|
Matching likes: Black pepper The "match likes" principle, however, works just about all the time, whether you're pairing grilled meat with a smoky, "meaty" red Syrah from the Rhone or making a match with a sharply acidic white and a delicate fish dish finished with tangy lemon. This concept came home to me last night when I bit into an oversize chunk of crushed black peppercorn from my pan-grilled steak just before taking a taste of the wine of the evening, a peppery Spanish Grenache that's our featured wine today. The experience was little short of amazing! The pepper initially filled my mouth with sharp, piquant heat, followed almost immediately by the complex flowery fragrance of really good black pepper. That was good enough, but bringing in the fruity, peppery wine while the pepper notes still vibrated on my palate created a blend of similar flavors that was mighty near unforgettable; it was as if someone had suddenly turned the brightness and contrast on my flavor monitor up to high. If you're of an experimental nature, you can try it yourself. You don't need this exact wine, but choose any peppery red - a Syrah or Shiraz, or a Grenache or Petite Sirah. Grab your peppermill and crank out a shake of freshly ground pepper, and take a little taste, followed immediately by a sip of the wine. I think you'll be surprised by the way the flavors blend and enhance each other. And by experiencing this extreme example of strong flavors, you may just pick up on the mechanism that works in more subtle ways when you match more delicate "likes with likes." Here's my note on the wine of the evening:
FOOD MATCH: The peppery fruit makes this wine a natural with pan-grilled filet mignons.
To subscribe, change your E-mail address, switch from daily to the weekly (Mondays only) distribution, or for any other administrative matters, E-mail wine@wineloverspage.com. In the unhappy event that you must leave us, please take a moment to let us know how we could have served you better. In all administrative communications, please be sure to include the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so we can find your record.
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2001
Subscribe (free) to The 30 Second Wine Advisor
|