By The Glass
CHUCK FURUYA
German wines a good
match with Moroccan food
I continually marvel how an excellent food-and-wine pairing can provide unexpected revelations.Moroccan chef Rafih Benjelloun and his wife, Rita, visited the island of Lanai recently for a guest stint at the Manele Bay Hotel. Their restaurant, the Imperial Fez, is in Atlanta, Ga., and their rendition of Moroccan food is dazzling — brazenly spiced, lustful and incredibly and intriguingly layered.
Rafih is the same chef recently featured on the Food Network's "My Country ... My Kitchen" show. He was also recently singled out for the cover of Bon Appetit magazine.
To complete the dining experience, Lanai's Visiting Artists Program bought in Brent Wiest, one of the country's leading experts on German wines. His family's company is the discoverer and importer of such great German producers such as Zilliken, Paul Furst, Gunderloch, Kunstler, Dr. Heger, just to name a few.
Also working the event were wine professionals Mark Shishido, manager of Alan Wong's Pineapple Room, and Travis Takahashi, manager of Roy's Kihei.
All this expertise made for one of the most interesting wine-and-food weekends I have been to in a very long time.
As dazzling as the food proved to be, the wine team put together pairings that took the whole experience up at least a notch or two.
Imagine pitting a fish dish, strongly spiced with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, saffron and turmeric with the slight sweetness and minerality of a German Riesling produced from a red-sandstone hillside. It was undoubtedly one of the most electric, exhilarating and inspiring pairings I have ever had.
The "Visiting Artists Program" on Lanai continues monthly through October. August will feature Rick Tramanto of Tru in Chicago and Debby Baldwin of the Justin winery.
My message, however, is not only about star chefs and illustrious winemakers. You can experience fun and interesting pairings even at your favorite neighborhood restaurant. All you need is a little reliable direction.
For instance, take a bottle of dry rosé such as Bonny Doon's Vin Gris de Cigare ($12) to Leong's, Helena's or Ono's Hawaiian food eateries and enjoy it with beef luau stew or pipikaula. (Call ahead to make sure it is OK to do so; it not — take out). Using a plastic cup is fine. You will see how the weight, texture and flavor of this wine pairs with the meatiness and saltiness of such local specialties.
Or enjoy a bottle of Zilliken Riesling ($15) at your favorite Chinese restaurant with kung pao shrimp or mapu tofu. The wine's slight sweetness works wonders with the spicy and salty elements of such foods.
Another no-brainer: Savor a bottle of Codirosso Chianti ($12) from Italy with pizza, spaghetti or even meatloaf.
You see, it can be easier than you think.
Chuck Furuya, president of Fine Wine Imports and Hawaii's only master sommelier, works with the Lanai resorts to bring winemakers to the Visiting Artists Program.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.
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