Aside from those glasses sipped at a wine bar, most wine is consumed with food. Yet food plays little or no part in most of the prestigious evaluations and competitions that award medals and create consumer demand for the winners. Nothing intrudes when a judge sniffs and sips a wine, until he encounters the same wine in the company of dinner, when his opinion may change radically.
There are two obvious reasons why judgings that combine wine and food are rare. First, surprisingly few tasters are equally comfortable evaluating food and wine separately, much less together. In my experience, wine may affect food, but in most instances food is more likely to affect wine. So do you evaluate the wine separately, the food separately, then the two together? Which do you taste first? Do you spit or swallow? Wine professionals choose not to wrestle with these questions.
The second reason is logistical. To prepare and serve appropriate food to a group of judges and stay in sync with the often rapid pouring of flights of wine is very difficult.
All of which leads us, or me at least, to the Sydney International Wine Competition 2000, held in Australia last October. (Winners were announced Jan. 29.)
The competition began 18 years ago. Warren Mason, a New Zealander who had pursued several careers including restaurant operator, wine importer and caterer, wanted to introduce Sydney connoisseurs to the wines of Australia’s new boutique wineries. Australians, both winemakers and consumers, set great store by wine competitions, but this event was, and remains, the only major judging in which the winners are determined in the company of food.
In 1994 Mason’s tasting had grown to become the Sydney International Wine Competition, and included wines from outside Australia. The annual schedule now includes the judging event to choose each year’s “Top 100” wines, plus dinner tastings of these wines in London, three cities in Australia and two in New Zealand and, since last year, San Francisco. The enterprise occupies Mason and his wife, Jacqueline, a chef, full time.
Last October, the judging, conducted in a resort area outside Sydney known as the Blue Mountains, attracted 1,220 wines sent by 295 wineries in 15 countries. Few American wines were in the competition, and few are on Australian restaurant wine lists or in wine shops for that matter. Only five American entries, all white, survived to the final round and only two, the 1997 M. Trinchero Founder’s Selection 1997 California chardonnay and the M. Trinchero 1997 Founder’s Estate Napa Valley chardonnay (judged in separate categories), made the top 100 list. Considering the odds, there is no reason for embarrassment. More than 1,000 of the wines came from Australia or New Zealand.
It will startle many American consumers to discover that Australia has nearly 900 wineries, because more than 70 percent of Aussie wines imported into the U.S. come from only five producers: Rosemount, Mildara Blass (Black Opal), BRL Hardy, Orlando (Jacob’s Creek) and Southcorp (Lindemans, Seaview). It may be worth noting, as well, that per capita wine consumption in Australia is double that in the U.S.
Of the 10 judges, four were from Australia and two each from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. I was one of the American judges; the other was Gerald Boyd, a wine journalist based in California. We were assigned places at a series of identical tables and tasted the wines (some to be enjoyed, others to be endured) in two multi-hour sessions daily over four days.
Our first chore was to winnow those 1,220 wines to about 200. This elimination round was done in the traditional manner, without food, to establish the soundness of the wines that remained. (Had food been served with all wines we would be there still.) Mason, as “chief steward,” turned on the spigot and out came sparkling wine, followed by aromatic wine (mostly riesling), then white and red wines divided into light-, medium- and full-bodied categories and, finally, dessert wines. Dividing the wines by weight made it easier to match them with appropriate foods.
We tasted again, and again. I came expecting to be seduced by the shiraz, and I was. But to my surprise, the varietal that gave me the highest level of satisfaction was pinot noir. Rieslings from Australia and New Zealand, to which I’d had scant exposure, also were a pleasant revelation.
In the evenings, in the lounge at the beautifully preserved Lilianfels resort, we proved our resilience and resolve by drinking wine and trying to identify them.
When the second round began, and food arrived with the wine, I found myself evaluating the wine both by itself and with food. This confirmed, among other things, that powerful, heavily oaked wines are rarely food wines while the tannin in young red wines can be tamed by the protein in poultry and rare meat. But this approach left me second-guessing myself and my fellow tasters. Presumably, the first round had established that remaining candidates were wines of superior quality.
Huon Hooke, a wine journalist who served as chairman of the judges, said we should do “what comes naturally: Enjoy good wine with good food and not agonize over it too much.” Wines of “subtle elegance and harmony will win through,” he predicted confidently.
As for pairing wine and food, Mason had the good sense to limit the number of judges, so only 10 portions of each dish were required, and he had the good fortune to have his wife in the kitchen. Jacquie is a superb cook who not only can conduct a symphony of flavors with the grace of a maestro but can produce on cue 10 portions of, for example, duck confit and beet root risotto with pan-fried duck breast. Her fare is not bland, so the wines face a challenge, but also have an opportunity to benefit from the food.
