Investing in one’s own education rarely does not pay dividends. The payback period may be longer for some things than others.(1) A few years ago I went on a wine course after seeing how much I spend on wine. I learned a lot. I can now bore more people more often than before on the subject of wine, its growing and production.(2)
We also had practical sessions, and there my limits were exposed. They would bring 5 or 6 different wines and we had to look at them, nose them (smell really) and describe what we see and smell. Then you taste it and yet again you describe the tastes. In the end you have to determine the cultivar, age and possible region of origin. Sitting round a table with various vinous types, mostly women, I found out that I don’t smell so good. I don’t taste well either. They would stick their dainty noses into the tasting glass and pronounce “Fruits.”
“Yes, stewed fruits. Possibly cassis and prunes.”
What is cassis? Can you buy it in Vredenburg? Is it even legal? Discrete interrogation followed and I found out that they eat and drink these things. Legally. Thus emboldened with this knowledge I delve into my own eating habits. Struggling to fit the hereditary large snozzle into the glass (one nostril at time worked best in the end) I tried to match current reality with culinary memory. You’d be surprised how few wines have a hint of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the bouquet. Absolutely no bangers and mash notes at all. There I was, confronted with the reality of not being good enough. I simply could not identify any flavours except green peppers and oak and that only on white wines.(3) So I had little chance of identifying the cultivar. Yet, all was not wasted. The reverse could still be done. If I knew the cultivar I could expound on the different nuances of flavours wafting up from the glass. Thus appearing to possess a skill which I don’t have. And so my journey to the dark side of wine snobbery started, because the cultivar is readily readable on the label.
Another outcome of the wine courses was the idea of food and wine pairing. One afternoon I learned that my early schooling came at a discount. When I was in primary school, humans were able to discern 4 types of flavours. Sweetness on the front of the tongue, salt in the middle , bitter at the back and sour on the sides. Apparently in the several kilograms since school I developed the ability to taste umami. (Along with everyone else) Best described as savoury or marmite. Pouring what used to be Bellingham Johannisberger and is now Legacy, still in the funny triangle bottle, into a tasting glass it was then paired it with apple, marmite, chocolate and something else. Weird what worked and what did not. But I am not telling, go try it yourself.
So I bought a book. The Food and Wine pairing guide by Katinka van Niekerk and Brian Burke. They start with weight, flavour and intensity and then go on about if complementary or contrasting flavours work best. Short version: It depends. Next is a section on matching generic wine with generic food and then go on to being quite specific about food and the wines that match. Where possible they suggest a red and white wine to accompany each dish. For those who maybe get gout or haemorrhoids from red wine.
In this book they say Sauvignon Blanc (SB) goes well with wasabi. Yes, wasabi that Japanese horseradish that is the second best cleaning agent for sinuses.(4) My local mall has a Sushi place with a buffet option. Great value. They make lovely Chinese food as well. The crispy duck drives me close to ecstasy. My local wine collection(5) has several SB expressions in it. Not for long though. I try to eat wasabi once a week. You could also read that as I try to drink SB at least once a week.
Recent combinations that I tried: Groote post 2010, Groote Post Reserve 2009, Arendsig 2010, Springfield Special Cuvee 2010, Villiera Bush Wine 2010, Fryer’s Cove Bay to Bay 2009 and 2010, Seidelberg 2010. Of these the normal Groote Post and the Springfield worked best. The Arendsig is evolving in the bottle and losing the guava flavours that initially attracted me. The 2009 Fryer’s cove worked better than the 2010, which is a little bit sweeter. Being a bit bland, the Seidelberg did not stand up to the green stuff. The Springfield is one of my favourite wines of all time. Finding that it matches my favourite food,(6) is just a bonus. One of these days I will encourage a bit of sibling rivalry when Life from Stone and Special Cuvee goes head to head (my head. Both times.).
Sipping Sauvignon Blanc after coating my tongue with wasabi, then stuffing it with crispy chicken California rolls edges me towards a Meg Ryan in When Harry met Sally type reaction.
(1) The R263 I spend on a copy of the unillustrated Karma Sutra for instance have not paid back anything yet.
(2) Viticulture and viniculture. See what I mean about the bore bit?
(3) Technically you don’t smell the oak. You pick up vanilla, etc that the wine developed from the oak.
(4) Try two hours of practical chemistry for the best one.
(5) Actually I don’t have a wine collection. I have stock.
(6) Granted, my favourite food tends to be that which is in front of me, if prepared by someone else.
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