FOOD and WINE PAIRING – TUNA, MARLIN and SWORDFISH

5 June 2010 4:28 pm | Posted by siteadmin

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—TUNA, MARLIN and SWORDFISH DISHES  (continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 11th May 2010)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–TUNA, MARLIN and SWORDFISH. The steaks being grilled, panfried or baked. Larding these type of fish steaks can also enhance the texture and flavour.

CHALLENGES:—–The three fish in question can be compared in a little way with the tender texture and delicate flavour of a top quality Sirloin, Wagyu or Kobe Steak. These three game fish have totally different flavours to the more widely available white seafish from the colder seas of Western Europe.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–With intense flavoured fish like Tuna, Marlin and Swordfish our choice of wine is varied.
For all three fish we can recommend light red wines such as Julienas from the Beaujolais region of France,or Sangiovese Rosso Toscana from Tuscany in Italy.

For white wines we would suggest a full bodied wine such as Jane Hunters’s oaked Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and also a full flavoured Rhone white such as Pas de la Beaume Blanc from Cave de Cairanne.

A very good quality sparkling Rose such as Chateau Montgueret Saumur Brut Rose will be a superb pairing with either of the three fishes in question.   
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

 

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Spanish Tapas
HAPPY  TUNA, MARLIN,SWORDFISH AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

Written by (click for further articles)

FOOD and WINE PAIRING -SMOKED FOODS

11 May 2010 11:29 am | Posted by siteadmin

FOOD and WINE PAIRING–SMOKED FOODS (continuation from blog ” Food and Wine Pairing ” dated 3rd April 2010

INTRODUCTION:—This blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—SMOKED FOODS including SMOKED TROUT,SMOKED SALMON,SMOKED MACKEREL,SMOKED EEL,SMOKED HALIBUT,SMOKED HAM,SMOKED CHICKEN,SMOKED DUCK and SMOKED GOOSE.

CHALLENGES:—It is important that strong smoked foods are not fighting against the wine and vice versa . Fish and meat which have been smoked do have the same initial smoky taste and influence, but when moving further into the taste experience, the type of fish or meat you are eating should come through even though the overall smoky influence will still be there – this similar smoky taste generally allows you to choose similar wines for both fish and meat.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—Heavily oaked white wines can sometimes be a little overbearing, but they do have one good and most loyal friend, that being smoked fish. Good examples would be Wakefield Chardonnay from Australia or Hunter’s Chardonnay from New Zealand.

Smoked meats also go well with the two above mentioned Chardonnay’s and red wines well oaked with lots of vanilla flavours well support smoked meats, wines from  Riojas and Ribera del Duero such as Rioja Anares Tinto Crianza, Bodega Olarra and Portia Ribera del Duero Bodegas Portia do a grand job in matching smoked meats. These red wines also make an alternative and agreeable match with some fish dishes which include traditionally smoked eel and mackerel.

A very dry sherry like  Dry Sac Fino,Williams & Humbert  or a dry white port such as Sandeman White Apitiv  make a different and very interesting marriage and will certainly suit and match most smoked meats, fish and shellfish.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters,soups,main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—Tuna, Marlin and Swordfish

 

 

HAPPY SMOKED FOODS AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D 

Written by (click for further articles)

FOOD and WINE PAIRING – BEEF DISHES

26 November 2009 3:01 pm | Posted by siteadmin

-(continuation from blog  Food and Wine pairing  dated 10th November  2009)

 

 

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–BEEF DISHES, including  ROAST BEEF GRILLED SIRLOIN STEAK, GRILLED RUMP STEAK, GRILLED T BONE STEAK, GRILLED FILLET STEAK, GRILLED RIB EYE STEAK, GRILLED ENTRECOTE STEAK,  BEEF EN CROUT and BEEF STEWS  ( Venison dishes  would also be a good alternative )

 

 CHALLENGES:—–Good beef dishes are the main stay of so many different countries and the dishes can range from simply grilled Entrecote Steak to a substantial Casserole such as Brasato al Barolo (Beef in Barolo wine). The wine challenges are not too difficult since most people opt for and enjoy red wines with beef and preferably full bodied wines. On saying that, whether lightly grilled  beef steak or a big big winter beef stew most styles red wines will suffice, with Cabernet Sauvignon being a favourite of many.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Simply grilled beef with light sauces but no mustard can make good friends with light bodied reds such as a fruit driven Fleurie or Brouilly from Beaujolias, simarilly from Italy a good quality Valpolicella will hit the right mark.  If we move to upmarket dishes like Beef en Crout  then wines of fine pedigree should come into play like an aged St. Emilion or a smooth full bodied  Margaux from the Medoc.

