| 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 a Mediterranean inspired meal. Beaune Appetite. |  |
The Mediterranean Inspired Meal
It was one of the first warm nights in June, with temperatures still in the high 70s at 6:00 p.m. So, we decided to grill and eat on the patio of our home in Gloucester for the first time this summer.
The Inspiration: Fresh Tomatoes
Ron had picked up some fresh tomatoes at one of the local farm stands and suggested we do a caprese salad with mozzarella and grilled chicken for dinner. I agreed but added some fresh greens and herbs to the salad and dressed it with Arbequina olive oil and a touch of balsamic glaze. The chicken breasts were marinated for an hour in a simple barbecue sauce with a hint of spice. The question now was what to serve with this Mediterranean-style meal.
Caprese Salad from our Mediterranean inspired meal on the patio.
The Pairing: Food with wine and from the same country
When I think of tomatoes in a dish, wine from Italy and Greece comes to mind as a pairing. Since the fare we would be eating was fresh, light, and herbaceous, I decided on a light red from Greece and one I had been aging for some time in my wine cave.
I pulled out the Alpha Estate Xinomavro Reserve Vieilles Vignes, “Barba Yannis,” 2017, from the wine fridge where it had been stored at 60 degrees for the last year. I have owned this wine for 3-4 years, and about a year ago, I used my Coravin wine tasting tool to see if it was ready to drink. It was not. It had brooding tannins, closed red fruit, and no finish. I put it back in the fridge, hoping it would be better if given some more time to age.
Alpha Estate Xinomavro Reserve Vieilles Vignes, “Barba Yannis,” 2017
The Result:
What a treat when I opened this wine on a beautiful June evening to find it had transformed into another wine from the one I had tasted a year ago. It was soft and elegant with flavors of red raspberry, dark cherry, smoky vanilla, and spice. It had a medium body and a finish that lasted long after it was swallowed. It paired well with the food and made the meal special. I am so glad I waited to drink it.
Being able to taste a wine to determine if it is ready to drink is one of the things I love about my Coravin. Check out my account of how to preserve wine and what the Coravin system is all about in my April newsletter.
Learn more about Greek Wine and Food Pairing in this blog post.
Caprese Salad and bottle of Xinomavro Reserve to complete our Med Meal.
