Pour Decisions

What goes well with great food?  Great drinks, and a great chef...and you and your friends of course!

Below are some helpful tips for pairing your meals with great wine, tequila, cocktails or cordials.  You only have one liver, so cheers to your pour decisions!

Champagne only refers to sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region in France and made according to the 'methode champenoise' guidelines. Sparkling wines from other regions in France are labelled cremant, while sparkling wines from other parts of the world are simply labelled sparkling wine.

Champagne is made up of a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, creating a fresh and fruity sip.

A nice Brut Champagne or Sparkling Wine (see below) is a nice way to start a special meal or event and feels festive when paired with light appetizers - especially fried fish.

Cava contains a blend of Xarello, Parellada and Macabeo grapes, presenting fresh, zesty and floral notes.

Prosecco is made from Glera, a lighter-bodied grape that offers fragrant, floral aromas.

Sparkling Wine from California Champagne-method sparklers tend to use traditional Champagne grapes, too: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A third grape, Pinot Meunier, is often used in Champagne but is less common in California.

Dry, austere, and crisp, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Grigio are the wines to reach for when serving lean, white fish cooked simply. Flounder, halibut, walleye, snapper, raw clams, or oysters all do well with these wines. Alternatively, you can use these wines to cut through the natural fat in some fish, such as striped bass, catfish, lobster, or mussels.

Oaky Chardonnay is great with striped bass, crab, raw oysters, even lobster. The theory here is to match a full-bodied wine with a full-bodied dish. If you have a broth-based soup, Chardonnay works wonderfully. If you have a fish that's a little oilier, such as bluefish or mackerel, try Pinot Gris or Viognier.

Marsanne, Roussane, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer are even fuller whites that often have some lingering sweetness to them. These wines are perfect with Asian seafood or anything spicy. Gewürztraminer is especially good with zingy Vietnamese seafood, and the tropical aromas of Roussanne and Marsanne, which are Rhône white varietals, marry perfectly with the flavors of Asia and spicy Mexican dishes.

Albarino and Verdelho are from Spain and Portugal but are increasingly being grown in California. Something about them makes these wines absolutely perfect with shellfish, including clams, mussels, and scallops, as well as crab and lobster.

Rose wines – not White Zinfadel – are typically from Spain, France, South America or California are great when a dish's sauce is heavier than what a white would call for, but not quite right for a full-on red. Rosés can substitute for full-bodied whites such as chardonnay and fumé blanc. Consider them when grilling swordfish or tuna steaks. Rosé also is a good choice with a tomato-based seafood soup, such as cioppino or zuppa da pesce.  Look for Rose varietals that are made from Pinotage, Malbec, and Merlot.

Pinot Noir, Gamay, Sangiovese, and Grenache wines are in the light red-wine category. These light reds do quite well with salmon, tuna, marlin, swordfish, mackerel, bluefish, or other fatty, meaty, big-flavored fish. Chianti, which is mostly Sangiovese, with spaghetti and clam sauce or octopus stewed in tomato sauce is wonderful. Be careful, though: avoid combining reds with spicy seafood, as you will probably get a nasty metallic taste.

Probably the first red wine that you drank in an Italian restaurant, Barbera goes well with tomato-based dishes and those from the North of Italy.

Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be medium or full bodied, and is a great match to hearty dishes such as roast lamb and beef, and more complex dishes such as coq au vin.

Gamay is ideal served alongside griddled veg, barbecued sardines or spicy sausages. Pop in the fridge for an hour before opening, and serve lightly chilled.

Grenache is the perfect partner to hearty and rustic dishes, game and cassoulet.

Malbec is at its best as a match to grilled steak, especially with a homemade chimichurri sauce.

Pair Merlot with your Holiday turkey or Sunday lunch of roast chicken. It also pairs well with roast duck and wintry casseroles.

Nebbiolo, young Barbaresco, will go well with a platter of cold meats, while ‘Barolo’ is best with richer dishes, such as braised beef.

Medium bodied Pinot Noir will happily grace any Christmas dinner table – it’s ideal with roast turkey and roast lamb. It’s also works well with creamy, and mild soft cheeses.

Red Pinotage is a natural with barbecued steak and sausages – think beach parties and Southern African ‘braai’.

Sangiovese is an Italian red grape that partners well with rich meat sauces on pasta – or try it with a pepperoni pizza.

Syrah or Shiraz is grape that produces full bodied wines that go particularly well with grilled steaks and roasted vegetables; great in cooler weather with full meals.

The bright red juicy wines from the Tempranillo grape are a perfect match to roast lamb, roasted vegetables and mushrooms, especially vegetarian main courses.

