Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 10, 2004 Off The Vine Many wines can go with certain food Lorn Razzano For as long as I can remember there has been a raging debate over wine choices with certain foods. The debate is firmly divided between two camps; those who say that any wine can go with any food at any time and those who believe that there is a historical and chemical balance that requires certain wines to pair naturally with certain food groups. This crazed argument has flung itself into the 21st century with both sides arguing the same question over and over again. The two sides are called, respectively, the New Schoolers and the Traditionalists. There is a third group which has emerged over the past ten years or so called the Centrists. The Centrist believe that a meal should be served around the wine at hand instead of the meal being the centerpiece and the wine chosen as an afterthought. The New Schoolers believe that most wines will go with most foods. There is faction of New Schoolers who will tweak the odds a bit and have red wine with seafood but will base the seafood in a red wine sauce and garlic. There are wine drinkers out there that will only drink red wine and will do the same thing with traditionally white wine fare and spice up chicken and fish with Cajun spices or grill with heavy sauces allowing for the red wine to be served. Let me give you a brief list of cuisine and food options that have been tried and true but with a twist for those of you who wish to step out of the box a little: Indian food: I love Indian food! Here are some options: Slightly sweet German or Oregon Rieslings. These do well with the curry and chutney crowd. Dry Gewuerztraminer from France, very spicy and clean. Red: Beaujolais with tons of spicy fruit and dry. Bardolino from the Veneto, Italy, also fruity but light and dry. Salmon: Got to be pinot noir from Oregon or French Burgundy. There are those that will argue that salmon is a red meat. Let's look at soft Chiantis and merlot, they would be great with salmon. If you are going to do a white wine it has to be pinot blanc or big, fleshed out chardonnay. Shellfish: Muscadet (very flinty white wine) pinot gris or Orvieto. A very dry Riesling would do nicely, too. Red meat: Pick zinfandel from Amador County, California. One of the very finest reds for the money is the stately Barbera from Italy. Of course cabernet sauvignon, syrah or some of the Washington State merlot's would be divine. Heavy Chianti or Barolo from the north of Italy or powerhouse Shiraz from Australia would be tempting offerings as well. Poultry: Hmm ... depending on how it is prepared is the key. Baked chicken with sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or Washington State is lovely with poultry. Sometimes a fruity red like Valpolicella or a light zinfandel works if the chicken is done on the grill with barbecue sauce may just be the ticket. Vegetarian cuisine: Superb, beautifully prepared and executed vegetarian cuisine like the Locomotive restaurant serves in Eugene is a world class treat and allows for the perfect New School approach to wine selection. Of all of the types of cuisine offerings, vegetarian cuisine is an open book for wine lovers of all types. The rich variety of colors and aromas in vegetarian cooking allow one to go from sweet crisp wines to deep reds with broodingly woody tannins. This is a fun option for wine lovers and should be experienced for the latitude of choices that can be savored without regard to meat based cuisine. Lotsa fun! Have a good time and be creative! See you next time. Lorn Razzano is a commercial wine and spirits judge and is a co-founder of KSOR wine tasting. He was on winery staffs of various Italian and French wineries in the 1970s and has owned Ashland Wine Cellar since 1980. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams