Wine Food Pairing | Wine Cooler Blog

Wine Food Pairing: Trout and Wine Pairing

My wife and I always look forward to visiting my son and grandchildren. It involves some weird flight times to get from Tucson to Woodbridge, Virginia, but after seeing the kids, the long travel hours disappear in our memory. This trip was particularly close to my heart because my two grandchildren planned on taking us fishing. My wife and I had taken Connor, our grandson, fishing for the first time a couple of years ago and he had caught his first fish. He was particularly determined to show us that he could catch more.

URBAN TROUT FISHING

We had planned on going camping in southern Virginia a few days after arrival and thought that the fishing would begin then. We were surprised when our grandson announced that we would be fishing the same afternoon we arrived. I asked him where we were going fishing and he remarked “We are going to our neighborhood pool”. I surmised that he really meant an urban fishing pond, but I was wrong. In all my years my wife and I had never fished in a swimming pool, but that day we did.

The pool was stocked with rainbow trout and most of them hung out in the 8 foot deep diving end of the pool. We set up our lawn chairs at the pool’s edge and commenced fishing using worms, corn, marshmallows and salmon eggs. The limit was two fish per person and it didn’t take more than an hour and we had caught our limit. The other amazing thing was the people managing the fishing pool derby also cleaned our fish before we left the area. My grandson declared that it was now time to take them home, cook them, eat them and polish the meal off with a trip to the ice cream shop.

TROUT COOKING INGREDIENTS

Whether you grill the fish, bake them or cook them over a campfire, there are some key ingredients that you need. You need some dry white wine, butter, lemon juice, fresh parsley, salt, pepper and tin foil to wrap them in for cooking. In the trout’s body cavity, first add a pat of butter, a sprinkle of wine, a dash of lemon juice, some fresh parsley and then season to your taste with salt and pepper. Next, roll each individual fish in tin foil being careful to seal the ends to keep the liquids in. Grill, bake or place in hot campfire coals for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish is completely cooked (it will be white and flakey when done).

BEST WINES WITH TROUT

Using a dry white wine to add flavor to the fish is a must, but what wine would be the best to drink when eating the trout? Several sources say select an Anjou, Arbois, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or simply drink your favorite champagne. We selected a Sauvignon Blanc made locally in Virginia. My grandchildren can sometimes be picky eaters, but they really enjoyed the fish as much as we did, even though they drank milk. After the meal, we all did go to the ice cream store. I had a three scoop banana split, which I am now working off since we returned home.

Catching trout is fun. When cooked properly, it is a great fish to eat, especially joined with your favorite wine. I always say buy the wine your like, store it properly until ready to drink and serve it at its optimal temperature. Fishing and wine will make your world better.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Wine Food Paring: Valentine Wine And More

Valentine’s Day of 2012 was special to me for many reasons. I can’t explain it but, there was simply a convergence of unrelated events that made the day especially satisfying to me. I bought my wife a Valentine’s Day card and a box of her favorite chocolates. Her gift in return was the preparation of special dinner for us. The dinner involved cheese fondue, a loaf of bread, scallops wrapped in bacon, a leafy green salad and a bottle of Yellow Tail Rose. The juxtaposition of other events included the Centennial Celebration of Arizona Statehood and a chilly, snowy day in the Tucson Desert. During the weeks preceding this odd ball weather day, we had suffered mightily from temperature extremes from 70 to 75 degrees F.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

The Fondue was from Switzerland and was made of Swiss cheese, wine and special seasonings. Herdsman in the Valais and Gruyere alpine regions of Switzerland enjoyed dipping chucks of bread into melted cheese dating back to the 18^th Century. I am sure they did not have a small fondue pot with an electric heating unit resulting in precise control of the cheese temperature. Our bread was a loaf of French bread cut into cubes and lightly toasted in the under the oven’s broiler.

Bacon Scallops

The scallops were wrapped in a single strip of bacon and skewered with wooden oversized “tooth picks”. They were carefully placed on a baking sheet and also put under broiler heat in the oven for a few minutes. When the timer went off, my wife carefully turned them and placed them back in the over for a few more minutes. The result was a morsel that simply put, “melted in your mouth”.

The accompanying green salad, imported from Mexico, was simple leaf lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced celery and green peppers. Of course, I liberally applied my favorite blue cheese dressing. The salad was a perfect accent to the taste buds already primed by the fondue and scallops.

Rose Wine

Finally, my wife had picked up a bottle of rose wine. I know some would say a chilled white wine, such as a Riesling, would have been better with the fondue, but my wife and I especially like rose wines. Upon examining the bottle, I discovered that this wine, Yellow Tail Rose, was actually bottled at the Casella Winery in Yenda, Australia. Of course, my curiosity about the Casella Winery was stimulated, because this delightful rose with a nice bouquet that wasn’t too sweet was not American or French in origin.

