Anthony Gismondi: Wines to woo and wow this Valentine's Day
Credit to Author: agismondi| Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2020 19:00:57 +0000
Today we preview several wine styles that you might consider for Valentine’s Day along with some matching food ideas.
If you are planning a night at home — which for most wine drinkers usually means more wine for less money — you have plenty of time to select the appropriate wine. We also offer some thoughts on food to support the wines, and vice versa, and keep it simple but fun.
It’s fair to say the cooking at home can be a challenge for those not used to it, but our advice remains steady: keep the menu simple and stick to comfort dishes and the evening will be a success. Failing that takeout is equally acceptable, especially given that you can buy nearly anything you desire already prepared and get it delivered to your door.
Rosé is always a fun wine at Valentine’s, and we begin with highly affordable and delicious drinking Gérard Bertrand Côte Des Roses Rosé($24.95). You will get full points for serving this Sud de France rosé that comes in a spectacular bottle whose base looks like a floral bouquet.
Bertrand will be in Vancouver for the 2020 Vancouver International Wine Festival, giving you another reason to open it for knowledgeable wine drinkers. Rosé is also food friendly, allowing you to serve it with sushi, Jamon, cheese, or even a whole-roasted chicken or pork tenderloin.
Pinot Noir will be a big seller on the 14th, given its rich, round, supple textures and voluptuous fruit flavours. There’s plenty to choose from in B.C. or further south from Oregon or California. Duck, mushrooms, fowl, and root vegetables all work with Pinot and its soft tannins. The ultimate bargain pick is the Santa Carolina Pinot Noir Reserva(Leyda Chile, on sale at $10.99).
If there is one day made for sparkling wine with a highly attractive rosé colour, it is Valentine’s Day. Among my current rosé Champagne favourites are the Louis Roederer Brut Rosé Champagne 2013($97.99). A rare infusion style rosé made with Pinot Noir grapes that sit around in the tank for 7-10 days before joining some fermenting Chardonnay. Juicy and bright, you will love its raspberry, cherry, red apple flavours streaked with grapefruit acidity. Similarly, the Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut($99.99) with its light raspberry salmon colour and nutty, citrus, creamy raspberry aromas and creamy strawberry, baked apple flavours should not be missed.
Consider matching your sparkling rosé with store-bought or homemade stuffed pasta. Ravioli, agnolotti or tortellini stuffed with your favourite romantic fillings could include ricotta cheese, mushrooms, lobster or butternut squash.
If there is to be meat, there is nothing simpler or tastier than grilled T-bone steaks or veal chops. Add a Caesar salad and let that big red wine fill in the edges. Any number of California Cabernet Sauvignon will fit the bill, as well as local Cabernet Franc, Merlot or Meritage. We like Bartier Bros. Cabernet Franc Cerqueira Vineyard (Okanagan Valley, $25.99), Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon 2016(Sonoma County, California, $27.49), Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2015(Napa Valley, California, $69.99), or Phantom Creek Estates Phantom Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016(Oliver, $80).
For extra-added visual impact, not to mention some flavour enhancement, we suggest you decant all the still wines a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Dessert should be equally simple as dinner. Strawberries and fresh cream, pannacotta, crème brûlée, cheesecake, or a few well-chosen high-quality chocolates and you are all set. Now, the rest is up to you.
Gérard Bertrand Côte Des Roses Rosé 2018, Languedoc, France
$24.95 | 89/100
UPC: 3514123111002
Côte des Roses is a celebration of the Mediterranean lifestyle, something Gerard Bertrand has done with style for three decades. The Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah blend comes off mostly hard limestone and schist with a lesser contribution of gravels from the rivers of the Languedoc region. It smells of strawberries and watermelon sprayed with citrus but, more than anything, it tastes like fun. A lively, vibrant, mineral undercurrent supports a similar flavoured palate with a riff of Southern France garrigue. Dry, firm and an elegant pink would suggest the serious wine set would approve. Halibut tacos, spicy tuna poke or lobster risotto all work here.
