wine food yum

Wine and food are one of the classic combinations in life - not the easiest task, but let me share with you some of this past weekend's delights.

Saturday evening, we had a bbq/sendoff for one of my brother's, EL. We had some fantastic ribs, salads and other bbq wonders. I sent him off with a Zin from Ridge, but for dinner, we tried LA Cetto Zinfindel 2005 (Vintages 405605). Coming out of Mexico, I wasn't expecting too much, but it ended up being a nice and fruity surprise. While we were on the patio, we were sipping on Darting Riesling Kabinett 2005 (Vintages 950212). The drier version of our current favorite from Kurt Darting (the spatlese), a well-priced, balanced bottle from Pfalz, Germany.


Tonight, TC and JF invited GL and I over for a 3 couple dinner at TC's place. Congrats again to ML+KL on their engagement and moving to HK!! On to dinner:

Avocado and Shrimp Salad
Anakena Ona Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Casablanca Valley, Chile (Vintages 59501)

Crostini with Beef Tartare
Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages, Burgundy, France (LCBO 122077)

Prociutto wrapped Asparagus with Spicy Mustard
Cono Sur Viognier, Chile (LCBO 64287)

for the guys:
Rack of Lamb with Mushroom Risotto
Eral Bravo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Argentina (no stock left, Vintages 58081)

for the girls:
Salmon with Mushroom Risotto
Cono Sur Vision Pinot Noir, Colchagua Valley, Chile (Vintages 689992)

Spinich Ricotta + Butternut Squash Ravioli
matched with the Anakena Sauv Blanc

ML + KL brought:
Sponge cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Pineapple chunks
Huff Estates First Frost Vidal 2006, Prince Edward County, Canada (Vintages 63842)

Overall, I thought things went pretty well - most of the research came from the net, including: Nat Decants, Epicurious. I'm learning that pairing, amongst other considerations, have a lot to with acidity, binding and non-competition of flavours. Yum!