Friends that share...that dare

You know one of the truly great joys that I derive from being involved with the culture of wine has been the active, incredible level of sharing that goes on among friends. Equally touching has been the desire of many of my friends to learn more than they had previously known about wine.  Some of these friends freely admit the secret pleasure of learning while dining at my place or having me to their places because of the wines that I will share.  I have often been told that friends had a chance to try wines that they had never tasted or even heard of.  (I have also been very fortunate to dine at friends and be part of some magnanimous sharing of wines on their part!) 

Several friends, upon receiving a poured wine, will quickly stick their noses into their glasses and start describing their sensory perception, anxious to be correct in their descriptors.  Equally, they are willing to learn new descriptors and uncover smells and flavors that had not occurred to them.  Truly, the joys of friendship and a real bonus to my chosen profession are these moments of enriching each other’s lives with an experience we are all open to having.

Some of these friends (well, those less wine-centric or in the wine industry) have voiced concern and/or fears over the years of showing up at my place with wine.  Fear of?  Choosing the “wrong” wine?  Picking a “bad” wine?  I, however, love it when they bring wine.  Bring it on, I say.  More than anything else, I enjoy gaining insight into what they like.  As we all know, something you like, such as a painting, a model of car, a vegetable, etc, may be something others do not share an appreciation for.  The same can easily be said for wine, perhaps to an even greater degree.  My mantra, by the way, when asked “the best wine” question, is “the wine that you like”.

I truly enjoy cooking and entertaining, and to be frank, I refer to my meals as simple.  Hopefully my meals are flavorful but simple and stay within the limits of my culinary abilities.  So, I wanted to share two recent occasions where friends ventured into the terrifying, uncharted territory of bringing wine to my place for dinner, sharing with me wines that they thought would be appropriate with what I was preparing.  These occasions were just gems of simple dinners, fun wines and enlightening experiences.

The menu: Freshly ground pork burgers, bound together with finely chopped fennel and garlic.  Corn-on-the-cob.

Wine: 2009 Moulin de Gassac Rouge, “Guilhem”.  I had to look this up: this wine turned out to be made with the typical blend of grapes from the southern region of France: Syrah (30%), Grenache (30%), Carignan (25%), Cinsault (15%).  The wine-maker that oversees this project, a line of Vin de Pays de l’Herault wines, is Aimé Guilbert, winemaker/owner of Domaine Mas Daumas Gassac, a wine that I know and like alot.

The vibrant fruit and youthful ripe tannins and playful acidity made it a perky companion to the burgers.  Way to go!

(Coincidentally, I don’t know if my friend knew, but this is the same label as my most recent potential candidate for “Rosé of the Summer 2010"!)

Dinner:  Home-made pesto with sun-dried tomatoes and chicken.  Store bought antipasti

Wine:

Wine:  2009 Crnko, “Jarenincan”.  Say that three times!  The wine turns out to be produced in Croatia from a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.  Ok, ok, yes, I will admit my initial temptation to judge the wine (harshly, lol) when I saw the liter bottle with a crown/bottle cap closure.  Man, was I wrong!  The wine was refreshing, flavorful and composed in its structure, supported by only 11% alcohol!  Now that’s a feat. In my eyes, given the flavor profile and lack of any sort of greenness that might imply an early harvest to keep the sugars in check, this was a triumph in blending the right grapes for flavor and ripeness.  It was terrific with pesto and especially memorable with pieces of grilled eggplant that had been marinated in balsamic.  Before we knew it that (bigger) bottle was empty and we didn’t feel the least bit tipsy.  Try that at home with a bottle of California Chardonnay at 14.5% alcohol!  

My friends enjoyed the “challenge” as they call it, and I enjoyed some wines that I had never heard of or tasted before!  OK, friends, “bring it on” I am ready for round three, lol.