Oenophile input please
Discussion
I'm cooking/hosting dinner at the weekend where the main will be a pork belly dish. The guests are all declared red wine drinkers.
I have Googled but without any conclusive suggestions for a red to pair with this. Riesling seems the preferred option although some have suggested pinot noir if you must go red.
Thinking about it, starter will be based on calamari so white is really leaping to the fore! However, given their preference for red, where can I go?
Budget - double figures is fine, £50 is not!
I have Googled but without any conclusive suggestions for a red to pair with this. Riesling seems the preferred option although some have suggested pinot noir if you must go red.
Thinking about it, starter will be based on calamari so white is really leaping to the fore! However, given their preference for red, where can I go?
Budget - double figures is fine, £50 is not!
Don said:
Mobile Chicane said:
Burgundy. (Pinot noir.)
Though be prepared to get your wallet out for a good one.
Pinot Noir most certainly. But consider something from Marlborough, New Zealand. Some damn fine wines at half Burgundy pricing..Though be prepared to get your wallet out for a good one.
Martinborough, now you're talking, but Ata Rangi et al cost as much as good Burgundy.
Plain water.
Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.
So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
Gandahar said:
Plain water.
Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.
So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
It's a good job we're all different...Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
Gandahar said:
Plain water.
Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.
So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
This thread is not for you, move on now please Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.

This is very nice and great value in my opinion:
http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-type/leyda-cahu...
http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-type/leyda-cahu...
Gandahar said:
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.
However, you surely don't eat every ingredient of your meal separately or save the sauce until after you've finished the dish it was meant to accompany? There are many food and wine combinations that are arguably greater than the sum of their parts...
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.Anyway, back on topic: can't argue with the pinot suggestions, but if a good burg is out of budget I'd be tempted to try Chilean in preference to NZ.
Gandahar said:
Plain water.
Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.
So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
It's not necessarily about increasing the taste you get from either the food or the wine but making sure that you don't have something that will completely overpower one or the other.Show me scientific proof any sort of alcohol makes food give you more taste you were missing without it.
Food tastes better without anything to compete with. However that is not very sociable, so just serve them a mixture of everything bottle wise.
It's two separate events. The food and the booze. Saying "what compliments this" is just b
ks. Do I want a mouth full of pork fat when I taste that exquisite wine? No. Do I want after taste of a sparkling drink when I first set my teeth into the best cooked scallop ever? Er no thinks.So in summary it is not the tastebuds it is the event, so just buy stuff that will impress them. Most eating and drinking is in the mind after all.
Would you spend £30 on a lovely fresh piece of halibut then smother it in vindaloo sauce?
As the other poster said above you don't eat each componenent of a meal separately and don't consume the drink on it's own after you have finished eating so you need to make sure all the parts of a meal are as balanced as possible.
lauda said:
This is very nice and great value in my opinion:
http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-type/leyda-cahu...
Good call. Also try this:http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-type/leyda-cahu...
http://www.marksandspencer.com/secano-maiten-viney...
Wonderful pinot.
As an alternative I'd look at a Crozes Hermitage which is Syrah but a bit lighter than CDR blends.
Can't beat a good Burgundy though IMHO.
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