By The Glass
CHUCK FURUYA
Use common sense to
match wine with foodWine consumption certainly is growing in the islands. Thankfully, so are the number of wine tastings that allow people to become better educated on the subject.
I'm hoping that now more people will think of having wine with food. They belong together. In many parts of France, Italy and Spain, to name just a few countries, wine is part of day-to-day life. We drink other beverages; they drink wine with their meals.
One doesn't have to get too technical about wine pairing in order to enjoy it. Just use common sense and experiment.
The other night, for instance, I was involved in a charity dinner in which chefs were asked to create dishes to match selected wines.
One wine was Greco di Tufo ($22), a very minerally, crisp, dry white wine made from greco grapes grown on the volcanic slopes of Italy's Mount Vesuvius. Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise prepared a roasted opakapaka dish with roasted garlic nage (broth) and a salad of fennel, tomato and kalamata olives. Seem complicated? Break it down this way: Italian white wine with a lemon-like edge, paired with a very light, Mediterranean-styled fish dish. It was amazing!
For the entrée, two wines were served, one a rich, supple California cabernet-based red and the other a rustic, hearty, masculine Italian barolo. Chef Ronnie Nasuti of Roy's Hawaii Kai roasted a lamb T-bone and served it with an ohelo berry-tomato chutney, lamb jus and fresh baby corn. Lamb, with its marbling, is a natural match for big red wines like these. The addition of the ohelo made the pairing with the cabernet work well and the tomato created the right edge for the barolo. It was remarkable.
Two days later, I went to Leong's Hawaiian Cafe in Kalihi for my "fix" of beef luau stew and a side of pipikaula. Owner Debbie Leong wanted to know which wine I had served on the night her restaurant was featured on Emme Tomimbang's "Local Grinds" show. It was the Bonny Doon Vin Gris ($15). Such dry, richly flavored rosés work well with rich, savory soups and stews like hers. Yes, wine can be enjoyed with beef luau and pipikaula!
To experiment further in pairing wine and food, consider these upcoming opportunities:
>> Friday is the anniversary dinner at Roy's Kihei, featuring local chefs Roy Yamaguchi, Jackie Lau, Alan Wong, Hiroshi Fukui, George Gomes and Adam Condon, as well as Rafael Lunetta of Santa Monica's Jiraffe and Trey Foshee of La Jolla's Georges on the Cove. Wineries such as Edmeades, Bonny Doon, Baileyana and Rex Hill will be featured. The $85 dinner will raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Call (808) 891-1120.
>> An April 11 dinner at Leeward Community College will feature the foods of legendary chefs Michel Martin (Michel's and Chez Michel's), Martin Wyss (Swiss Inn) and Jimmy Sueyoshi (LCC). I hear chef Alan Wong will be on the floor working with the students, and I'm sure there will be other surprises as well. The $60 dinner is a fund-raiser for LCC's culinary program and gives students experience with French cooking and service. Call 455-0298.
Chuck Furuya is Hawaii's only master sommelier.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.
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