If you were in a
restaurant and the wine list contained some fine
Champagnes, South-African, New Zealand and Loire Sauvingnon Blancs from
renowned wine makers, an astonishing choice of German, Austrian and Alsatian Rieslings,
several Grüner Veltliners, Chardonnays from all over the world, Gewurztraminer
from Alsace and New Zealand, dry and sweet Bordeaux wines—and that would only
be the white wine section—what would you do?
I’d ask for the menu,
just to check if it contains anything but Leviathan, as I would probably be
dead.
A wine list of this
sort only exists in heaven, and in the mind of Jamie Goode. It’s a fun list,
and as with any personal list, it may lead to animated discussion. Though maybe
less animated in Burgundy (“I could just about live without Burgundy [Pinot
Noir]”), Bordeaux (“I’m not sure where [red] Bordeaux would figure”), and some
Spanish regions (“I can’t see Rioja or Ribero del Duero getting a look in”).
Unfortunately Jamie Goode doesn’t reveal what kind of restaurant he was
thinking of, let alone what dishes would accompany his wines of choice. On the
other hand, with such an extended list, what dish would not find a pairing
wine?
Now it is one thing to
have a wine list in your mind’s eye, but (at least for me) quite another to be
honoured with a try-out of candidates for a new real life wine list. My
favourite local restaurant may be just that: a restaurant cherished and
favoured within a 10 mile zone, their wine list covering the entire world: France,
Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Morocco, Israel, Lebanon, Argentina, New
Zealand, South Africa, United States and Chili. It needed a small
refurbishment, as menu’s do every now and then. Spouse and I had just sat down for a quick dinner,
rather tired after a hard day’s work and looking forward to an early night. Before we
could order the boss brought out his best glass ware, poured a Menetou-Salon and
asked us if we would like to taste a few wines with our dinner that he felt
might have a place on the new wine list. It wasn’t a question really and we
were happy to oblige. So we spent the evening sniffing, chewing, tasting,
discussing. No early night, but revived all the same.
Menetou-Salon,
Domaine de Loury, Belles Roches 2011, 12,5% alc
Great wine for an
aperitif that will also go well with not too heavy fish dishes. This Loire
Sauvignon Blanc has a vivid nose without the cat’s pee of its neighbours.
Tastes of gooseberry, yellow apples, pear and something grassy. Zesty with an agreeable
roundness.
Picpoul de Pinet (of
which I forgot to pen down the details)
I thought it smelled
of acetone and didn’t taste it. Spouse called it ‘medicinal’ and said the wine
was unremarkable on its own, but suited the sesame madeleines and Thai basil that
accompanied her tartare of tuna, less the tartare itself.
Pinot Grigio,
Tiefenbrunner 2011 (Alto Adige)
I am always surprised
how different a Pinot Grigio is from a Pinot Gris. One probably shouldn’t
compare the two. This Pinot Grigio, made by a well-known North-Italian winemaker,
has an, I quote Mr Tiefenbrunner, ‘unobtrusive bouquet.’ Though it had the
difficult task to make me forget the Menetou-Salon—it failed—I must admit it
paired better with the vitello tonato, due to its freshness and acidity.
Sequillo 2011, Swartland,
South Africa, 14,5% alc
This blend of, hold
on, Chenin Blanc, Palomino, Semillon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Semillon Gris,
Viognier, and Clairette was served with a grilled white fish on a puree of
chickpeas. It could have passed for a Southern Rhône if the Chenin Blanc
wouldn’t have given it away. Neither fined nor filtered, the bottle warns you in
bold type. I like that. Exciting wine. Tropical fruit with a certain freshness,
full-bodied but not fatty. A pity that it contains so much alcohol. And mind
you, they reduced the alcohol level in this vintage.
Domaine de
Piaugier, Gigondas 2010, Marc Autan et Fils, Sablet, 14,5% alc
This young Gigondas desperately
needed the proteins of Spouse’s rib-eye to soften its tannins, even with the
bottle open for two hours. A fruity yet full-bodied wine. Quite some alcohol,
but balanced. Hope we’ll see it on the list in two years.