What to eat with PN?

Obviously, when some, if not most, of us go to a new restaurant, we look at the wine list before the menu. We pick a bottle and THEN find something to eat with it.

I'm getting pretty good at finding suitable pairings, but one wine is still a sort of no-man's-land for me and it happens to be one of my favorite.

I love Pinot Noir and have had it quite a few times in restaurants. Last night with duck which is an obvious choice. Other times with lamb and "Melting Pot" fondue (a fondue chain here in the states).

What are some other possiblities with dishes you frequently run across in restaurants or that you make at home that a Pinot Noir friendly? I've got about 10 bottles of the stuff from various regions but can never think of anything to cook that will show it off.

Reply to
C.L.
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across

friendly?

can

Salmon.

Reply to
Ken Blake

We've gone round and round in the group regarding what goes with salmon, and I'm firmly in the PN camp. It might be that I'm prejudiced against whites, although a buttery Chardonnay with a salmon sauced with Hollandaise will work for me. I don't have familiarity with the Austrians that are recommended and don't get many Alsace wines available, even in the larger emporia in Colorado. White Burgundy will do it as well.

Now, for what I serve with PN--I find it goes with duck (as stated) as well as with holiday traditional turkey. I drink it with veal, with lamb only occasionally, and with white sauced pasta dishes. In fact, I've come to like PN with almost anything other than hearty beef. Only problem is that the PN's I like are too expensive to drink daily--that's when I fall back on my other all-purpose red wine, zinfandel.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (ret) ***"When Thunder Rolled: *** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam" *** from Smithsonian Books ISBN: 1588341038

Reply to
Ed Rasimus

run

Noir

show it

with

prejudiced

sauced

Even without the hollandaise, I can drink and like a big chardonnay with salmon. But I much prefer the PN.

Reply to
Ken Blake

I read the wine list to identify interesting wines, Then I look at the menu to see what looks good. I then try to reconcile the two, asking the sommelier for advice if it's not obvious. I think trying to match a particular wine to the menu is a recipe for disaster. It just might not happen.

It can be good with lamb, but I usually want something more acidic with lamb. I think pinot noir goes well with pork and with gamey birds like squab. For beef I usually choose cabernet/bordeaux or merlot. For pork I choose pinot noir. For chicken I choose white whine or maybe a Rhone style wine. Those are just generalities, of course. I've had white wine with beef and so on.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

For PN or anything else:

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is a handy site!

Reply to
Kirk-O-Scottland

Hi Ian et al:

In article , Ian Hoare wrote a lot of insightful stuff I agree with, including:

& If your Pinot Noir is old, (if not to say geriatric)
&

partridge and of course duck & goose both wild and domestic. (let's don't forget grouse, another good Burg combo)

As to the rest, I don't DISagree with either of the following, but would qualify slightly:

I'd agree, though I think bad match might overstate the case, just that it's not an ideal match.

I guess with a younger GC a steak would be OK, but I think I'd still prefer a Cabernet based wine with steak. I'd go more for a simple preparation of wild duck(domestic duck is more for lighter Burgs like Volnay, IMHO).

Most of these recommendations could be transferred to American pinots. A more delicate PN would correspond to Ian's suggestions for lighter Burgs, and a big hulking RRV pinot would do better with a lot of red meat.

Of course, the problem with suggestions like this for making a mental list for restaurants is the preparation. Inventive chefs mean one must be alert! :)

Dale

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Reply to
Dale Williams

I love fruity Pinot Noirs with almost any salmon dish: grilled, roasted, baked.....Give it a try. Roland Marandino

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...where people discuss affordable wines

Reply to
Roland Marandino

Actually, can't believe I didn't mention mushrooms! Great combo with PN in a lot of cases (cremini, cepes, oysters, etc), at least if presentation isn't too outrageous. One of our fallback combos is mixed mushroom risotto and Burgundy or OR PN. Good catch, Mark.

Dale

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Reply to
Dale Williams

Your last sentence makes a point. I've occasionally found a good restaurant with a great cellar that offers specific food/wine recommendations. Uusally it's a place that's sophisticated enough to offer a daily changing menu reflecting the vagaries of the seasonal market. They then offer course-by-course match-ups of wine that really works with the dish, often by the glass.

