Bay Radio Wine Tasting – Colin Harkness on Wine

Bay Radio’s May 2011 On-Air Wine Tasting!

Our very popular (approximately 50,000 listeners on Bay Radio and by internet www.bayradio.fm ) live wine tasting for May will take place between 12:00 hrs – 13:00 hrs, Sunday 8th May.

You are invited to enjoy the programme and even take part by calling the studio and asking questions/making comments etc.

As usual, Noelle, Co-Presenter (with hubby, Bob), will be giving details of the week’s recipe and I’ll be there to suggest wines that will accompany the dish).

For me, food and wine combinations make a meal that much better and I’ll be making some suggestions which I hope will enhance your enjoyment too!

BAY RADIO’S SUNDAY BRUNCH WINE RECOMMENDATION

Salmon and Potato Pie

Salmon can partner really classy white wines so you can bring out some of your best slightly oaked Chardonnay when salmon comes calling. However as there is also potato and pastry involved here you’ll be pleased to know you don’t have to push the boat out re the cost of the wine.

I still think a judiciously oaked Chardonnay will be the best partner, Avgvstvs from DO Penedés will be perfect. Enate unoaked Chardonnay will also be excellent. However if you want to be a touch daring you may like to look for a rosado instead.

I often like to link the colours of wine and as Salmon has a pink tinge to it, rosado often works well. It has to be dry, though, and you can very occasionally find a slightly oaked rosé – this would be very good too.

Salud!

BAY RADIO SUNDAY BRUNCH WINE RECOMMENDATION

Oh No! Presenters Bob and Noelle share an empty glass!

POT ROAST CHICKEN

As we’ve said before chicken is very wine-friendly and even with the bacon input white wine lovers would still be able to enjoy their tipple, if the white had been fermented, and probably aged, in oak. The tomatoes and anchovies again would also be happy to accommodate white wine – I think a Garnacha Blanca with a maximum of six months in oak would be a good match.

However I feel the best partner would be red wine and I’d suggest that listeners and readers might like to try reds from DO Tarragona. Here you’ll find a host of red wine varieties that are not often seen – the superbly named Ull de Llebre is also known as Tempranillo in most of the rest of Spain and there is Garnacha and Cariñena as well as globetrotter Cabernet Sauvignon.

Combinations of these varieties with a maximum of 12 months in oak, to retain good fruit presence, will suit this dish very nicely thank you! De Muller is a very large producer, but there are others too.

Salud!

Bay Radio’s Sunday Brunch Programme – Wine Recommendation!

Minty Lamb.

Something of a Spanglish dish this one – lamb, garlic and herbs very Spanish; mint jelly, oh so British! In Spain, think lamb – think Rioja, and you can’t go too far wrong. However the mint jelly can be a problem as it tends to strip wine of its fruitiness.

Therefore rather than a super Rioja Gran Reserva which, without the mint,

Oh Dear, Presenter Noelle's glass is empty!

would be wonderful I’d go for a quality ‘roble’ Rioja – i.e. a young very fruity Rioja with only a little time in wood; or Bodegas Luis Alegre’s oh so fruity new Parcela No. 5 wine would be excellent.

Finally, those who like me, often prefer Ribera del Duero wines to La Rioja, may like to try one of their better juicy, fruit-laden offerings which will have sufficient fruit content to be able to lose a little because of the mint and yet still have plenty to spare for this succulent herb infused lamb.

Salud!