You’ve spent the last hour in the kitchen making the most glorious feast. It’s a special night. You toss your apron by the sink, and dash to the bathroom to run a comb through your hair and check your mascara. The doorbell rings. You scramble around the house, looking for embarrassing evidence that anyone actually lives there, quickly kicking your bunny slippers under the bed. You’re about to open the door, and you freeze—a pit forms in your stomach. You forgot to choose the wine!
Yikes! Oh, how you dread the raised eyebrows, the puckered lips, the scornful looks across the candlelit table—Doesn’t that girl know anything!
Take a deep breath. No need to be intimidated and unsure. Mad Housewife has come to the rescue.
We all know the adage—red wine with meat, white wine with poultry and fish. But that isn’t necessarily so. Some fish—cod, haddock, mackerel, shellfish—are high in iodine, which reacts with the tannins in red wine and leaves a metallic flavor in your mouth. Other fish, like tuna and salmon, are great with a medium bodied red wine. If the fish is highly seasoned, as with blackened redfish, you might go with White Zinfandel. On the other hand, with a highly spiced lamb chop with a fruit sauce, you might want the acidity of a Chardonnay.
In truth, the best wine for a meal is the wine you like best with a meal. But there are some guidelines that can help.
A general rule of thumb is to pair the wine with the sauce, or the overall taste of the main course: rich red meats, and meaty tomato sauces need tannins and a full-bodied wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon); creamy, earthy, nutty, herby flavors want a lighter taste, a little fruit, a little acidity (Chardonnay); hot and spicy needs fruity sweetness (White Zinfandel); lean meats need light tannins, and a lighter body (Merlot); desserts need a moderately sweet wine (White Zinfandel or Merlot).
When you start experimenting, you’ll discover there is a reason for selecting the right wine with food. Sometimes you find a pairing that explodes your taste buds: like Mad Housewife White Zinfandel with Jamaican jerk shrimp, or Mad Housewife Merlot with Gorgonzola cheese and pears. Write your discoveries down. This is now your secret, which you can show off to impress.
Mad Housewife wines are blended to go with food. They are versatile, and all can be served with both sweet and savory dishes.
Mad Housewife Chardonnay: A full bodied, full flavor wine. This is less oaky and less dry than many Chardonnays, which makes it an excellent food wine. Flavors of pear, melon, and apple, with a touch of cinnamon go terrifically well with broiled or barbequed poultry—the tang mixes with the crusty charred flavor—but also does well with sautéed foods, bringing out butter and garlic. Superb with mild, buttery fish, and egg dishes.
Recommendations:
Fish: lobster, crab, shrimp, trout, sole, Chilean sea bass, catfish
Meat: white meats, chicken, turkey, pork
Sauces: basil, garlic, butter, cream, nut, mushroom
Pasta: Non-tomato based pasta—pesto, alfredo, mushroom, and shellfish
Egg dishes: soufflés, omelets, crepes
Vegetables: avocado, spinach, zucchini
Spice/herb affinity: nutmeg, garlic, pepper, thyme, basil, tarragon, capers
Cheeses: milder cheeses such as Spanish manchego and brie
Not great with stronger tasting fish (tuna, sardines, or anchovies), rich red meats, and citrus-based salsas.
Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon: Because of the medium tannins and light fruitiness, this medium bodied wine is incredibly versatile, and goes with grilled, roasted, and braised meats. Flavors of cherry, mint, and mocha enhance beef and strong-flavored fish.
Recommendations:
Fish: Tuna, mahi-mahi, swordfish
Meat: Beef, duck, lamb, roasted chicken, wild game
Sauces: Meat, wine, mustard, mushroom
Vegetables: broccoli, squash, eggplant
Spice/herb affinity: allspice, pepper, mustard, rosemary
Cheese: English Stilton, goat cheeses
Not great with most fish, cream desserts, or citrus salsas.
Mad Housewife Merlot: Softer than Cabernet Sauvignon, this merlot has black cherry and plum flavors, with vanilla and spice. Merlot has fewer tannins than Cabernet (that tea-like aftertaste), so it pairs with milder flavors. The fruitiness is great with game.
Recommendations:
Meat: beef, venison, duck, quail
Sauces: mushroom, red wine, berry, fig, pomegranate
Vegetables: mushrooms, wild rice
Spice/herb affinity: cumin, pepper, thyme, rosemary
Cheese: mild cow, goat cheese, blue cheese
Dessert: chocolate, berries, pears
Not great with fish or poultry, or with pork, which needs more tannins to handle the grease factor. Also avoid with cream based desserts.
Mad Housewife White Zinfandel: A sweeter white, with watermelon and strawberry flavors, but not too sweet to pair with food. In fact, I’ve become a great fan of this zinfandel as a food wine, especially with hot spicy dishes. The acidity makes it a great pairing with fatty pork and lamb. Excellent for spicy Middle Eastern dishes, such as couscous. If you want a wine for Asian or Indian food, this is your best bet. Also, this wine will go with artichokes and asparagus (two vegetables that are notoriously hard to pair). I’ve also become fond of this as a dessert wine with fruit and cheese.
Recommendations:
Fish: spicy shrimp, blackened redfish
Meat: beef, peppery meat dishes, like pepper-crusted pork roast, ham
Pasta: fresh tomato, garlic based vegetable pasta dishes
Spice/herb affinity: cayenne, Jamaican jerk spice, pepper, cilantro, sesame oil
Cheese: smoky cheeses like Gouda, hard, salty cheeses like Parmigiano Romano
Dessert: cheesecake, fruit desserts
Not great with chicken (unless very spicy) or turkey, or with any cream sauce.
So there you have it. If you keep some of each the Mad Housewife varietals on hand, you’ll always have the right wine for dinner. But sometimes the best choice of wine is the one you are sipping right now.
Pour me another glass of Mad Housewife, please!
Hrm... Spicey and sweet - interesting insight.
Posted by: unVined | August 28, 2010 at 12:20 AM