Versatility In Wine Pairing

When I pair wines I generally try to adhere to one very unpretentious rule: pair good wine with good food. This rule generally leads to enjoyable and interesting pairings, but it does have some limits. When a certain wine has no complimentary qualities to the food being served it may be a bad pairing even if they are each high quality on their own. For example, serving a steak with a light white wine just won’t elevate either the wine or the food, as the flavors and consistencies of the food and wine clash so intensely.

Additionally, there are foods which don’t lend kindly to any wine pairing at all. Green vegetables and salads are notoriously hard foods to pair. Thankfully, however, there are certain wines, that because of their subtle flavor and versatile texture, pair well with a broad range of foods even those which tend to be harder to pair.

Sparkling wines and lighter red wines tend to be the most versatile, pairing well with poultry, game meats, sausages, fish, and an array of side dishes and salads. Two new budget wines to the kosher market in particular, fit the bill for versatile wine pairings…

 

Koenig Cremant d’Alsace NV Brut- $17

For those who love champagne but find it hard to find at a decent price, Cremant or essentially a wine made in the traditional champagne-method but from a different region of France, may be a nice stand in. While no other region in France can match the minerality and the crispiness of a classic champagne house, Cremant can offer a suitable alternative. This particular example in particular has notes of green apple, and freshly baked bread, some flint, and a pleasant hint of smoke on the nose. The mouth is crispy and yeasty, but does not quite pack the punch of a blue-chip sparkling wine. However, for the minimal investment of $17 it certainly outpaces all other inexpensive kosher bubbly alternatives. I highly recommend this bottle as a light accompaniment to chicken or fish, or simply as a nice aperitif.

 Score: B+

Value: A-

 

Vitkin Pinot Noir 2016 – $23

Pinot noir, when done correctly can be a wildly pleasing, complex, and versatile wine that pairs well with meats, poultry and fish. The varietal is known to produce a light body, low tannin wine with a subtle flavor that can be complex and rich when made from grapes from high quality terroir. Israel, with its harsh summers and nascent wine growing industry, has had difficulty with the slow ripening, thin skinned grape. Many Israeli pinot noirs do not taste like anything at all like the Burgundian classic. Some are overripe and incredibly hard to drink, others are very high-quality wines, but exhibit more of their Israeli terroir then a varietally-true profile. For example, at the higher end of the range, Gvaot Winery’s pinot noir is an incredibly luscious wine, and one that I enjoy on special occasions, but it does not taste like a true pinot noir. It has a much fuller body than typical pinot and has even been blended with a small amount of robust petit verdot in certain years.

Vitkin on the other hand is one of the only Israeli pinots that is varieitally true. It exhibits a beautiful light cherry color with notes of violets, ripe cherry, and wet earth on the nose. The acidity keeps the wine fresh with a beautiful mouth of sour cherry, light green pepper, and under-ride plum accompanied by a subtle floral undertone that runs throughout the wine. This wine is exceptional with cheese, smoked meats, poultry and salmon. The wine is incredibly easy to drink but also is complex enough to savor.

 

Score: A-

Value: A-/A