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Ask a Sommelier - Strawberries and Wine with Chez Panisse's Jonathan Waters

Posted Aug 21st 2009 4:00PM by Pervaiz Shallwani
Filed under: Wine, Fruit, Summer

Jonathan Waters.
Photo: Robert Messick.

Strawberries with wine? It's not a pairing most people ask Chez Panisse sommelier Jonathan Waters about. In fact, he can't remember anyone ever asking him to take the sweet-tart berry -- which has dotted dessert menus for much of the summer -- and combine it with a crisp, ethereal vino. Champagne, yes, but wine, no.

"It's pretty rare that somebody would have strawberries with wine," says Waters (no relation to that other Chez Panisse Waters), who has worked at the restaurant for more than 20 years.

That said, he thinks the two are a very plausible match and was up to the challenge. We caught up with him to chat strawberries, Alice Waters' practice of finishing a meal with seasonal fruit, and his thoughts on organic wine.

Do you guys ever serve whole strawberries?
We do. We serve them at the end of a meal. Alice's idea is that the perfect end of a meal is a fruit. If you have ever read [David Mas] Masumoto's book about peaches ... we only serve strawberries for a very short window because it's a short season when they are perfect.

Does the restaurant serve them other ways?
We serve strawberries with other things for a longer period, like macerated strawberries over sherbet or strawberry shortcake.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Strawberries and Wine with Chez Panisse's Jonathan Waters

Beer sommeliers?

Posted Nov 25th 2006 4:34PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Wine, Beer, Restaurants, Newspapers, America

The Philadelphia Daily News recently ran a column by beer reporter Don Russell, a.k.a. Joe Sixpack, about the growing number of restaurants that employ beer sommeliers. As the name suggests, these are folks that orchestrate a restaurant's beer selection, from consulting with the kitchen to helping diners pair beer and food. Russell has no problem with the existence of such a position, but he takes issue with the title, saying that the French term (and its connotations) has no business being paired with the word beer. His answer? Cellarman (or cellarwoman), an old British term for the person charged with the upkeep of a pub's beer supply and equipment. Personally, I'm just excited by the prospect of more restaurants having such a person. I don't much care what they're called. Still, Russell's piece is fun and definitely worth a read.

[Via Fark]

Which wines go with curries?

Posted Sep 5th 2006 9:02AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Wine, Asia, How To

The drink of choice for curry fans is beer. The mild flavors complement the complex spices and the cold bubbles are refreshing and palate-cleansing, especially if you happen to be eating a spicy dish. Why aren't wines paired with curries, though? One reason is that there is no cultural tradition of wine-drinking in India. The popular line is that they are too heavy-tasting with curries, and either the wine or the dish itself ends up being too acidic to make a pleasurable combination.

The truth of the matter is that some wines don't go with curries and the reason turns out to be tannins. High tannin wines taste harsh and bitter with chilies and some spices, so selecting light, low-tannin wines will help you to make a better match with a curry. Suggestions include gewürztraminer, zinfandel, merlot and rosé, opting for fruitier flavors to counteract any potential bitterness. Choose a sparkling wine if you crave the palate-cleansing sensation of carbonation.

Wine and cheese together again

Posted Feb 20th 2006 6:01PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Tastings, Wine, Science, Cheese, Magazines

Some of you may recall a stir created last month by news of a study that many claimed debunked the harmonious pairing of cheese and red wine. Well, Slate's Mike Steinberger recently spoke with U.C. Davis professor Hildegarde Heymann, supervisor of the wine and cheese study. Heymann feels that the results of the study were grossly misinterpreted by the media. The tasters, apparently, weren't wine experts, but rather university students and staff. The wines, mostly from California ranged in price from $7 to $20. While the cheeses did make the wines taste less intense, tasters were still very much able to distinguish the better wines of the bunch, Heymann told Steinberger. Moreover, in some cases, bad cheese may even mask the more offensive characteristics of bad wine.

Pairing chocolate and beer

Posted Feb 9th 2006 3:13PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Tastings, Beer, Chocolate, Trends, How To

I'm sure that plenty of you beer lovers out there have tried chocolate stouts from brewers like Young's (right) or Rogue. But have you ever paired good chocolate with other beers? According to columnist Lisa Morrison, it's an old idea that's still going strong. Since chocolate can tend to overpower wine in many pairings, beer is a more logical option, say some of Morrison's sources in a recent article. Porters and stouts are obvious choices due to the overlap in flavors with chocolate. Morrison also says that the fruity notes of many weizens and Belgian-style ales make a good foil for chocolate. She has plenty of other pairing suggestions as well.

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Ask a Sommelier - Strawberries and Wine with Chez Panisse's Jonathan Waters

Beer sommeliers?

Which wines go with curries?

Wine and cheese together again

Pairing chocolate and beer

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