The times I've taken advantage of this method, I've usually come away with a couple of vineyards, vintages and names scribbled on a napkin that led me the next morning to an Internet search to direct order of a case of this or that. Three rewards of the process that I can recall were Gary Farrell for Pinot Noirs, Andrew Rich of Oregon for PNs and Titus Vineyard of CA for Zin and it turned out some might good Cab. Sauvignon and Cab Franc.

Of course there are also the tasting dinners that a lot of good restaurants will sponsor in which a producer offers a sampling of wares matched with a menu to spotlight the wines. That led me to a long and expensive relationship with Ridge as well as an introduction to Schug who makes some excellent Calif. PNs.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (ret) ***"When Thunder Rolled: *** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam" *** from Smithsonian Books ISBN: 1588341038

Reply to
Ed Rasimus

Thanks, Dale. Being somewhat less carnivorous than you, I have spent some effort finding (vegetarian) foods to accompany red wines. An interesting topic would be to break down the mushrooms that do/don't go well with Pinot Noir. I think that I would include most types of chanterelle in addition to those you've already mentioned, but exclude portobello, enoki, straw, shi'itake and morel. Any thoughts?

Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

It looks handy, and has a similar interface to Wine Spectator Online.

Only problem with both pairing guides is they are too vague. I mean you put in red burg and pasta and you've got virtually every dish under the sun!

Although I do like a certain amount of generality, that's a little too much. On the other hand, the differetiations between chicken and farm raised chicken and what the cow was fed before slaughter are important I'm sure. But I think the subtle taste differences would be lost on me at this time.

Just like I'm sure I could listen to a piece of music and understand it on a deeper level than most, there are people in here that eat and drink far beyond my comprehension. It's that balance of generality and specificity that is hard to find.

Reply to
C.L.

Salut/Hi C.L.,

le/on 22 Jul 2003 07:05:19 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

Try the comparison one time, you'll see that both on texture and on flavour the differences are neither subtle nor difficult to comprehend. I'd put it

- if you like music - like the difference between Bach played on the harpsichord by Wanda Landowska and "Jesu, joy..." in a supermarket at Christmas"

Reply to
Ian Hoare

I'm studying the University Wine Course by Marian Baldy of University of California - Chico, and Appendix C is an excellent guide for a slightly more in-depth study of wine and food combinations. It's a little lengthy to get into here though, but basically, she teaches concepts/ food chemistry, and not a list of food and wine pairings. She points out that the concepts are more important than lists because everyone's tastes are different; thus, there are no real "right answers". A series of rules for specific dishes and wines is good however if you stick to that list only, but that would soon get boring. Except for me; I never tire of ribeyes, New York strips, or tenderloins with cabernet sauvignon, and if the meat is not too grilled or spicy, will have a pinot noir with those as well.

Reply to
Kirk-O-Scottland

Whassa boleta? Seriously, Mark, I've never had one to be able to make any comment. As for portobello, to me it's too earthy for most Pinots, though I am willing to concede that a bigger Burgundy (of the type that I have next to no experience with) might suffice. I treat portobellos as I do red game meat: Rhone wine or Nebbiolo. I will try Dale's suggestion of Bordeaux and see how that fares. Also, see my comments to Dale re morels.

Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

Wow, must be well-aged C-R not to overwhelm. I find Volnays and Chambolles with some age to be the best for my tastes

Exactly

Have you tried the Kimlan soys from Taiwan? I preferred most to PRB. But the special ones are a bit more expensive. I've heard Wanjashan is very good, but haven't found it.

Best, Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Reply to
Dale Williams

Ah yes - the 'Plucky Pole'.

Didn't know anyone else here liked harpsichord music and also knew Landowska!

Ian, you have hidden talents.

Reply to
Bill Spohn

knew Landowska!

I love harpsichord music (I built and used to own a harpsichord), but I don't like Landowska at all (actually it's mostly her Pleyel harpsichord that I disliked).

Reply to
Ken Blake

Salut/Hi Bill Spohn,

le/on 23 Jul 2003 00:07:28 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

I've been interested/passionate in/about early music (Bach is a touch modern but I had to make allowances for the likely taste of my correspondent) for more years than I choose to remember. Sang in an a capella choir for ~20 years, doing among other delights the first liturgical performance of Taverner's Missa Corona Spinea since the 16th C.

Reply to
Ian Hoare

Cepes

Porcini

boletus edulis

Mike

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

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