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This is has been my summer (I’m in Australia remember) of decadence. I’ve been sleeping late and really indulging. In booze yes. But more significantly in prosciutto, figs and melon. As a teenager in England these were special foods reserved for special occasions and meals out. But now in Australia I’ve been enjoying Prosciutto and figs at least once, if not twice a week. And if figs weren’t around at a good price I’d substitute melon.
The question is what kind of wine to drink with this combination. And with Wine for Newbies propsal of avoiding the usual whites for WBW#20 the choice was set. White obviously needed to go with my meal and I’d been through the usual chardonnays, Rieslings and the now popular pinot gris, pinot grigio and viogniers.
Then this one morning I’m dragged out of my Egyptian cotton sheets semi-comatose by a courier delivering free bottles from Brown Brothers.
It was three bottles from their experimental vineyards, varieties that I was not familiar with. Ignorant, I chilled the Arneis thinking it some dodgy variety.
I drank it in the garden with my prosciutto and figs. A near perfect match. Spicy (although that could have been the ground pepper) with flavours of apple and nectarine with a nutty flavour I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
I was forced to look it up in my 1088 page 1994 edition of Jancis Robison’s Wine Companion – a leaving gift from a magazine in London.
I learn that this grape is originally from Roero in northern Italy where it is used to soften the Nebbiolo. Sometimes it is known as white Barolo. According to Robinson: “…consumers have come to appreciate its herbaceous aromas and the almond flavours on the palate…” Apparently it doesn’t age that well. But I don’t care. At the cellar door it costs A$15 and it is made to drink with food or on a warm summer evening.
I find that often the kinds of wines rated by the mainstream reviewers are tasted in isolation from food. That makes them perfectly good for sitting down and drinking in a bar or in front of the TV. But I’m veering away from this type of drunken debauchery and focusing on wine with food. Often wines that are top rated – especially reds - can be completely inappropriate to match with food.
The combination of the ham and the figs brought out something extra in this drop to give it that bit extra zing and life.
And that’s what it’s all about.
PS: Since I wrote this last week I keep seeing Arneis everywhere.
wine blogging wednesday, wbw#20, wbw, wine, Australian Wine, food and wine.
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