Welcome to Second Ferment! Wine pairs well with life ... and food, travel, people, work and play. Grab a glass and join me as I explore the wine scene in Ottawa, Canada, and beyond. Love hearing from my readers, so please leave a comment. Cheers! - Bethany

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Wine Wednesday: Less trick, more treat

Lots of posts floating around about pairing wine with Halloween candy. Seriously though, why would you do that to your wine? Or your candy, for that matter? I think about as far as I'd go with ghoulish-goody matching would be to pop a couple of Rockets into a glass of cheap sparkling wine. I think I'll just keep the snacks and drinks separate this Halloween, thanks just the same.

Speaking of drinks, here are a few goodies (of the non-spooky variety) I've sampled and enjoyed lately ...

Bernard-Massard Brut Cuvée de l'Écusson (Luxembourg; 12% abv, V970970, $16.95) - Blend of pinot blanc, chardonnay, riesling and pinot noir. Flint, pencil shavings and lemon zest on the nose. Tart Granny Smith apple and a flurry of tight, tiny bubbles on the palate, with a slightly sweet finish.

Masseria Frattasi 2011 Taurn Falanghina di Montagna (Campania, Italy) - Bursting with citrus, this is crisp and tangy, and an excellent companion for rabbit served with lemon ricotta. Falanghina is native to the area just north of Naples in nutrient-rich volcanic soil. This particular example went beautifully with a lovely meal at town restaurant: crispy rabbit milanese, served with panzanella salad, Brussels sprouts, pattypan squash and peas, and a creamy lemon ricotta that brought out all the glorious zest in the wine.

Domaines Vincon Cotesti 2007 Feteasca Neagra (Romania; 13% abv, L669192, $9.45) - One of my fellow colleagues was wrapping up her contract with our office, so as per our custom, we celebrated with coffee mugs of wine and boxes of Irresistibles dark chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies (yeah, we're a classy bunch.) As a tip of the hat to her Romanian roots, we picked up this inexpensive beauty that was quite well-received by our discerning (ha!) bunch. The wine was heavy and thick with plum and blackberry, but the tannins were surprisingly soft, with a higher-than-expected stream of acidity. The finish was rustic and woody, full of Old World charm. Would buy that again for nights where stew, game meats or my Poppa's sauerkraut are on tap.

1 comment:

  1. Good deal on the Feteasca Neagra. I'm going looking for that one this weekend!

    ReplyDelete

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