Thursday, July 3, 2014

Tough Pairing - Wine and fresh tomatoes

Pretty soon.
Pretty soon I will be eating my favorite food of summer.
Tomatoes.
Fresh, succulent, juicy, ripe home grown tomatoes. I love them - and really miss them when the season is over.
But pairing wine with fresh tomatoes can be a challenge. Here are some rules I follow:
No red wine
Even the lightest reds overpower the tomato's delicate flavors, and big tannic reds like Cabernet Sauvignon clash terribly with the tomato's acidity
No oaky, buttery Chardonnays
Once again, the tomato's acid clashes with the oak.
No overly acidic whites
A little acid is okay, but, choose a highly acidic wine and you're left with one big "acid fest". This probably rules out most Chablis, Champagne and Italian whites.
I've had great success sticking to fruity, lightly acidic whites and rose' wines - both still and sparkling.
The rose's in particular go well with your classic caprese' salad.
Here are some wines I've enjoyed with my tomatoes - all available at Balaban's.
Still Wine
2013 Naia Verdejo - $16
2013 Elk Cove Pinot Gris - $20
2013 La Manarine Cotes du Rhone Rose' - $16
Sparkling Wine
Flor Prosecco - $20
Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose' - $24

Have a great weekend and a fantastic 4th of July!

Tom




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