quite nervous about the Burgundy so I picked an older vintage so that its astringency is “resolved”. There were other considerations but those are the main points.
The profiles of the wine were submitted to Chef Jerome with a tall order that the food pairing also has to have certain common denominators. This is to ensure that even at the worst any of the 16 combinations would not feel bizarre and awkward. Particular attention was paid to the accompaniments, an often overlooked component that frequently ruins an otherwise good pairing. In general, the recipes aim at being unobtrusive yet interesting and delectable. That’s a lot harder to cook up than it is to write down.
One thing about food-wine pairing is that by achieving a high synergetic output, individualism has to be sacrificed a little. For example, a Sauternes pairs seamlessly with Foie Gras resulting in a mesh that tastes absolutely stunning but the individual identities of the liver and the sticky are melted together, as it really should be. If we are chasing after the layers of flavors in a great Sauternes, then this pairing, successful as it certainly is, won’t help at all. With that in mind, it might not always be very wise to open really stellar bottles for dinner. In many cases, it might be a better idea to enjoy them alone without food. However the converse may not apply with great food.
Another thing to think about is that personal preferences can break up an otherwise perfect marriage. For example salmon and Pinot Noir pair very well but that means diddly-squat to someone who hates salmon (or hates Pinot for that matter). Some people naturally dislike Brut Champagne and even though strawberries are a sure bet with the bubblies, is this pairing really going to work for them?
There seems to be a consensus that the class of the food and the wine should match. One might argue that the notion of class is 50% psychological but be that as it may, the mind is 99% of tasting. So if someone took the trouble of preparing a slow-cooked meal involving truffles, pheasant, chanterelles, turtles, Pauillac lamb and Bresse chicken, perhaps it is time to be generous (to yourself of course) and uncork that 61 Latour, 78 Montrachet and the 68 George de Latour Private Reserve. But then would there be too much in-fighting when you put so many superstars within close proximity of one another?
All said, it is time to admit and confess that the topic of food-and-wine-pairing is very new. Very little is known and even less is written about it except for many listings of successful pairings. Understanding, explaining and analyzing palate dynamics in food and wine interactions is a challenging but interesting pursuit. The process is quite enjoyable too, most of the time. Personally I believe that it is possible one day to reduce this whole business to a set of axioms and equations, as long as we work in a controlled environment free of extraneous factors such as mood swings, doctors’ advice, inexplicable fears and hang-ups. Considering how many good meals have been ruined by a bad pairing in just my recent experience alone, I feel it is worth the trouble it takes to understand this subject some more.
What is your opinion?