298781 Tue Oct 12 21:53:35 -0700 2004 5 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1653201 Hello Hounds, I wanted to take this time to follow-up on a request I made a few weeks ago. I asked for recommendations on wines to serve at a wedding with a Spanish/Mexican buffet menu. Here are the results... Selection --------- The first thing I did was assemble a large sample of wines and had a tasting party to try them with similar foods. Several SF hounds joined. Below are the tasting results. They were tasted blind, although a list of the wines being poured was made available (we just didn't know which was which until voting was over). I gave each person two votes on their favorite(s). Votes # Price Wine 14 S1 6.99 NV Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava 8 S3 9.99 NV Rotari Talento Trento Brut 6 S2 6.99 NV Cristalino Brut Cava 0 S4 6.99 NV Domaine Saint Michelle Brut (Flawed Bottle) N/A S5 14.99 2003 Saracco Moscato d'Asti (Not blind, no voting) 8 W3 8.99 2003 Basa Rueda Blanco 7 W4 9.99 2004 Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2 W5 8.99 2003 Rock Rabbit Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 1 W1 5.99 2003 Bodega Lurton Valle de Uco Torrontes 1 W2 4.67 2003 Colombelle Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne 1 W6 7.99 2003 J Lohr Monterey White Riesling Bay Mist 9 R6 10.99 2002 Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza Malbec 7 R5 12.99 2002 Kenwood Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 5 R4 5.99 2003 Marques de Daroca Valle del Jiloca Grenache Syrah 2 R1 4.67 2002 Pintoresco Tempranillo de Extremadura 1 R2 7.89 2000 Marques de Arienzo Rioja Crianza 0 R3 7.50 2002 Las Rocas de Alejandro Calatayud Garnacha 0 R7 4.99 2003 Viu Manent Colchagua Valley Malbec 0 R8 5.99 2003 Campo de Borja Borsao I went with the favorites: 24 bottles of Segura Viudas (S1), 17 bottles of Basa Rueda (W3) (I wanted 2 full cases but the wine store was low on inventory), 17 bottles of Altos Malbec (R6), and 12 bottles of Daroca Grenache/Syrah (R4). Though tempted, I passed on buying for the wedding the Kenwood Pinot (R5) due to price and the Brancott Sauvignon Blanc (W4) because it's a similar style as the Basa--crisp, acidic, un-oaked white--yet more expensive. I did however pick up 4 bottles of Georges Duboeuf Borgogne Blanc for $9 in case there's anyone that must drink oaked chard. I didn't try this wine until the wedding. Wedding Reception ----------------- The menu changed slightly from the original plan. In the end, the tortilla española was nixed and the only Spanish foodstuff remaining what a half-wheel of cabrales that I brought. Otherwise it was appetizers of olives, goat gouda, and brie; a main meal of chicken mole, tamales, beans, rice, green beans, and green salad; and flan, tres leches cake, and several Filipino desserts. Wine consumed at the wedding: 14 bottles Segura Viudas 16 bottles Basa Rueda 8 bottles Altos Malbec 6 bottles Daroca Grenache/Syrah 4 bottles Georges Duboeuf Bourgogne Blanc The big hit was the Basa. It had enough body to stand up even in plastic cups during the pre-ceremony cocktail hour, yet also had enough bright acidity to keep it lively. I fully expecting to take some bottles home, but only ended up saving the one that was lost in the bottom of an ice chest. In the bartender's words: "This Basa is flying, did you bring any more?" As expected, some guests wanted their chardonnay, so the 4 bottles of Duboeuf went quickly. I tried a sip and found it ho-hum...but then I'm more a fan of aromatic, acidic white wines than richer, oaked, full-bodied whites. The Altos was also well received. It went rather well with the mole. The Daroca was a bit of a bust...the 6 bottles we opened went largely undrunk. I thought some would appreciate a light, fruity red in addition to the big bodied Altos Malbec, but guessed wrong. Oh well, it was $5 a bottle and I'm sure I'll find good use (cooking, sangria...) for the remaining 6 I have. I was surprised at the sweetness in the Segura Viudas. During our tasting it didn't seem sweet but by the time we got to the toast, after having some of the Basa and Altos, I found it a bit sugary. The carbonation dissipated really quickly, so it was more like drinking a slighly effervescent, off-dry white. