Tasting Notes: In Vino Vegetas

What did we learn at our most recent tasting?  Plenty!

We learned that John Eld can come up with the right wine for any dish!  If you need to pair “squirt cheese” on Savoritz crackers, or foie gras on rustic white bread with white pepper, John will find the right wine.

We learned that Kevin Dering, Mary Eld, Terry Germanoski, Susan Coleville and Mary Ann Hirt are fantastic cooks. Any cuisine, from American to Zimbabwean, they have it covered.

We learned that we have some VERY talented people in the Pittsburgh Chapter, and we thank them for their contributions to our tastings.

We learned that pairing wines with vegetable-focused dishes, including vegan and vegetarian foods, is easy, but it's also a way to show your creativity. Choosing wines for these dishes can result in some great pairings if we remember some of the basic principles that were presented:

1.    Powerful flavors and richness in food call for powerful wines.

2.    Lighter food flavors require lighter wines.

3.    Spicy, salty, or smoky flavors in food are best with lighter, fruity reds, or off-dry to semi-sweet whites.

4.    You can pair food with wine by creating complementary pairings, where the food tastes like the wine (pasta with fresh herbs, olive oil, and olives paired with Sauvignon Blanc). Or you can make contrasting pairings, where the food and wine have opposite flavors and textures (a mushroom risotto with a fruity Pinot Noir).

As with all good food, the quality of ingredients is important, and these pairing suggestions are based on the flavors in these ingredients when they're good. Pairing a great wine with an out of season tomato salad isn't going to highlight the features of the tomato that aren't there. But try a garden-fresh tomato, basil, olive oil, Balsamic, and salt and pepper with fresh-baked bread and a glass of dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, and we guarantee happiness.

These aren't hard rules. They’re guidelines to help you with your pairings. Experiment on your own and have fun preparing, serving and eating a wonderful vegetarian meal, and let your wine make it just a little better.

Pliny the Elder is believed to have said, "In Vino, Veritas" ("In Wine, Truth"). We agree with this ancient wine geek but let us humbly amend his famous statement:

“In Vino, Vegetas.”

The Wines

Les Fumées Blanches Sauvignon Blanc SW France PLCB:79088 $9.99

Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva Toscana PLCB: 79094 $15.99

Fetzer Gewürztraminer Monterey County CA PLCB: 7229 $9.99

Colosi Nero D’Avola Sicilia PLCB: 7872 $14.99

Bogle Vineyards Essential Red Clarksburg CA PLCB: 6685 $10.99

Alasia Moscato d’Asti Piemonte PLCB: 4892 $12.99