Freaky Good - Food + Wine Pairing

The best food and wine pairings usually come in two varieties for me:

1) Ones that are so excellent and well matched with the food that you don't even truly realize what you are drinking, you just know that it is exactly the right thing to be drinking with this food. It is seamless, it is planned, it is harmony, it is zen.

2) Then there are the ones that were so far out, (these tend to stick in the mind longer, interesting!) that you wonder if you could ever forget ever forget such a freakish and fabulous combination such as this as long as you live.

I discovered one of the second variety, by accident this weekend.

I had been working my way, leisurely, through the wine that had been given to me as a hostess gift from our annual Christmas party.

(Notice I said me, and not we? Getting the ice, bottled water and beer set out on the deck and turning on the iPod to shuffle although helpful and appreciated functions of hosting a party  . . .does not automatically entitle one to the hostess booty. So sorry, I still did most of the work, so I get the first right of refusal on the booty. It is in my contract.

By the way, the darling creature that brought me a bottle of French Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 - Louis Tete as a hostess gift must know that it was the bottle I enjoyed drinking the most and you must tell me where you got it, so that I may go and get some more.

I am not usually a huge fan of Beaujolais Nouveau . . .I usually find them fruity in this annoying sort of way, with a flavor that goes invisible on the front palate, but is harsh and full of alcohol on the back palate as it is trying to dazzle me going down. To top it all off - a weak and a watery mouth-feel. This young wine is bottled for sale immediately with no aging, and you can usually tell, but it is the traditional way a Beaujolais Nouveau is made and it simply asks you to love it as it is, or leave it alone. This is the first one that I have tasted and wanted more of . . .NOW.)

So anyway, one of the last bottles of booty wine I had on hand was this simple German Riesling called Relax . . .which is just what I was doing last Sunday while thumbing my stacks of food and wine magazines. Now, I don't normally drink such a sweet and fruity wine in the winter, but it was cold outside I didn't feel like getting out to the liquor store to buy something else, so I popped it open.

Getting hungry, I went looking for the whole roasted almonds in my cupboard, but instead found this Whole Foods bulk bag full of cashews that were coated with black specks. I thought they might be poppy seeds at first, then I tasted one and realized they were coated in black pepper, lots of black pepper. But they were very good, so I grabbed a handful and started eating them and without thinking I took another sip of my wine, as my mouth was on fire by now as those little nuts packed a smoky hot punch.

It was a wonderful moment where smoky hot black pepper merged with the sweet, light and fruity taste of the Riesling which also brought out the natural sweetness of the cashew nut itself. It was freaky, and I was hooked. The best wine pairing I have made so far in 2008. What are some of your weirdest wine pairings? This Foodie wants to know. But try mine in the meantime and let me know what you think of this combo:

Relax Riesling and Black Pepper Cashews from Whole Foods bulk bin department.
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Comments

[Tamara]

Hey Jenny ~ CONGRATS on being noticed in the world-of-the-foodies!! I am quite proud of you my hometown friend, glad we have recently been able to reconnect. I am going to try out your roasted chicken recipe, sounds scrumptious and will have to share your new found wine choice with a few of my friends here that I often kick back and enjoy a good glass of wine with! Good luck my foodie friend in growing your passion!

[Jeff]

As I sat here today and brewed a couple batches of beer, I had some time with the laptop that I wasn't doing work (yay!) and got a chance to get caught up on my favorite foodie blog. Much to my surprise I found myself referred to as "a darling creature", oh jenny, you shouldn't have..... but since you did, not only did you score you and the hubby some homebrew when these batches are ready, but I am prepared to reveal where I acquired the Louis Tete (also my fave Beaujolais Nouveau every year). I pick it up pretty much annually at the Lukas Liquors Superstore out at 135th and State Line, although I'm sure the 119th and Metcalf location has it as well. I find that it goes very well with a whole host of foods, and since it comes out the third week of November every year, it is a wonderful pairing to Thanksgiving dinner. So walk, no run, to Lukas and pick up some more of the wonder wine that costs only $9, last I checked. Thanks again for the mention, and keep up the wonderful work here at makingafoodie.com.
See ya soon,
Jeff
P.S. If you ever want an apprentice restaurant reviewer to tag along, I'm in. :-)

[Jenny V.]

Jeff,

You darling creature . . .I had not guessed correctly as to who brought me that lovely wine. So good to know it came from a good friend and a man of good taste. Homebrew from you is also sadly gone, and my Homeboy would love some more once you have a fresh batch and can spare a few.

Putting on my jogging shoes now to head for Lukas, and with that price point I better hurry. Anything for a wine bargain like that one . . .I saved the bottle, so I could remember to look for it.

Just got back from San Francisco this week for a Foodie-gasm, we must talk and compare notes.

[todd]

Yes, while it *is* a Riesling and some are so sweet they could double as syrup over ice cream, the Relax is very drinkable under many circumstances and pairs exquisitely with Thai or Mexican food. We always have a bottle or two on hand. Lucky for you we brought one of our bottles to your party - at least I think that was us.

BTW - Relax has a lower alcohol content (9 percent compared to the usual 14 or so) so have two bottles next time. ; )