Tag: BAY RADIO

SUNDAY BRUNCH PROGRAMME, BAY RADIO

Despite the salt content of Gammon this meat can be overwhelmed by strongly flavoured wines and tannic reds would feel even more harsh in the mouth. Reds just wouldn’t suit cauliflower cheese, being honest a white wine would be its best partner. So we need a compromise and why not use a rosado?
 
Spain is the Rosado Capital of the wine world, with a myriad of choices from light pink to dark crimson and every shade between – one rosado I know, made with the very dark skinned Petit Verdot variety is practically the same colour as most reds and in fact darker than some!
 
I’d go for a Tempranillo Rosado for this dish – Marqués de Cáceres in La Rioja would be a good choice, or one from Valdepeñas where the Tempranillo grape variety is called Cencibel.
 
French Style Chicken with Peas and Bacon
Chicken, still the wine lover’s favourite meat as it sits happily with many different wines. The bacon will make an impact too though, so we are looking here I think for a fruity red wine. You cold try Care Tinto from DO Cariñena – this very fruity un-oaked red is made with Syrah and Tempranillo and is really juicy on the palate.
 
Or if you like a bit more substance with your fruit try a joven (young) red from Ribera del Duero where the Tinto de Pais (aka Tempranillo) always seems to have a bigger fruit content than Tempranillo’s spiritual home, La Rioja. I think Viejo Mundo Roble 2009, which I presented at a tasting last night, would be a super match. It’s had a few months in oak, but it’s understated, being used simply to add some body and a touch of extra flavour. 
 
Salud!
Sunday Brunch Presenters Noelle and Bob, with empty glasses!

Gammon and Cauliflower Cheese

BAY RADIO SUNDAY BRUNCH WINE RECOMMENDATIONS

Croquetas de Jamon:
There are possibilities here – a rosado would be good, and as this is the land of super rosé wines there are plenty to choose from.
 
However I think the best match would be a fruity Monastrell from Jumilla or Yecla. Some oak ageing wouldn’t go amiss but I think a crianza with it’s minimum of 6 months oak would be the limit, lest we lose the upfront fruit.
 
So I think the ideal would be a Semi-Crianza or Roble Monastrell. Such terms are not legally defined. Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva are, with minimum time in oak and bottle specified. Semi-Crianza is perhaps self-explanatory, as it indicates that there has been oak ageing but not enough to satisfy the criteria for a Crianza.
 
Roble, essentially means the same – Roble is the Spanish word for Oak. Sometimes the number of months in oak will be recorded on the label, sometimes not. 
 
Salud!
PS Don’t forget the next On-Air tasting will be Sunday 5th June 12:00 – 13:00 hrs; Listen Live by internet: www.bayradio.fm !!

Next On-Air Wine tasting on Bay Radio

Oh No - and empty glass! We'll top it up on Sunday 5th June, 12:00 hrs - 13:00 hrs !

Bay Radio’s Sunday Brunch programme hosts a unique Live Wine Tasting each month, where presenters Noell and Bob are joined by me to recommend wines to go with Noelle’s super recipes.

If you’re stuck for wine/food combinations this is the programme for you (as well as the weekly recipe/wine recommendations that are posted on the Bay radio website)!

The next On-Air tasting will be on Sunday 5th June, 12:00 hrs – 13:00 hrs and you are of course cordially invited to join us!

Don’t forget Spain’s Bay Radio, including this programme of course, is also available all over the world by internet – www.bayradio.fm Click ‘Listen Live’.

BAY RADIO’S SUNDAY BRUNCH FOOD/WINE MARRIAGE!

Hidago de Pollo

A superb rich tapa that calls for a red wine with some oak ageing to lend sturdiness to match the food but also with some elegance. Chicken livers go well with Tempranillo based wines. As many will know this variety is also known as Tinta Fina in DO Ribera del Duero and here Bodegas Federico makes a range of wines called Avenencia using this noble variety.

The Avenencia Roble 2006 comes in a 50 cl bottle – and there’s a story behind this that will encourage those of us who drive to a restaurant and yet want to have some quality wine with a meal, rather than the oft served dross house wine, and still be ok to drive home.

Allegedly this 50 cl bottle of wine at 13% abv, if drunk between two people over a two hour dinner will not take the diners over the limit! Well maybe that’s the case but that aside it’s a lovely wine with 6 months ageing in French oak. Bright fruit, red and dark, underpined with subtle oak to add depth and complexity – perfect with the chicken livers!

The two Avenencia wines from Bodegas Federico - perfect for this week's recipes!

Magret of Pork

Pork can be happy with both white and red wine, though red would be most people’s choice, I think. However we have to consider here the subtle influence of the tomato in the overall taste of the dish.

This leaves us with red as a possibility still, but I’ve gone for a white wine which will be helped by the tomato. Sauvignon Blanc would be a good match – if we weren’t lucky enough to be in Spain, where DO Rueda’s indigenous Verdejo has its home.

Verdejo adds an extra dimension to the slightly Sauvignon characteristics that this top variety also has. Verdego has that grassy, gooseberry fruit common in Sauvignon but also some asparagus and green pepper notes, an altogether vegetal influence, which will enhance the overall taste of the dish.

From the same Bodegas Federico, but this time in DO Rueda, I’ve gone for the 2009 Verdjo. It has all of the above plus a good, quite rich finish. I can’t wait to taste their 2010 which I guess will be available soon!

Salud!