One of the great pleasures of drinking wine is finding the perfect food partner. It is a staple of the conventional wine consuming populus that white wine pairs with fish, chicken and salad, while red wines goes with steak and smelly cheese. I won't argue with this as a good starting point but any wine enthusiast will tell you there are numerous exceptions to the rule as well as infinite undiscovered combinations. Have a curry and tell me whether white or red works better.
Individual taste is what really matters the most and all experts are really trying to do is give you guidance on a good food and wine combo that enhances and compliments the taste of both wine and food, giving you an enjoyable experience overall.
It is my turn to do the same with this wine and I believe the pairing itself could be a world first! Read on dear reader, read on.
Firstly, we need the wine. This week's is a blend of Monastrell (aka Mourvedre) and Shiraz (aka Syrah) from the Jumilla region of southern Spain. Supplied by Sainsbury's in the region of £6, this wine is young, fruity and blended specifically to be enjoyed almost immediately.
The nose delivers a punchy blend of red fruits and old oak. Concentrating harder, the fruits arrange themselves a little better and come out as dark cherry, followed by ripe bramble, but the almost earthen scent of oak remains a constant in the middle ground. Taste delivers what the nose promised but in a surprising smooth texture. Cherry is still very much at the forefront and is given further dimension by the supporting red fruit, but it has to compete with unbalanced tannins which provide the tell tale mouthfeel in the aftertaste. This gives the cherry an almost bitter edge that isn't out of place but the wine would be better without.
All is not lost though as this wine pairs perfectly with Levi Roots' marvellous Reggae Reggae sauce! The unbalance of tannins is completely repaired by the warm spice in the sauce, making it almost completely smooth from start to finish. The spice in the wine is boosted by the sauces own picance, giving it a new warmth. This food pairing is symbiotic and the wine adds depth and brings the sweetness within the sauce very much to the front. This, along with the reasonable price, makes it a great wine to take to a barbeque, which is happily also the stomping ground of Reggae Reggae sauce.
Whether you agree or not is down to individual taste and I am happy to be disagreed with, as long as you have given it a try first. As for me, I know I have something to drink when I open my sunshine kit.
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