Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
What works At the perfect dinner in a perfect world, you take a bite of food and a sip of wine -- and the tastes merge into a whole far greater than the sum of its parts.
with this wine?
Making the right match
Wines of the RhoneBy Betty Shimabukuro
Star-BulletinFlavors pair up in tone and intensity. It's a match. It's seamless.
"It's the holy grail," says Mark Shishido, who does this for a living at the Pineapple Room.
Long gone are the limitations of "white wine with fish, red wine with meat." Wine pairing is an art, discussed in terms of relative acidity, sweetness, fruitiness; of qualities of elegance, subtlety, boldness.
More and more, restaurants are presenting suggestions for achieving that holy grail right there at your table. Now some are turning to teaching, but it's never like a classroom.
Shishido and Pineapple Room chef Steven Ariel are devoting February to "A Salute to Syrah," an exploration of not just this noble grape, but also the way the wine works with food. Fourteen Syrahs from France, Australia, California, Spain, Italy and Chile are offered by the bottle, the glass or in small tasting portions, with suggestions for matching with Ariel's dishes.
It's an ambitious presentation, to be followed up with other featured wines monthly (it's Pinot Noir in March).
More common around town is the winemaker's dinner, where a chef will prepare several courses, each paired to just the right selection from a particular winery's repertoire. Often the chef and winemaker will be there to explain why this food works with that wine.
These dinners have gone from special event to almost commonplace; find them over the next two weeks at Hoku's in the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Neptune's Garden at the Pacific Beach Hotel and Sam Choy's Diamond Head. (See our listing in Stuffs.)
The ultimate wine soiree, though, will be the pair of dinners to be hosted by superstar Rhone winemaker Michel Chapoutier, who will appear next week at the Plantation House on Maui and at Chef Mavro's on Oahu.
What's there to talk about? To get back to the Pineapple Room and Syrah, here's a quick lesson from Shishido: The classic qualities of the varietal are its dark, inky, "teeth-staining" (a good thing) color; its aromatic, spicy scent; a distinct tone of black pepper, dark fruit, warm leather, wet stone (also good things).
For a long time, he says, most Syrahs struck him overpowering, but that is changing. "For me it was too alcoholic, too over the top. It was like having a teriyaki sauce with too much sugar or too much garlic."
He is impressed now with the balance and food-friendly character of Syrahs available.
A personal favorite: St. Joseph, JL Chave, 1998, from France.
From a chef's point of view, Ariel likes to pair Syrahs with grilled or smoked foods, "and earthy things like mushrooms and root vegetables."
He'll also put it together with fatty, full-flavored fish, such as salmon, opah and hamachi.
A personal favorite: Carchelo 1999, from Spain.
During Syrah month at the pineapple room, the menu will include suggestions for Syrah-pairing. Feb. 28 is a BYOB night -- bring your own favorite Syrah and pair it up with Ariel's dishes, to include the rib dish that follows. The usual corkage fee will be forgiven. To take another approach, taste four selections in a flight, or side-by-side comparison, for $13.
In your own pursuit of the holy grail, consider this pairing from Shishido and Ariel.
The dish is grilled ribs with a pineapple sauce. Recommended to match the smoky, sweet-sour flavors and acidity of the pineapple is a red "oozing with ripe fruit, soft, supple textures with moderate wood influence." Specifically, the 1999 Qupe Syrah from Santa Barbara from winemaker Bob Lindquist.
Try it and see.
Pineapple BBQ'd Baby Back Ribs
1 slab (13-14 pieces) pork ribs
2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
2 quarts water
2 cups Pineapple BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)
Accompaniments
1 cup cooked cannelini beans
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn kernels
2 tablespoons butter
6 pieces thinly sliced dried pineapple (optional)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seedsSeason ribs with salt. Grill (preferably over wood) until well done, 12-15 minutes.
Place ribs in a roasting pan with water, cover with foil and braise in a 400 degree oven for 90 minutes, or until fork-tender (do not cook the meat so long that it falls off the bone). Cool 2 hours, then cut into single pieces.
Lightly marinate in Pineapple BBQ Sauce and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, brush ribs generously with more barbecue sauce and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until sauce begins to caramelize.
Sauté beans and corn with butter and season with salt to taste. Serve with ribs. Garnish ribs with a drizzle of extra barbecue sauce, sesame seeds and dried pineapple.
Approximate nutritional analysis, for two ribs: 400 calories, 16 g total fat, 6 g saturated, 55 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 20 g protein, 49 g carbohydrate.*
Mix all ingredients together well.Pineapple BBQ Sauce
3 cups ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sambal
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups grilled pineapple pureeApproximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoon serving: 30 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, no protein, 8 g carbohydrate.*
The spicy, rich reds and exotic whites of France's Rhone Valley will be featured in back-to-back dinners on Maui and Oahu next week. Exploring wines
of the RhoneStar-Bulletin
Michel Chapoutier of the 193-year-old Maison M. Chapoutier, will bring his wines to the Plantation House Restaurant in Kapalua Feb. 15 and to Chef Mavro Feb. 16. Each event includes a reception, a three-course dinner with two wines per course, and dessert.
Rhone wines historically have been overshadowed by the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but in the last five years a few superstars have emerged among the region's winemakers.
Chapoutier is among those credited with revolutionizing wine culture in the tradition-laden region.
Both dinners provide a chance to meet and talk with Chapoutier.
At Plantation House, chef Alex Stanislaw's menu includes Cold Poached Ahi Nicoise Salad (with 1997 Hermitage Blanc "Chante Alouette" and 1998 Saint-Joseph Bland); Lamb Daube (with 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "La Bernadine" and 1997 Domaine des Beates); and Oven-Seared Filet of Beef Medallions (with 1997 Crozes Hermitage "Les Meysonniers" and 1998 Hermitage "La Sizeranne").
Cost is $125. Call (808) 669-6299.
At Chef Mavro, George Mavrothalassitis will serve Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine (with Hermitage Blanc Chante Alouette 1997 and St. Joseph Blanc Deschants 1998); Onaga in Hawaiian Salt Crust (with Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine 1998 and Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Domaine des Beates 1997); and Roasted Squab (with Les Meysonniers 1997 and Hermitage La Sizeranne 1998).
Cost is $95. Call 944-4714.
Click for online
calendars and events.
