Salut/Hi Mike & Nils

le/on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:12:46 +0100, tu disais/you said:-

>Ian Hoare wrote:

>> with a great big venison casserole, so you would be mad to serve a Cahors
>> with some plainly roast pork.
>
>Absolutely. Tannin and fat mix to form a nasty powdery sensation on the
>palate, and there is no acidity to cut through all that fat. And Cahors
>is about the most tannic thing you can uncork, the very WORST wine you
>could ever open with pork roast. So far I follow.

Ah but that's not at all what I was thinking of. I must say I don't agree
with you over the fat business. My thought was that pork is actually quite a
delicate meat - when compared with lamb or beef or even a duck confit. So a
light, delicate meat, matched against a big bruising tannic wine will be
swamped by it in my view. Same would go for a chickum. I also can't agree
that they are lacking in acidity. That said I know that you like wines with
much higher levels of acidity than I do, so this might be part of the reason
behind our differences.

>Cher maître, I know the above combination is what is dictated by
>tradition, but like some other traditional pairings that are well known
>and followed not just by the general public but even by people that
>should know better (Sauternes and foie gras, dry champagne with sweet
>desserts), I shudder at the thought...

Well you know, it's not because it's traditional that I do it, but because
in my book it's good. Cassoulet, no matter whether it be from Carcassonne,
Castelnaudary or Toulouse, is very powerful in flavour - when I make it it's
not too fatty, as I cook out much of the fat from the salt belly and make my
own sausages with about 25-35% only. And then I drain off excess fat before
assembling the dish. Don't get me wrong, I'm no advocate of emasculating
dishes because they have fat, but beans absorb the stuff so well that you
can end up with a dish where the fat isn't in any sense obtrusive. Anyway,
it's a great big dish, and needs a great big wine. I'd happily drink La Nine
from JP Senat against it, or even experiment with a tougher Cote de Rhone.
But I LIKE tannic wines with fatty dishes, from cassoulet to confit.

>Would it not be better to serve a lively zingy low-tannin red from some
>exceptional Beaujolais village?

Not in my view, no. But isn't that what makes wine and food matching so
endlessly interesting? We both have a certain experience of it, yet can (in
good humour) entirely disagree.


>Anyhow, welcome back to the NG, we need you here!

You're most kind. Though as I said, it's not for very long. (and thanks also
to the kind words from my other friends here).
Bon appetit
Ian
La Souvigne - France