Red Zinfandel is a juicy, medium to full bodied wine that goes well with sautéed field mushrooms or heartier dishes such as roast venison.  Also, good with slightly spicy dishes.  An Italian Primitivo is similar to a jammy California Red Zin.

100% Agave Azul - Tequila

The process used to make real tequila starts with the blue agave, a relative of the aloe plant, and by law it must be grown in the state of Jalisco or a handful of other Mexican municipalities. The sharp leaves of the plant are cut away, leaving only the heart of the plant, called the piña, behind. These piñas, which can weigh up to several hundred pounds, are heated and pressed, and the resulting juice is distilled into tequila. And that’s it. It’s 100 percent blue agave because the tequila is made with only the juice of blue agaves.

Blanco, Plata or Silver Tequila

Silver tequila, sometimes referred to as blanco, is rarely aged more than a couple of weeks, making it the purest form of tequila. It is often considered the best type of tequila to use in mixed drinks, and is commonly seen in margaritas.

Casa Noble Crystal (Blanco) Tequila is one of my favorites.  It's a USDA certified organic, 100% Single Estate Blue Agave, triple distilled for a superior taste. This Blanco is in a class by itself. Double Gold Medal - San Francisco Spirit Competition. Gold Medal - BTI. Kosher Certified.

Reposado Tequila

Reposado means “rested” in Spanish, and reposados rest anywhere from two months to a year before they are bottled. Reposados take on the gold hue from the barrels in which they are aged. They are typically aged in oak or white oak barrels, and the type of barrel changes the flavor of each distillery’s tequila.  Versatile for smooth margaritas or sipping.

Hard to find, El Charro Reposado Tequila are made from 100% Blue Agave harvested from proprietary fields based in Los Altos, Jalisco. The Reposado has rested 6 months in American oak barrels resulting in a smooth finish.

Anejo Tequila

Añejo tequilas are aged from one to three years, and are considered the best type of tequila for sipping because of their smoother flavor. Añejo means “vintage”, and they are darker than reposado tequilas.

Extra, muy or ultra añejo tequilas are aged for over three years. This is a relatively new type of tequila, which got its official classification in 2005. This type of tequila is the most expensive, not only because the flavor is improved with age, but also because distilleries will only allow their best spirits to age for so long.

If you're looking for something amazing, try San Matais Gran Reserva Anejo Tequila.  This special Gran Reserva Tequila is cellared for at least three years in White Oak barrels. There are notes of sweet dried tropical fruits, brown spices, maple, nuts, and fudge. This won gold in the SF World Spirits Competition.

Mezcal

Perhaps you've seen mezcal cocktails before. Or maybe you've known someone to sip mezcal like it's a fine Scotch. You've possibly heard people say it's "smoky." But what exactly is mezcal? Where does it come from? How is it different from tequila?  Get a drink, and read on.

Mezcal is a spirit distilled from agave plants, specifically the root-bulbs that are called pina. But wait - isn’t tequila made from agave? Yes, but tequila is made from special agave - only Weber blue agave. Mezcal can be made from any of about 30 different varieties of agave, many of which come from Oaxaca. Mezcal means “oven-cooked agave”, which is how the pina are cooked to extract the sugars that will be fermented and then distilled. The ovens are deep pits lined with lava rocks that are filled with wood and charcoal as the source of the heat. Cooking the pina in the pits gives the mezcal a smoky flavor. After it’s cooked, the bulbs are mashed, water is added, the mash is strained and fermentation takes place. When the fermentation is complete, the liquid is distilled up to three times, after which it is bottled or aged in barrels for 2 to 12 months.

Like tequila, mezcal has a complex, sometimes sweet flavor, but with smoky, earthy overtones. In both, the flavor of the agave itself is (or should be) present. While tequila is produced from only one agave, Mezcal can be produced from one of more than 30. Each agave brings its own flavor based on species of agave and the process by which it’s distilled. In addition, mezcal can have other flavoring ingredients such as grains or herbs added before distillation. The liquor has 38% to 55% alcohol by volume.

It’s all a matter of personal choice. The flavor of mezcal is more assertive than that of tequila due to the cooking process of the pina. There are tequilas that are so smooth and light they can take the place of vodka in any cocktail, whereas mezcal is more distinctive and cocktails are built around it, or it stands in for a strong spirit such as bourbon.

Unlike tequila, which can be taken as a shot, mezcal is typically sipped at room temperature when it is not mixed into a cocktail. In fact, there are special little bowl-shaped cups carved from dried gourds that are traditional vessels for serving mezcal. They are called jicaras, and are the fruit of the Calabash tree.

