Matching wines and degustation menus

[ChrisTaylor]

On New Year's Eve, I went to The Press Club, a well-regarded restaurant in Melbourne. We had the degustation: 8 courses and 8 glasses of wine. Given the event, the matching wines weren't optional. They were factored in to the cost per head.

I can't think of a restaurant in Melbourne that offers a degustation menu without telling you you can pay an extra whatever per head to get matching wines with each course. Interestingly, I've looked at the websites of a few notable restaurants in Europe and the US and noticed that not all of them offer this service (altho' Noma offers matching juices--that'd be interesting, I reckon).

Now there's something to be said for paying a lot of money and coming out full and drunk thanks to nice food and nice wine. But after 8 glasses I questioned the concept. I mean, perhaps it's just that I'm far more likely to spend a lot of money on a nice single malt or a good cognac or imported beer than I am on a fine wine. Maybe I just don't enjoy wine as much as I should, although I do like getting to try 6 or 8 different wines I've never had before. But I'm finding that, now that I've done the degustation with wine thing a couple of times, I'm not sure if I want to do it again. The food, yes. Maybe a bottle of wine or a couple of beers. But not matching wines with every course. Not just because of the cost and not just because I dislike almost all sweet wines (which naturally come with the dessert courses) but after a certain amount of alcohol I don't think I appreciate the food as much. I don't appreciate the subtle aromas and flavours as much.

Thoughts?

[Chris Amirault]

I had some of the same concerns as you before I ate the full Tour with pairings at Alinea. That meal wiped them all away. Wine (and sake, and...) commented on food, and food on wine. To say that each complimented the other is an understatement. It was an overwhelming experience that I still can't quite process -- and not because of the booze.

Best meal of my life, by a long stretch. So, yeah, it can work just fine.

[Shalmanese]

Most restaurants will let you do half glass pairings with degustation. That leaves you tolerably soused at the end of it.