Louis Bouillot Perle d’Aurore Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne N/V, Burgundy, France
$23.99 | 88/100
UPC: 3174470080187
I’m a fan of this simplified, pale pink sparkler made from an 80/20 mix of Pinot Noir and Gamay sourced across Cote d’Or, South Burgundy and the Maconnais. The nose is bright and fresh with citrus, mineral, strawberry, raspberry and cherry fruit flavours with attractive yeasty notes. Fun, clean, bright and affordable a great introduction to French sparkling wine. Fine, serious fizz (at a terrific price).
Paul Mas Grenache Noir 2015, Languedoc, France
$11.99 | 88/100
UPC: 03760040423517
Les Domaines Paul Mas will be at the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year so think of this as a preview. Mas operates via estates and appellations, even at the entry-level. Look for plenty of fresh, ripe strawberries flecked with darker fruit and a smooth, juicy, mid-palate and finish. Tannins are dusty with mineral, savoury, raspberry notes. If chicken is on your Valentine’s Day menu, this is your value pick.
Blue Mountain Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2017, Okanagan Valley
$45 | 91/100
UPC: 626452551176
The Reserve Cuvée is a blend of three estate vineyards with an average age of 33, and a broad mix of clones. The fermented juice goes into new four-year-old wood. The aromas are ripe but tempered by earthy, smoky, leather notes, with a spicy Worcestershire sauce edge. Much drier than the competition (in the right way) mixing earthy red cherries with a touch of balsamic light tannins and south Okanagan savoury garrigue. An awkward teenager, for now, this should age effortlessly through 2023. A perfect foil to grilled salmon with a sweet onion reduction.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
$69.99 | 92/100
UPC: 657891715591
Cabernet Sauvignon has been an extended part of the Hope Family viticultural history, and no one has embraced the potential of Paso Robles more than Austin Hope, the winemaker and architect of this big Cabernet. We tasted this wine over six months ago and suggested it was not for the timid. This time out, it remains equally as youthful and rambunctious from its intense, black fruit, blackcurrants, blackberry brown sugar flavours flecked with clove and pepper highlights. The finish is long, warm, and extensive, offering soft, smoky vanilla notes. It is still a baby, and will keep a decade before it begins to open up.
Maki Watanabe is an award-winning cookbook author in her native Japan. Her newest book, Asian Noodles, is a collection of noodle dishes from every corner of East and Southeast Asia, mainly simple preparations that trade on the flavours unique to each micro-region. This dish is amped up with Korean gochujang chili paste, but you could just as easily use Sichuan doubanjiang.
Spicy Stir-Fried Mi Fun with Gochujang
6 oz (175 g) dried rice vermicelli
16 to 20 medium shrimp, about 8 oz (220 g)
1/4 cup (60 mL) cornstarch
6 chives
1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly shredded
11/4 cups (120 g) soybean sprouts, trimmed
1 tsp (5 mL) gochujang
3½ tbsp (50 mL) sake rice wine
2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
Salt
Put the rice vermicelli in a bowl, and add enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, then drain well. If the noodles are very long, cut in half. Peel the shrimp, cutting into each to remove the vein. Sprinkle with cornstarch, rubbing it in and then rinsing it off. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Cut the chives into 11/2-inch (4 cm) long pieces.
Heat a frying pan over medium, and add the sesame oil and ginger. When the oil is fragrant, add the noodles and stir fry while loosening them up. Combine gochujang, sake and soy sauce and add to the pan. Stir the noodles while they absorb the liquid. Add the shrimp and fry until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt, if necessary. Add the chives and bean sprouts, and toss to combine.
Makes 2 servings.
Spicy Stir-Fried Mi Fun with Gochujang, a thick, sticky condiment that’s spicy with a concentrated pungent in flavour, call for wines higher in residual sugar.
JoieFarm A Noble Blend 2018, Okanagan Valley, $25.90
Juicy, ripe pear fruit with a hint of sweetness balanced with acidity and pepper that will easily take on this dish.
Tightrope Winery Riesling 2017, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, $22
Honey, green apples, and pear flavours are the key to balancing the spicy and pungency of the Gochujang coated noodles.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com