The lovely people at Chablis have sent me 2 bottles of wine to try and see what food (me) a non wine expert would pair it with ....
Having four children our Saturday night food usually consists of pasta,pizzas,salad and lots of yummy finger foods including seafood,with which this fine wine would be great.
Along with the wine I got an interesting booklet about the Chablis vineyards which I found informative and helped give me a better understanding of what to look for in a wine.
35 million bottles of Chablis are produced every year and 3 out of 10 are sold in the UK.
These are the top tips I have learnt which I will now look for in all wines.So husband beware I will know if its cheap plonk or not!!
Step One-Appearance:
- Holding the glass by the stem or base will avoid warming your wine or transferring aromas from hand to bowl.
- Take a moment to study the wine in the glass Clear or bright?
- White wine ages darker to tawny brown after many years.
- Swirl the glass and watch the droplets-"legs"- indicating alcohol content,the greater the number of legs ,the higher the alcohol content,the speed of which it fall also tells you if the wine is sweet (slow) or dry (fast)
- Aromas of wine may remind us of fruits ( grapefruits,apple, peach/black cherry,plum,raspberry) flowers (chamomile,jasmine,rose) spice (vanilla,cinnamon,black pepper),or vegetate aromas (asparagus,mushrooms,freshly-cut grass.)
- Take a moment to swirl again and gently sniff the wine,how can you tell if its faulty? Cork taint is caused by a chemical resulting from a fungus in the natural bark,and may remind you of damp walls,mildew and mould
- Think about the aromas you found,take an initial sip.As far as tasting goes,the tongue detects acidity,bitterness,saltiness,savouriness and sweetness-only 5 thing!
- Try a process now to link the taste with sense of smell-take another sip of wine,and draw air through your mouth as if you are taking in a mouthful of spaghetti
- See how the tasting experience intensifies!
This length if the wine-counted in seconds,either short (2-3),medium(5-6) or long (10 seconds +),and gives a reasonable level of cost,the longer the taste lasts the more expensive the wine.
This week I've been trying to be good and making lots of healthier meals so this is what I picked to go with the wine..
1.) Home made vegetables stir fry with mushrooms, peppers, red onions, courgettes beansprouts, noodles and a chow main sauce...
Now unusually I thought the wine went well with this the food complemented the wine giving a longer lasting intensity of flavours.
2.) And on Sunday Roast Pork and stuffing Sunday dinner...
Learning as I have done I would not serve this wine with a roast dinner in the future as the food did stifle the flavour of the wine.Poor choice by me in hindsight.I'm Learning.
And save a little for supper to go with my cheese and crackers...
I had a small piece of brie which seemed to really accentuate the flavours of the wine reminding me of warm summers in the park.
The two wines I recieved were:
1. Domaine Bois d'Yver Chablis 2008, available at Marks and Spencers (£13-99)
2. Chablis J.Moreau & Fils 2009,available at Marks and Spencers (£12-99)
About this review: I received 2 bottles of Chablis wine to see which food I would pair it with. Also this post will be entered into a competition to win a wine tasting weekend.I was not paid for this post and all thoughts on this post are my own honest opinions...
What I will take from this more than anything, is rather than just grabbing any wine which happens to be on the end of the aisle I will actually put some thought into it, and plan a meal around the wine choice knowing it will greatly improve the dining experience.
As opposed to my normal method of what percentage alcohol is it and is it on special offer.
Having wine just for the alcohol value nothing else.
I am really pleased with how my eyes have been opened and that I have at my age learnt something..
