Global Wines Complement Jersey Shore Cuisine

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By Bob Sacks
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a wine tasting dinner held by a group of fellow “winos” at the Belford Bistro in Belford. The only requirement was to “bring at least two great bottles of wine”; the pairings of wine and food to be done once all arrived. This format makes for an eclectic assortment, with guests playing into their cellar strengths when choosing bottles, and the element of surprise and discovery adding to the fun.
I was tasked with consulting on the menu, but once I saw Chef/owner Kurt Bomberger’s proposed dinner creations, there was little for me to do. He went above and beyond with these special dishes…they were innovative and exciting; it was truly a memorable meal. The first course was sparkling fresh Kumamoto Oysters served with julienned pickled golden beets and fresh tarragon. We chose a 2004 W.Fevre Les Chablis Preuses, which was perhaps a year or two just past peak, showing less acidity than what we look for in this normally crisp wine. It was rich, but a bit on the soft side. Chablis and oysters is a classic match; the minerality and crispness of the wine cuts the richness of the bivalves, like a blast of lemon juice, except it tastes better. A 2011 T. Pillot Batard-Montrachet was a large wine, fuller and richer, but predictably still in its infancy and not yet showing at its best; perhaps try again in three years.
One of the toughest matches for wine is asparagus, but spring is their best season, so the offer of Asparagus Soup, garnished with Humboldt Fog cheese, almonds, and truffle, was hard to refuse. A 2007 Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Axpoint made an ideal pairing. The pink grapefruit quality in this wine, typical of many Austrian Gruner Veltliners (a white wine grape) lent good acidity with a tinge of sweetness.
LIFE-BOB.WINE.PERCALO-6.16Chef Kurt made his own Garganelli Pasta for us, and then plated it with a chanterelle mushroom ragout, sage, and grated Piave Vecchio cheese. This dish cried out for an Italian red, so we selected a 1997 Percarlo, a Sangiovese-based Tuscan wine that showed rich fruit, soft tannins, and refreshing acidity, all in perfect balance. From a great year and great producer, it was the wine of the night for most of the guests.
It was Burgundy time with the arrival of the grilled organic salmon, heirloom tomato buerre blanc, and horseradish whipped potatoes. The two bottles we opened were so different as to provoke a heated discussion. A 2006 Faively Mazis –Chambertin was a typical Cote de Nuits; perhaps still a bit young, but compared to the following wine it was unusually light and thin. A 2005 Château de Chorey Cuvée Tante Berthe Chorey-Les-Beaune, generally lighter and more feminine than Cotes de Nuits, tasted all the world like a Chateauneuf de Pape! It was big-boned, rustic, deeply fruity, and had it been tasted in the blind, would have been called a Southern Rhone by everyone present without a moment’s hesitation. Good, but sort of weird!
Cabernet sauvignon is a wonderful pairing for poultry, so we chose an Old World Bordeaux against a California Cab to see which fared better with Herb roasted Poussin (small chicken) with bayaldi (a variation of ratatouille), and ver jus (the pressed juice of unripened grapes). The 2003 Chateau Montrose was disappointing…nothing more than passable. It was short on fruit and finish; a wine from a very hot vintage, one labeled by many as an oddball year, so it was hard to say if this bottle was a one-off anomaly or not. The 2009 Del Dotto Cab from Howell Mountain was a large-framed wine, but not an over the top fruit bomb. It showed some restraint, even if a bit one dimensional. Ready to drink now.
The cheese course was a showstopper. Stilton, Oro Antico, Gruyere, and Camembert, each plated with a different house made condiment. We selected what we thought to be the two biggest Syrah-based reds. A 2012 Saxum James Berry Syrah was indeed a full, rich, California heavyweight; fruity and not subtle; but the 2008 B. Levet Cote Rotie Chavaroche was out of balance; light and flabby, and lacking in acid. Not what we expected!
2001 Ch. Suiduraut (Sauternes) paired with the dessert course: a homemade French-style cheesecake with strawberry-rhubarb compote: a superb dessert and a superb wine to accompany it. 2001 was an excellent vintage and this opulent wine held nothing back; layers of apricot and marmalade with some palate cleansing acidity made it another favorite of all.
Yes, it was diet time for the following week, in order to atone for the wretched excesses of the evening, but it was oh so worth it!
Bob Sacks, wine aficionado, and Bob Sickles, owner and operator of Sickles Market, review restaurants in this bimonthly column. Read their reviews here.

This article was originally published in the June 16-23, 2016 edition of the Two River Times newspaper.