438188 Tue Sep 04 19:06:17 -0700 2007 13 34 Wine 0 2910936 I got this great recipe from a friend and have placed it on my blog for my readers. However, I generally like to give wine pairings and am finding this one to be tough. Could also not help that I am just a beginner myself - so I figured this would be a great place for advice. Here is the link with the recipe: http://foodwithapoint.squarespace.com/recipes-attempts/2007/8/31/charmoula.html P.S. I live in Quebec - SAQ is the liquor commission/stores where we purchase our wines. Thanks! Tue Sep 04 19:06:17 -0700 2007 59561 swissfoodie 1 2911400 Hey Swiss... Well, let's arrive at a very sensible wine together... Roasted Snapper... alot of whites would work with this, perhaps even the Pinot Noir suggested by the blogger... My front-runner here would probably be Chardonnay, btw... Charmoula ingredients... Garlic... so far, so good, Chardonnay is still the best choice, IMO... Hot Pepper... oops, things start changing here... Cumin.... really changing... "Moroccan flavorings"... really changing... The most predictable match here, Swiss, is RIESLING. It's excellent with the Roasted Snapper but where it really shines is with the spiciness of the sauce and with Moroccan seasonings in general. I can't see Pinot Noir for this at all, honestly. The Sauvignon Blanc is a fair recommendation, but the combination of the spiciness of the entree/sauce and the rich sweet fruitiness of a great Riesling is magical... Gewurztraminer is a 2nd choice... other wines would work but these IMO are the most reliable. For further on this, btw, google some recent threads on wine tastings featuring Moroccan food Tue Sep 04 22:38:10 -0700 2007 2910936 42549 Chicago Mike 2 2911630 Mmm Riesling. Chardonnay I would have found too rich - I like that Riesling adds acidity and wakes everything up. So I guess we are talking German Kabinett? I recently tasted an excellent one from Austria, the Bundlmayer Kampatler Terrassen. Their Gruner is great too - in fact, would the lemon-lime, floral and apple flavours not be a lovely complement to the smokiness of the charmoula on the roasted fish? Wed Sep 05 04:56:59 -0700 2007 2911400 59561 swissfoodie 3 2912608 There are a number of different styles of wine made from chardonnay around the world. An unoaked, high-acid chardonnay might pair well. Gruner could also work well. Wed Sep 05 10:35:14 -0700 2007 2911630 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2913297 My first reaction would be Kabinett... but Spatlese often works where there's any level of spiciness, as there is here. Alternatively, while they might not be the greatest rieslings in the world, a nice Washington or California Riesling "regular bottling" from a good vineyard should be quite friendly to this dish also, IMO. Wed Sep 05 13:08:23 -0700 2007 2911630 42549 Chicago Mike 4 2915307 Thanks for the help. I like the way you broke it down for me. Very interesting. I thought that Spatlese was reserved more for dishes that had mineral flavours but with rich sauces, like coquille st-jacques. I didn't know it would work as well for spicy dishes. Thu Sep 06 04:39:55 -0700 2007 2913297 59561 swissfoodie 5 2915920 Spatlese can be an incredible match for highly-spiced dishes... Try it sometimes with a fire-hot super-spicy Thai meal, for example... with such a meal you can even go up to an Auslese... it's an interesting meal, in fact, to serve all 3 versions and do a "vertical-richness" tasting. Thu Sep 06 08:41:36 -0700 2007 2915307 42549 Chicago Mike 1 2911402 I like White Rhones with Morrocan seafood preparations. My first choice would be a Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc or Cote du Ventoux Blanc. St Peray or Saint Joseph Blanc would both work as well. I'd skip Condrieu as it may be a bit heavy and ponderous for this dish. The are also many wines both white and rose from the Cotes de Provence that would pair nicely with this dish. Tue Sep 04 22:38:13 -0700 2007 2910936 97345 Vinny Barbaresco 1 2911469 This particular charmoula recipe is quite difficult to pair because there are no measurements given for any of the ingredients: minced garlic, hot pepper, cumin, paprika, olive oil, lemon juice, etc. Depending on how heavy your hand is with the chilies, the charmoula could range from spicy hot all the way to very mild (and similar to a gremolata). The wine pairings will vary with the degree of spiciness, heat, pungency, paprika and citrus. Some charmoulas have very little heat, for example, and more pairings are possible with that kind of charmoula than with a spicy hot one. Please provide more specific details on the specific charmoula recipe you intend to make and I'll try to help. Thanks. Tue Sep 04 23:54:41 -0700 2007 2910936 18222 maria lorraine 1 2912178 I've been making halibut fillets with Charmoula all summer. We've been serving them very successfully with Provencal roses. Wed Sep 05 08:51:32 -0700 2007 2910936 75002 Megiac 1 2912259 Depends on the heat and acid levels and what you slather it on -- fish and white meat would call for a white or rosé, red meat a rosé or a red. Highish acid and lowish tannins are the way to go. Rhône, Provence and Corsica are great sources for all three colours. Dry Loire whites -- Anjou (the excellent Domaine de Brizé can be found for C$16 at the SAQ), Savennières and even some of the less New Worldish Sancerres and other Sauvignon Blancs (including Domaine Sorin de France's SB from nearby St-Bris, C$18 at the monopoly) -- could be lovely. And I'd be surprised if the Tissot unullaged Savignan to be released on the 27th wouldn't be close to perfect. Vinho Verde might also be worth a shot. Wed Sep 05 09:12:13 -0700 2007 2910936 10520 carswell 2 2915310 Interesting that you mention Sancerres and Sauvignon Blanc because I had also thought of that, as per my original post. I would even be tempted to open my Clos des Blanchais (Menetou-Salon), but only if there was someone really worthy of it... Thu Sep 06 04:43:03 -0700 2007 2912259 59561 swissfoodie 3 2924111 Ha! The Blanchais and Pellé's other Menetou-Salons were among the SBs I was thinking of. BTW, the SAQ has a limited supply of Vacheron's 2006 Sancerre that RicRios and others have raved about on this board. Not a bargain at $34 but a superb example of that appellation's wines. And you might want to wait on the Tissot Savagnin. The Cellier tasting notes talk about nut and spice aromas, which probably means it's ullaged (i.e. intentionally oxidized) and so likely not a great match for your Moroccan concoction. Sun Sep 09 08:18:17 -0700 2007 2915310 10520 carswell 1 2912586 I usually go with Marlborough sauvignon blanc for that dish. Wed Sep 05 10:29:44 -0700 2007 2910936 11369 Robert Lauriston