The Casella Family has been making wine since 1820 in Italy, but immigrated to Australia in the 1950s to start a new wine growing enterprise. The Casella Winery is now one of the largest in Australia with over 300 employees. The main varieties that they bottle are Cabinet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Shiraz-Grenache, Pinot Noir, Rose, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. The Yellow Tail brand name is becoming known world-wide.

Arizona Statehood

Valentine’s Day also was the Centennial Celebration of Arizona Statehood. Several activities are planned for the celebration throughout the year. Tucson’s Fiesta del Los Vaqueros Parade, non-motorized horse and buggy event, this year will feature this 100 year event. The streets will be crowded with on lookers enjoying what is predicted to be a nice, sunny day in the Old Pueblo.

Rare Snowfall

I can remember a few years Tucson had a measurable snow fall. The years that I can remember are 1958, 1971, 1987 and 1998, but my memory doesn’t always serve me well. At least, I can say that snow in Tucson is a rare event. The biggest snow I remember was a December day in 1971 when we got 6.8 inches in one day.

My Valentine’s Day was special. Arizona celebrated 100 years of statehood, it snowed in Tucson, and I with my lovely wife of 35 years had a great dinner, of French bread, cheese fondue from Switzerland, rose wine from Australia, scallops wrapped in bacon from California and a green salad with primary ingredients coming from Mexico. It was truly a great holiday that incorporated rare weather, a government birthday and international cuisine. Does it get any better than that?

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Wine Food Pairing: Turkey And Wine

This past Thanksgiving we were blessed to be invited to a dear friend’s house. This was the first time in years that we were just able to enjoy the feast and company of friends without the messy clean-up that comes with entertaining in our own home. I did not have to stuff the turkey or roll up my sleeves at the sink trying to get the baking pan clean. My joy was short lived when my wife made the Thanksgiving announcement that, “Everyone is invited to our house for a big December holiday feast”. There was a resounding cheer at the gathering from everyone at the table. Hands were raised and voices heard to say, “We will be there”. At the last count we had fifteen couples, my daughter, two grandkids and one obnoxious “grand-dog” called Bones.

Preparation Work Detail

When December rolled around, my wife started preparations immediately. First, we had to do spring cleaning in December, which included walls, furnace registers, base boards, floors, etc. The next step was the obligatory decorations that needed to be scattered around the house, including an ornate light display for the outside that had me untangling and hanging lights for days. I was sent to the Party Store to rent tables, chairs and huge serving platters for the food. My final assignment was to get “The Birds” and the wine to go with it. I was beginning to wish we had entertained at Thanksgiving.

Ask The Right Questions

Before I left to do the shopping, my wife told me, “Make sure you talk to someone at the wine store so you get the right wine to compliment the turkey”. I said, “Why didn’t you ask everyone to bring their own wine, instead of us risking that we wouldn’t buy their favorite?” My wife raised her voice at least one octave and replied, “We are doing the entertainment so it is our responsibility not theirs and besides I want everything to be just perfect”. I love my wife dearly and I have learned when it is best to just say, “Yes Dear”. Before I left, I hopped on the computer and did my research so I could portray to the wine store clerk how knowledgeable I was about pairing turkey with wine. I didn’t want to embarrass myself at the wine store. Some sites that I found interesting are Chiff.com, Thatsthespirit.com and an article by Collen Graham found at: http://cocktails.about.com/od/foodbeveragepairing/f/turkey_pairing.htm.

Red Wine or White?

The general consensus from the web research was for a lighter red (not over burdened with tannins) or several white wines that tended to be fruity and slightly sweeter. Another caution, that seems well advised, is during dinner stick with wines lower in alcohol content. Northhamptonwines.com stated, “Save the 15 percent alcohol ‘in your face Zins’ for after dinner when it is OK for folks to go to sleep.”

The top choices I found for red wine lovers were Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and Red Zinfandel. White wine enthusiasts might enjoy a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Beaujolais Nouveau or White Burgundy. If some of your guests have a sweet-tooth, then try White Zinfandel or Cranberry Wine. Save the desert wines for after the main meal when it is time to devour the pumpkin and pecan pie.

Not A Wine Drinker, Try This.

Not everyone is a wine drinker. I also ran across some advice for people for pairing turkey with beer and cocktails. The consensus was that a beer should be complex but not over bearing. A good choice might be pale ale from one of the smaller breweries. Another website suggested that for the cocktail drinkers, gin cocktails like an English Rose, Park Avenue or Verbena Martini would work.

I went to the wine store and made my selections with an air of “I know what I am doing”. When I arrived home my wife said, “What wine did you decide on?” I smiled and told her, “One of each, a total of 12 bottles”. She exclaimed, “We won’t be able to serve all that wine at dinner!” I responded, “I wouldn’t think of doing that. I am going to raffle off any that we don’t serve.” My wife grabbed her forehead and walked away stating, “What I am I going to do with you.” I let her have the final word and started preparing the raffle tickets.

I always maintain that there are a lot of people that will tell you what wine to pair with what food. In the end, as I always say, buy the wine you like, store wine properly in a wine refrigerator, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers