When planning a formal dinner take some time with your menu. Each dish should be well-balanced and the meal should flow. Contrast your courses by following a rich dish with a simple one and a bland dish with something spicy. At a traditional formal dinner the second course is the soup course. Consommés and bisques are especially popular. For my formal dinner I will be serving crab bisque. As I've mentioned before, the most successful pairings of wine and food begin with the body. Crab bisque is thick and rich, you need a wine that can stand up to the creaminess of the soup. Yet with enough acidity to clear your palate. My budget selection is a nice Australian Chardonnay. These fruit forward wines carry some weight and should work nicely. The splurge selection would be a top California Chardonnay or a Meursault from Burgundy. For more information please visit http://www.vinicode.com. See recipe below.
For those of you who are big fans of buttery and oaky Chardonnays, there is change afoot. It seems that California has taken a few steps back from the oaky brink to produce more balanced products. Barrel makers report, however, that sales have never been better. So what gives? Nowadays barrel making has become an art as subtle as winemaking. Wine barrel manufacturer, World Cooperage, for example, offers over 100 different barrel profiles. When you find them, oaky Chardonnays are one of the more difficult wines to pair with food. The smooth style and oaky taste make for better sippers. When matching, try smoke with oak. Smoked halibut covers all of the bases. A simple white fish that is given some smoky oomph. The name of the fish is derived from haly meaning holy, and butt or flat fish. Named so because halibut was commonly eaten on Catholic holy days. For more information please visit http://www.vinicode.com. See recipe below.
More...
