Pinot Noir is an extremely food-friendly wine. That’s why I chose three Pinot Noirs to pour with meals served at the recent Association of Food Journalists national conference in San Francisco.
Staff writers and editors from The San Francisco Chronicle’s Wine and Food sections helped host more than 100 food and wine writers from around the country at this four-day event. The wide variety of dishes showcased the diversity of Bay Area ingredients and culture.
California wines were a natural companion, including three Pinot Noirs – one each from the Santa Lucia Highlands, Carneros and Russian River Valley appellations. They were great matches for the three sit-down meals – a wine-pairing lunch, a traditional 10-course Chinese banquet and an awards dinner.
I chose well-balanced Pinot Noirs, all recommended by our tasting panel this year, for their moderate tannins, bright acidity and lovely fruit aromas and flavors; touches of earth and mushroom were a bonus.
The opulent 2003 Williams Selyem Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was the awards-dinner star, matched with four-spice squab on a compote of onions and herb salad.
Here, Ritz-Carlton San Francisco executive chef Jean-Pierre Dubray shares his recipe for the squab, which can be either grilled or broiled. The exotic nose of the wine plays nicely with the squab’s blend of cumin, curry, ginger and cinnamon; the wine’s fruit is a counterpoint to the rich dark meat.
In general, the panel loved the Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs we tasted. However, there is a caveat: All but three recommended wines have alcohol levels above 14 percent. This follows the California winemaking trend toward bigger, riper, more alcoholic Pinot Noirs (though none of the wines were labeled at more than 14.5 percent). Wines with less alcohol tend to be more food-friendly – even easy-to-match Pinot Noir – because the alcoholic heat doesn’t clash with the food, particularly spicy dishes.
You don’t have to be a food or wine journalist, or attend a formal Chinese feast, to experience the pairing pleasures of Pinot Noir. Serve it with your favorite dishes and see for yourself.
