More, wine with friends

[Florida Jim]

Crudités with cold sliced turkey and pork:

2000 Lapierre, Le Cambon:

This is a bright, cherry, viscous Gamay with good depth of flavor, solid structure and enough nuance to make it interesting. Excellent with the dish.

2001 Donnhoff, Estate Riesling:

Clean, clear, lightly sweet but plenty of stone and mineral scents and flavors. Good now; better later. Also good with the dish.

With grilled salmon and a big salad:

1998 Flowers, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir:

Generic, gently oaky and candied; in short, boring.

1990 Chat. Rochebelle (Saint-Emilion):

The best bottle yet and so clearly of its place as to make a recently tasted 96 Lynch Bages seem international in style. Wonderful, layered, understated aromas of earth, red and black fruit and leather precede a delicious, elegant, equally layered palate filled with nuanced flavors that follow the nose, and, as perfect a balance as any Cab./Merlot I can remember. An absolute treat for the senses now but plenty of time left.

And to my surprise, delightful with the food.

Best, Jim

[Craig Camp]

Jim - I notice you never hesitate to have a red then go back to white instead of the standard white first red later formula. Other than using more glassware are there any guidelines you follow in this regard.

[Florida Jim]

Jim - I notice  you never hesitate to have a red then go back to white instead of the standard white first red later formula. Other than using more glassware are there any guidelines you follow in this regard.

Craig,

Guidelines - hmmmmm . . .

Other than trying to match the food, probably not. I'm not insenstive to the white before red theory, but many whites can stand with lighter reds so I do not hesitate in such circumstances. Besides, I think white can be a palate cleaner when served with reds and, for myself, I often coose them to their bigger red counterparts.

Best, Jim

[Craig Camp]

I know as a lover of Loire gamay I often see you starting with one of those then going to a Riesling or Gruner - perhaps because they are all high acid the transition works.

[Florida Jim]

I know as  a lover of Loire gamay I often see you starting with one of those then going to a Riesling or Gruner - perhaps because they are all high acid the transition works.

Maybe so - I never thought of it that way.

I usually just try to match the food and, more importantly, not overpower it. Assuming that we will all wind-up with clean palates from such a pairing, its easy to pick something else, regardless of color, to go with the next dish.

But that acid thing makes sense . . .

Best, Jim

[Craig Camp]

I usually just try to match the food and, more importantly, not overpower it. Assuming that we will all wind-up with clean palates from such a pairing, its easy to pick something else, regardless of color, to go with the next dish.

True food and wine matching wisdom. Go this route and you can't go wrong.