| This wine and food pairing blog was inspired by my husband, Ron. Almost every night, as we prepare dinner, he will look across the kitchen and ask, “What are we drinking tonight, honey?” As he knows, I like to complement even the simplest of meals with the appropriate wine. The blog intends to inspire others to purposefully pair wine with food by sharing examples of meals we have made, the wine we drank, and the story behind it. It will hopefully be an insightful, informative, and entertaining journey through my love for food and wine pairing. Tonight, we’re having burgers. Beaune Appetite. |  |
The Wrong Bottle of Wine is Opened
Last month as I was beginning my dinner prep, grilled marsala-style shrimp was the plan, Ron came into the kitchen looking for a pre-dinner glass of wine. From across the room, I pointed to a bottle of mid-week Pinot Noir on our large, butcher-block-like table and said, “You can open that.” Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize is that there were two bottles of wine on the table directly in line with the direction I was pointing. Ron grabbed the one closest to him and opened it without question. When I turned back around from my prepping, I shrieked “not that one” as he had opened a special and expensive bottle of Bordeaux that was intended as a gift for a friend.
The mistakenly opened bottle of 2011 Château Sansonnet Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux with sunset behind it.
A Reverse Wine Pairing Was Needed
Pairing food and wine typically begins with selecting the food and then choosing the wine to complement it. But now we had a bottle of 2011 Château Sansonnet Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux open, and I needed to figure out what to eat with it. I knew it needed to be something substantial, something that could match the bold fruit flavors and luscious tannins of this wine.
I went to the freezer and found two Wagyu beef hamburgers leftover from a recent cookout. Perfect, that would work for Ron, as I am not a red meat eater. I settled on some herb-infused chicken sausage as my best option. Once all the meat was thawed, Ron fired up the grill, and with the addition of some potatoes and a salad, we had a reverse pairing meal.
Chef Ron cleaning our grill before cooking the burgers.
The Result
Château Sansonnet is located in Saint-Émilion on the right bank of the French Bordeaux wine region. Bordeaux is always a blend, and in this region, the Merlot grape variety tends to dominate. This wine was fifteen years old and crafted from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. I chose to decant it to allow the release of all the beautiful aromas and flavors this wine had to offer.
In the glass, the wine had a dark ruby red color and an intense, complex aroma of red and black berries. On the palate, it was soft and elegant, with a hint of cedar spice, and a long, complex finish of silky tannins. And although it would have been better matched with roast beef or pork loin, we savored every drop.
Fortunately, I was able to purchase another bottle to give to our friend for his birthday.
The end result: a reverse wine pairing of Château Sansonnet and burgers.