Types of Mezcal

 

Sherry Wine

Sherry is a type of fortified wine made from white grapes grown in a designated part of Spain. According to Spanish law, sherry can only be made from palomino, Pedro Ximénez or moscatel grapes grown in “The Sherry Triangle,” found within the southernmost province of Cádiz, Andalusia.

Sherry—or as it’s known in its homeland, Jerez—is fortified with brandy after fermentation. The alcohol-by-volume (ABV) that a sherry is fortified to depends on the type of sherry it is destined to become: Future Finos and Manzanillas get tuned up to 15 percent, while Olorosos-in-waiting hit the 17 percent mark.

Any sherry, particularly sweet or naturally sweet sherry, can be enjoyed neat. But there’s a long history of using sherry in cocktails, stretching back to 19th century classics like the Sherry Cobbler, the Bamboo, the Adonis and the Tuxedo. Mix one up (or mix them all up) any time you want a delicious, easygoing drink. The first three are low in alcohol, so can be enjoyed pretty much whenever, while the Tuxedo is a boozier affair—basically a riff on the Martini—that makes a fine nightcap.

Spanish law divides sherry into three camps: dry sherry, naturally sweet sherry, and sweet sherry.

Dry Sherry

Dry sherry cannot exceed a sugar content of five grams per liter, and is produced using flor. Dry sherries include:

Manzanilla sherry is made from palomino grapes and produced in the town of Sanlúcar De Barrameda. Manzanilla is fortified to 15 percent ABV and undergoes biological aging.

Fino is made from palomino grapes and produced in the towns of Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María. Fino is fortified to 15 percent ABV and undergoes biological aging.

Amontillado is made from palomino gapes and undergoes both biological and oxidative aging.

Oloroso is made from palomino grapes. It is fortified to 17 percent ABV and undergoes oxidative aging.

Palo cortado is initially fortified to 15 percent ABV and begins as a biologically aged sherry. Depending on certain flavor characteristics that emerge during aging, tasters may mark the barrel for further fortification to 17 percent to produce a palo cortado.

Naturally Sweet Sherry

Naturally sweet sherry is made from overly ripe or sun-dried grapes. Unlike dry sherry, naturally sweet sherry is fortified after fermentation has begun and is oxidized as it ages. Types include:

Moscatel is made from moscatel grapes that can be, but are not always, sun-dried.

Pedro Ximénez is made from Pedro Ximénez grapes that have been sun-dried to create a higher concentration of sugars.

Sweet Sherry

Sweet sherry is a sort of missing link between the other two categories. It’s made by blending dry sherry with naturally sweet sherry or “concentrated must,” a grape-based natural sweetener. Sweet sherry must have a sugar content of five grams per liter or more. Types include:

Pale cream sherry is made by blending Fino or Manzanilla sherry with concentrated must.

Medium sherry is a broad category that may include any sweet sherry between five grams of sugar per liter and 115 grams of sugar per liter.

Cream sherry is made by blending a dry sherry, often Oloroso or Amontillado, with a naturally sweet sherry, often Pedro Ximénez, or a concentrated must.

Port Wine

I love Sherry, but Port wine is also a great nightcap to a fabulous meal.  There are several styles of Port, including red, white, rosé, and an aged style called Tawny Port.  

One of the most important qualities of true Port is the unique blend of Portuguese indigenous grapes. Port grapes include Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cão, and there are said to be at least 52 varieties! Each grape adds a unique flavor to the blend. For example, Touriga Nacional adds blueberry and vanilla notes, and Touriga Franca adds raspberry and cinnamon notes.

Port should be served just below room temperature, around 60 °F (16 °C). A popular way to serve Ruby Port in the summer (with a meal) is on the rocks with a peel of lime!

Port wine pairs wonderfully with richly flavored cheeses (including blue cheese and washed-rind cheeses), chocolate and caramel desserts, salted and smoked nuts, and even sweet-smoky meats (barbecue).

There are many different official categories of Port, but most fall under these four categories:

Ruby (Red) Port: a deeply-colored red Port which includes Vintage, Late-bottled Vintage (LBV), Crusted and Ruby Port.

Tawny Port: a very sweet barrel-aged port with oxidative nut and caramel flavors.

White Port: made with indigenous white grapes including Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio and Malvasia.

Rosé Port: This is a new style of Port wine made like rosé wine with flavors of strawberry, violets and caramel.

Port Wine and Cooking

Port is a popular addition to chocolate cakes, sweet gooey chocolate sauces, and it’s even used as a reduction sauce. Reductions are wonderful over savory dishes like steak (especially a blue cheese topped steak).

Chefs often simmer Port wine and reduce it to a thick sauce. Port reduction is used much like balsamic glaze. Port is also a flavorful alternative to brown sugar or maple syrup.

 

What doesn't kill us just makes our drinks stronger.