Rave Wine and Food Pairing of the Week - Le Colonial, San Francisco

While some of my colleagues were drowning in a River of Skulls last Saturday, I was dragged totally against my will to Le Colonial, San Francisco. NOT! I actually went there willingly with my companion Sherman because the food there is always good and because I knew there would be pork on the menu. Right away Sherman spotted the Thit Kho Chien also known as braised pork belly. Check out this description: “Braised Niman Ranch pork belly roulade with a savory caramel sauce, white truffle oil, hosui pear, pickled bok choy and a quail egg.” Sweet, savory, tangy, fatty with a little crunch all rolled into one mouth-watering delicacy. What wine would you choose to accompany this? The only grape in my mind was Merlot. Alas, they did not have one by the glass so I chose the next best thing: a 2005 Bordeaux blend from the Craggy Range winery of Hawkes Bay, NZ. Little did I know of the alchemical perfection I was about to experience. But first the wine: The 2005 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard. Yes, the restaurant was dark but so was this wine. It showed a medium to deep carmine color. A profound nose of plums and cassis. Medium + tannins with hints of oak gave a fine structure to the berry richness of this elegant yet restrained Bordeaux Blend. I was not sure how good of a food wine this would be but I had to let go and just trust the Sommelier’s picks. Good thing too!
The medium high acidity of this wine totally supported the sweet/savory sauce keeping the sweetness and acidity in a fine balance. The sweet/savory flavors also brought out a bit of sweetness in the wine which was actually a welcome addition. The tannins also matched the fattiness of the pork belly and the richness of the white truffle oil. This pork belly almost melted in my mouth and the flavors and textures made my palate sing. So, when are we going back???

Update from Liza-land

Must...dry...out! While DSL is down (many thanks AT&T!, she said facetiously, typing like an animal tethered to an ethernet cable) notes are piling up! Tune in later for updates on:
New Adventures in Murphys!
The joys of Viader!
Waterbar...Is the Snark an endangered fish?
New love of my life---THE SPANIARD!!! (Molly---you in danger, girl!) Hahahaha!

WBW #49 - What will I drink to toast out George W?

I love this topic! But how to narrow down my selection for toasting. Well, if it's a happy toast and I fervently hope it will be, nothing will do like a nice sparkler---of which there is no shortage at Chez Liza. Now, to be fair, I will pull out the Dommy P if in fact my man Obama knocks out Caribou Barbie, but to lift such an anticipatory toast seems overconfident. Rifling through the back of the fridge where the champers hides out, I pawed through several Shramsbergs, however given the whole Nixon-China-Calistoga connection, Shramsberg drinks too much like an RNC libation, so I skipped that. The "Il" a lovely blush Prosecco from the Veneto goes too far the other way being way too much of a blue state treat (and with it';s $9.99 price tag, there is some pricier beer)Whew! Who knew this selection would be so tough? Finally I found it, in the crisper. A Perrier Jouet non vintage Grand Brut of indeterminate provenance. It's shrouded in mystery, like the current administrations---so many unanswered questions, so many bottled up regrets. In fact, I can't even remember which of my ex boyfriends this wine came from, because I really don't remember buying it. With so much uncertainty---will it be corked? where did it come from? will it be bitter? Sweet? bittersweet? I grabbed the bottle by its delicate French neck and hauled it over to Luscious Lush Thea's house for our WBW exercise. Like a true pro, Thea twisted wrenched and popped the cork with barely a hiss of mist. Gingerly I sipped. Wow! This stuff is good. Complex with a palette full of flavors, toasty, fruity, crisp and well integrated, I observed the bubbles and drank deeply. Big bubbles, big trouble I quote my champagne source. It's been in my refrigerator too long, like our current administration. There's no shortage of bitterness, when I pull it out, however it drank sweetly like the promise of a yellow diamond future.