I have been tagged for one of the memes flying around at the moment; the MEME with 2 tails by Beau of Basic Juice. This meme is for both Foodies and Winos....and for us foodbloggers, it is to mention the most wine friendly dish I have had in the last 30 days.
Well, I can do that. But I'm also going the wino route and describing the wine I had with the perfect wine-friendly meal. I came home from a long, hard day at the library ;-) and knew I needed a steak for dinner. A big hunk of red meat with a big glass of big, Aussie red wine. Our cellar is next to the garage, so it's the perfect spot to grab something on your way in, and I reached for the usual everyday quaffing stuff. But then stopped myself. No, tonight called for something better. And bigger. My eyes fell on a bottle my friends gave me for my birthday. Apparently when I went to their place for roast beef last year, I requested a big, ballsy shiraz and I loved what they served; A 2001 E&E 'Black Pepper' shiraz from Barossa Valley Estate. So, they bought me a bottle for my birthday. (I get to pay them back by being one of their bridesmaids for their wedding on Sunday) :-) I believe in enjoying good wines on your own, with just 1 or 2 other people. So many people keep good wines for that "special occasion", and in my experience special occasions are full of too many distractions to really enjoy the wine. Good wine is better in a relaxed situation, with food you make yourself.
My first sip nearly blew me away. This is some damn fine wine. It's huge! Very big flavours, lots of black pepper (funny that), and just perfect with the big hunk of very rare steak I had for dinner. This is the type of wine style people mean when they talk about big Aussie shiraz.
It reminds me of when our Italian relatives came to visit a few years ago. We made a point of serving them some excellent Australian red wines...and watched in disbelief as they diluted them with mineral water, claiming they couldn't tolerate the strength!!! I, on the other hand, find Italian and French wines a bit anaemic and lacking flavour, so this one is my perfect sort of red.
So, I just looked this wine up and was horrified to see that it retails for about AUD $75!!! Goodness me. And there I was drinking it on my own on a worknight with a piece of steak. I'm quite pleased I hid it in the cupboard when somebody turned up, and opened up a cleanskin instead...no way I was sharing that one.
So, for a wine that is the best thing to have with a piece of bloody, rare porterhouse steak, and some simply grilled zucchini sprinkled with home-dried oregano - and big old dollop of Dijon mustard on the side....this is your wine.
Looovvveee our Aussie Shiraz's, spice and fruit... perfect! They are a cold weather wine for me though...so their reign is almost over *sob* pit I get to move back to sparkling shiraz ;)
ReplyDeleteSometimes, there is nothing better than a perfectly grilled steak, and a bodacious bottle o'red.
ReplyDeleteI work at a library, too, and sometimes a meal like that is the only thing that gets me through the eve.
My Australian born Italian uncle puts ice in his red wine. Sounds like you enjoyed a good food/wine match.
ReplyDeleteFunny how that Barossa Valley website has that strict over-18 age filter up front, but doesn't even let you order their product!
ReplyDeleteCool meme on this topic! I just had to do one myself. Aussie shiraz is the best.
ReplyDeleteHi, Just had to say thanks heaps for putting up that danish pastry recipe a month or two ago. It was the easiest recipe I have found and since I don't have Nigella's book it would have been even longer had I not found your site. The recipe worked wonders, well, apart from the fact that I couldn't let it rest overnight (the first stage) and then I forgot to let it rise before I put it in the oven. Other then that it was light and just how I imagine a danish pastry to be. Wonderful!
ReplyDeletethank you...
ReplyDelete