interesting wine experience

[GuyMcBeerdrinker]

I brought a couple of bottles of a friend's house friday night. we originally had plan on cooking dinner that night, but my friend's wife got trashed the night before with her teacher friends so there was a change in plans. they ordered some pizzas instead (no domino's, real restaurant pizzas). not wanting to let the good wine go to waste, I uncorked the first one. 2002 stag's leap merlot.

the pizzas arrived and I had my first bite of the jalapeño/mushroom one. the spice was good, and not thinking twice I took a swig of my merlot. I was surprised at the instant transformation it took. it turned super super sweet.

anyone had a similar experience? or do merlots usually have that similar interaction with spicy foods?

[jcgoldner]

I went to a Intro to wine tasting course a couple of weeks ago and they demonstrated that it does indeed happen.

They showed it in a different way by asking the people who didn't like the particular wine we were tasting to take a piece of cheese and try the wine again. It was almost unanimous that they liked the wine when having it with the cheese. I was amazed when it was my turn to try.

They said the wine will taste differently depending on whether the food was sweet or not sweet. It was quite interesting to this wine novice.

[GuyMcBeerdrinker]

we were talking about it, and the pairing of wines with cheeses came up. a friend of mine said that wine snobs frown upon that practice because it inables you to taste the tannins.

eh, I always thought that wine and cheese always went together.

[Hal]

It does, don't listen to the snobs. I like some wine but really haven't experimented a lot. What I have noticed is how wine will change with different foods. That really surprised me.

[PetersCreek]

If you're objective is wine tasting, I agree that cheese interferes with the activity. Not only can the flavor of the cheese (or many other things) affect how you perceive the flavor of the wine, my subjective feeling is that cheese coats the tongue...not a good thing if you want to pick up subtle flavors, IMO. But that's wine tasting.

If you're just sitting down to enjoy your wine and you like the way it tastes with certain foods...well...isn't that really what wine is all about?

[Navydoc]

I guess we all know that certain foods or spices will overwhelm certain taste buds thus leaving other ones open to the experience. Spices get to the salt buds leaving the sweet ones up's for grabs. JMHO. Cheers!

[jasontp]

a nice oaky Chardonnay does well with pizza as well. Personally I hate merlot (no, not because of sideways) so I couldn't comment about how it interacts with spicy foods. It's rare that I sit down to a meal (outside of at home) and don't have a glass of wine. If you know what you're doing the wine and food can play off of each other for some startling tastes. Don't listen to the snobs, I've been repeating this over and over again on CG and BGA "taste is the only morality"

[caudio51]

All I know is I like wine. I haven't gotten to the point where I want to start learning about it. Too many other hobbies going on right now.

[tobby4]

Cheese does allow you to taste the tannins a little better in the wine. the mold(cheese) helps clear your palate a little more and the increased tanins are easily felt on the tongue.

And any darker Merlot, will turn sweet with the sudden change of acidity on your tongue. Obviously the wine didnt change but you had the highly acidic spice of a jalapeno and the wine so it changed the characteristics in your palate.


By the way, great choice of wine.... I believe their Cab is a little bit better, well at least i like the Stags Cab a little better than the Merlot... and I love the fact that you are opening a 90 dollar bottle of wine with pizza... thats awesome...

[caudio51]

By the way, great choice of wine.... I believe their Cab is a little bit better, well at least i like the Stags Cab a little better than the Merlot... and I love the fact that you are opening a 90 dollar bottle of wine with pizza... thats awesome...

That is awesome! :santa2:

[tobby4]

one day...one day I will do that

[jasontp]

Wine makes me happy:yes:

[caudio51]

Wine tends to make me sleepy. It tends to make girls all emotional. I guess that is why they like it so much!

[GuyMcBeerdrinker]

$90 for a bottle of stag's leap 2002 merlot? I paid like $34 for it.

my dad and I uncorked a bottle of stag's leap 2002 cabernet for our xmas meal after switching from johnnie walker blue. it was great but we both liked the "cheaper" wine better: 2002 david bruce pinot noir.

[tobby4]

Yea, its the Fay that is that much... my bad....

the Bruce is a good wine

and

Acacia Pinot Noir is a great "cheaper" wine as well

[jasontp]

This summer check out Estancia Chardonnay. . . and if you can get them to ship it to you Rusack is a great little vineyard in Santa Ynez, Cali with a Savignon Blanc that is perfect to just sit outside and chill with. . . both of those are under 30 bucks