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would have gone with Domaine St Michelle Brut instead. In other news... most of the guests were more typically beer drinkers rather than wine. But they went crazy for the wines and got hammered. Folks falling asleep in the DJ's car, locking themselves in the bathroom, passing out on the lawn. Great fun. Also many reports of waking up at 5am with splitting headaches (myself included), which I think, but cannot be sure, was caused by the Segura Viudas. Thanks for all the help, everyone. -Nick Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/298454#1650341 Tue Oct 12 21:53:35 -0700 2004 0 nja 1 1653212 Thanks for such a great post. Wed Oct 13 07:42:30 -0700 2004 1653201 0 samgee 1 1653238 You should have had packets of RU-21 at the bar. ;-) Link: http://www.botanic-art.com/ru-21.htm Wed Oct 13 12:34:22 -0700 2004 1653201 0 Pssst 1 1653240 Also many reports of waking up at 5am with splitting headaches (myself included), which I think, but cannot be sure, was caused by the Segura Viudas. ************ The strongest hangover in many people's memory is a wine hangover. I was once told and have no reason to disbelieve the reason is that the grape residuals dissipate more slowly than the residuals of beer or hard liquor. Wed Oct 13 13:12:34 -0700 2004 1653201 0 Chicago Mike 1 1653245 ....it was appetizers of olives, goat gouda, and brie; a main meal of chicken mole, tamales, beans, rice, green beans, and green salad; and flan, tres leches cake Wine consumed at the wedding: 14 bottles Segura Viudas 16 bottles Basa Rueda 8 bottles Altos Malbec 6 bottles Daroca Grenache/Syrah 4 bottles Georges Duboeuf Bourgogne Blanc The big hit was the Basa. ************ It's very interesting that, at the end, the big hit for a quite tipico Mexican feast was a Rueda blanco which, depending on the grape varietal blend has a high sauvignon blanc content. If you can only pick one grape varietal for an entire Mexican meal, Sauvignon blanc is an excellent choice. It's also interesting that, among the reds, although the Malbec and Grenache/Syrah were well received in the pre-dinner tastings, they weren't as big a hit with the mail meal. What food, if any, did you taste them with during the "trials" ? The reason I ask is that the actual wedding day meal is very highly oriented towards white wines. There's honestly nothing in the main menu, IMO, that matches a red as well as a white, yet two reds were featured prominently with the meal. It's also no surprise that the chardonnay was quite well received with the main meal... this meal is reasonably chardonnay friendly, given the brie, chicken, rice, etc. although sauvignon blanc is a better match given the goat cheese, green beans, and green salad, and the likely presence of salsa. This is an example of where you might personally not like chardonnay (oaked or un-oaked), but it is an undeniably rich, powerful match with the proper foods. To introduce something more appropriate for a rich red like Malbec, a Mexican flank steak or filet would have really done wonders for the reds. Cheese wise, while Cabrales is an interesting blue veined cheese to look at, it has that powdery texture and a flavor that honestly clashes with alot of wine. Among the great Spanish cheeses, I've found Iberico to match more reds, and clash much less than Cabrales. Other interesting cheeses for this spread given the prominence of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and two rich reds: 1) A Gruyere, which matches all of them awesomely 2) A plain goat chevre (as opposed to a gouda, although gouda is also interesting) 3) "real" Provolone, a great match with SB that also matches rich reds well. Lastly, the desserts would have really benefitted from a nice accompaniment... a Late Harvest Riesling, Muscat, or PX Sherry would have gone splendidly with the Flan and Tres Leches. Wed Oct 13 13:41:33 -0700 2004 1653201 0 Chicago Mike 2 1653312 During the trials, I also included tortilla española as an app and carnitas during the mains, both of which were part of the wedding plans at the time but were nixed in the end. Honestly though, the Malbec was well received and as I said, I think it did really well with the mole. In terms of bottle count, my intention was to go with 24 white, 24 red (split 1/2 big/strong and half light/fruity), and 24 sparkling, but that changed a bit due to the inventory on hand and the quickness of the planning. The Basa, I believe, is 75% verdejo and 25% sauvignon blanc, and I do recall that during the blind trials I thought that one might have been the New Zealand SB. SB is undoubtedly my favorite white wine due to its versatility. The chardonnay disappeared before the ceremony even began, so there was no chance of seeing how it went with any of the main buffet dishes. The important thing in the end is that everyone had a great time. That we had plenty of good wine to enjoy within the casual and free-form event made it all the better. -Nick Thu Oct 14 02:33:19 -0700 2004 1653245 0 nja