Monday, August 20, 2007

Wine/Meal Pairing from WineAdvisor

30SecWineAdvisor is an e-mail newsletter that a few of us get (I know Olivia and I are both subscribed) and it gives great reviews of reasonably priced wines, plus it is very educational; each week there is a new topic. This week's was minimalist labels, but I was mainly struck by what sounded like an absolutely delicious salad paired with Chianti. See below (lifted right from the newsletter - sign up here). I'm planning on trying it sometime in the near future, but let me know if one of you gets to it first - I'm curious as to how it comes out.

Casa Liliana 2005 "Good Chianti" ($9.99)

Dark ruby, reddish-violet glints against the light. Spicy black cherries and a whiff of brown sugar. Light-bodied, juicy tart-cherry fruit and zippy acidity. Decent food wine, simple and fresh and mouth-wateringly acidic. Not a great Chianti, but yeah, okay, I'll go along with the label: Good Chianti. U.S. importer: Viniliandia USA, Deer Isle, Maine. (Aug. 19, 2007)

FOOD MATCH: In the mood for a summer salad but needing a food match that would sing with Chianti, I came up with an Italian variation on Thai beef salad: Thin-sliced cold rare beef tossed with romaine, fresh tomatoes and basil, Vidalia onions, Gorgonzola and Pecorino cheeses and a olive oil and lemon vinaigrette.

VALUE: A good Chianti for 10 bucks? No problem!

WHEN TO DRINK: This lightweight Chianti won't fade in a year, but it's not made for the cellar. Keep it on the wine rack and enjoy it until it's gone.

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