What was learned? That tastings can cut both ways. Of the 210 wines tasted with food, a positive reaction led me to increase the score given the wine alone in 75 instances. In 54, meanwhile, I was less pleased with the wine than I had been when tasting it alone. I did not find the taste significantly affected in the others.
The food selections, worked out by the Masons over several months, were gougere puffs with smoked salmon, dill cream and salmon caviar with the sparkling category; Vietnamese spring roll salad with aromatic (mostly riesling) wines; goat cheese and asparagus terrine with lighter-bodied dry whites; puff pastry with shrimp, scallops and beurre blanc to accompany medium-bodied dry whites; confit and pan-fried breast of duck with beet root risotto with lighter-bodied dry reds; mushroom charlotte with a port and currant sauce with medium-bodied dry reds; caul-encased sausages of wild hare and demi-glace sauce with fuller-bodied reds; lemon vanilla panna cotta and grilled mangos with dessert wines and individual chocolate souffles with the fortified wines.
“In selecting the dishes,” Mason said, “we pay attention to the chemistry of food, of sugar and acid content and the need to balance flavors. We want the food to stand on its own, but we do not use strident seasoning.”
Some of my notes on pleasing matches: The Trinchero Founder’s Selection Chardonnay shone with the shellfish pastry. With the medium-bodied St. Huberts Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a blanket of tannin could not hide the lively fresh fruit flavor and it helped cut the sweetness of the port sauce in the mushroom dish. On the minus side, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay showed an attractive fruit flavor when tasted alone, but its acidity with goat cheese was too sharp.
Following are several wines that I scored well. They are or soon will be available in the Chicago area:
1997 Plantagenet Mt. Barker Shiraz ($22), 1999 Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay ($6), 1998 Lindeman’s Padthaway Chardonnay (the ’97 is $7), 1997 d’Arenberg D’Arry’s Original Grenache Shiraz ($16), 1997 McWilliams Barwang Cabernet Sauvignon ($6.80), 1995 Wolf Blass and 1996 Wolf Blass Black Label (the ’94 is $42). Prices are from Sam’s.
For a list of winners, turn to the competition Web site: www.top100wines.com.
SMOKED TROUT RILLETTES
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Rillettes, an appetizer of meat slowly cooked in fat and then shredded, is the inspiration for this easy starter. It is adapted from a recipe by Jacqueline Mason for the Sydney International Top 100 Wine Competition. Serve with sparkling wine.
1 smoked trout
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon grated horseradish, drained
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt, freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon minced dill or chives
Toast triangles
1. Remove head, tail, skin and bones from trout. Use 2 forks to shred trout meat, making sure there are no bones left.
2. Add cream, horseradish, 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Shred until ingredients are well combined. Taste; add more of the lemon juice and salt and pepper as desired.
3. Portion into serving bowl or 4 small ramekins. Arrange toast triangles around the rillettes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 120 Fat ………….. g Saturated fat .. 7 g
55% calories from fat .. Cholesterol .. 50 mg Sodium …… 855 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 0.9 g Protein ……. 12 g Fiber ………. 0 g
FISH WITH CILANTRO-HAZELNUT CRUST AND ZUCCHINI SALSA
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 8 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from a recipe from Jacqueline Mason, Premier Cru Catering Services, Sydney. Serve with a full-bodied dry white wine.
2 zucchini, diced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 slices prosciutto or ham, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil, about
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed, coarsely chopped (reserve a few sprigs for garnish)
1/3 cup hazelnuts, ground in a coffee mill or chopped fine
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
4 large fillets halibut or another white ocean fish, about 3/4-inch thick
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine zucchini, tomatoes, onion, prosciutto and half the garlic in a bowl. Whisk in lemon juice, 1/2 cup of the oil and salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Add to zucchini mixture. Mix well; set aside.
2. Combine bread crumbs, chopped cilantro, ground hazelnuts, Parmesan and remaining garlic in food processor; process to blend. With motor running, add 1/4 cup of the oil through feed tube in thin stream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread cilantro crust over top of each fillet, pressing down firmly. Place fish on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until fish is opaque and just firm, 8-10 minutes depending on thickness of fillets. Place fish under hot broiler to brown crust, if desired.
4. Cut each fillet in half crosswise; place fish on each of 8 plates. Surround fish with zucchini salsa; garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 415 Fat ……….. 28 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 60 Cholesterol .. 65 mg Sodium …… 465 mg
Carbohydrates …… 15 g Protein ……. 27 g Fiber …….. 1.5 g