 

The big beefy dishes such as Boeuf Bourguignon  or a traditional British slow cooked Braised Beef do enjoy the company of big and weighty wines like a Shiraz from Clare Valley Australia, a Zinfandel from Chile, or an oaky Rioja Gran Reserva from Spain. Two other favourites of mine to match most beef dishes are from Italy, one being a Chianti Classico Reserva, the other a full bodied red from Montepulciano. Both these Italian wines would also make a superb match with a firm old favourite—Beef Stroganoff.

 

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends – Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

 

 

 

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Poultry dishes, including chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, goose and farmed duck.

 

 

HAPPY  BEEF  AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

 

Graham D

 

 

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Wines of Mallorca…Vinyes Mortitx

7 May 2009 9:15 am | Posted by siteadmin

 MALLORCA….Always Beautiful Sandy Beaches with lots of Sunshine and now Wonderfully Delicious Wines

With regard to great holidays in the sun, Mallorca is well known all around the world, but  with regards to Mallorcan wines outside this beautiful island, they are not so well known. Maybe the reason for their limited availability outside the island is that only a dozen or so years ago most of the red wines produced were boardering on the harsh side and lacking finesse, while the white wines were mainly dry, thin and too acidic, only being enjoyed by the locals with most tourists sticking to beer, Menorcan gin and of course jugs of fruit filled sangria.

Although the wine making state of affairs has dramatically changed for the better in recent years, even so, the wines are sadly still relatively unknown outside the Ballearic Islands. There are many vineyards large and small around Mallorca with about twenty now producing stunning red and white wines along with some very decent rose, wines of such quality would command at least double the price if they were produced in Rioja or Ribera del Duero.  Many of these imagen2instalacion2vineyards I have visited over the past four to five years and can truly testify to the huge changes made to both facilities and the processing of wine e.g. modern stainless steel equipment and storage tanks, refrigeration and proper control of the fermentation temperature, automatic irrigation systems, much experimenting and more use of oak barrels for maturing wines and most importantly greatly increased planting and quality spacing of the more popular grape varities like cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, chardonnay, viognier and malvasia and these varities are now producing many deliciously tasting varietal wines as well as carefully crafted blends.

Mallorca is perceived by most visitors to be an island in the sun, with many fine and interesting coastal resorts and beautiful golden beaches with crystal clear and seductively tainted azure waters and then to be arid,dry and uninteresting further inland where even today very few venture. For certain that is not the case, many parts of the central plain are extremely fertile, lush with ever ending fields of natures flowers, sweet smelling herbs and tiny leaved shrubs. Follow the ever winding narrow roads lined either side with wild poppys and you will also come upon acres and acres of  fields of deep red soil producing each year successions of crops like strawberries, artichokes, potatos and green salads. Further on you could find huge orchards ripe with growing peaches, nectarines, oranges, lemons, almonds and we must not forget to mention thousands and thousands of olive trees. The whole island is a paradise, sadly to so few visitors.

The centre of the island around Inca and Manacor (note, Nadal territory )  is where the majority of  Mallorcan vineyards are located, although you can find small industrious and successful growers around other parts of the island. Traditionally the grape of the island has and still is Monastrell, on its own it simply does not produce good red wines, but blended with other varities, the results can be simply outstanding. 

imagen2presentacion3Out of the many first class vineyards in Mallorca our favourite has to be MORTITX, a sleeping beauty  and that is why we import, retail and wholesale six of their wonderfully complex, deep and rounded wines. Mortitx  is located in the quiet North East of  Mallorca a few kilometors from Pollensa on the steep rising road from Pollensa to Soller up in a hidden valley within the Tramontana  mountain range. An awsome and captivating  location with panoramic views looking down on to the enormous and attractive bays of Pollensa and Alcudia. Visitors are most welcome to taste and buy wines at the winery whose location is breathtakingly sited below  rugged and steep  pinky mauve coloured mountains with eagles and kites souring high above the sun baked pine trees and cliff tops and all around you take in the inviting scent of wild rosemary, thyme and juniper. This most appealing winery is owned by a number of private shareholders,many of whom own hotels and fine restaurants on the island and make available these exceptional Mortitx wines for sale in their own establishments.

From this magnificent vineyard we list the following wines:

Mortitx Negre Anyada Tinto 

            Mortitx Rodal Pla Tinto  

             Mortitx Syrah 

Mortitx L’u Tinto 

Mortitx Rosat  

 Mortitx Blanc  

Mortitx Dolce de Gel

 

 

 

 

These wines can be purchased via our website or by visiting our Retail Outlet near Southampton

For Food Matches with the Mortitx Wines please check on https://www.ahadleigh-wine.com/wine-and-food/ which takes you to our websites specialist section on ” Matching Wines with Foods” then just type in the name of the wine in the box located under “TYPE IN WINE”.

Happy Mallorcan Days

 Updated 23 September 2010

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