The perfect pairing

Much of the enjoyment and passion many of us feel for wine is driven by the powerful memories we have of some of our earliest wine experiences. We had dinner just last night with one of our most knowledgeable and sophisticated wine appreciating friends. We talked of our time living in wine country and some of the old restaurants we frequented.

Our friend's palate like most has changed over time, now he prefers primarily Northern Italian and Southern French wines many of which are quite "spendy" and hard to come by. But as we chatted about "the old days" he told me a story from long ago. After a big wine dinner the night before he and his group traveled to wine country to do some tasting on a hot summer day in the Napa Valley. Eventually lunch was in order and they arrived at Tra Vigne, which back in the day was one of the great Napa Valley restaurants owned then by Michael Chiarello.

As many of us feel after a big night our friend was a bit tired, it was very hot out and his party was seated outside in the courtyard. They ordered a Pinot Grigio which at the time was a whopping $10 per bottle! Our friend spoke very fondly of this memory, and in great detail down to who was in his group, the aforementioned weather and even what they ate that day. He told us how over a long period he drank many cases of that Grigio and how it became his house wine, but most striking in the conversation is how that simple Italian white wine was the perfect pairing, not just for the food but for the mood; his group the weather and everything about that day. While his tastes are very different now it would not surprise me at all if the next time we see him if we don't find our way to revisit that Pinot Grigio.

I think all of us have a similar experience we can harken back to with little trouble, and this is the balance that is challenging for wine consumers as our tastes change and evolve. While we no longer prefer some of these old choices on a daily basis, it is great to go back to some of our early preferences while at the same time trying all the great new wines out there that please our evolved palate more. The encouraging thing is many of these choices are still easy to find, and with some guidance on both food and wine it may even be possible to put together much of that first perfect pairing that sticks in our minds.

Wine choices in the U.S. in general and more specifically here in North Idaho have exploded over recent years and as part of that expansion the negative side is some of our early choices have been dropped from the market. With a little investigative work, and consultation with your favorite wine professional we can get close to some of those bottles we enjoyed so much.

Remembering varietal and appellation or growing region is the best place to start. If you can recall those two specifics your wine professional will be able to recommend a wine that will get you close to the wine you enjoyed some time ago. Even though the varietal names that were most frequently found or the terms used to describe them may no longer be around, the wine and the style of the wine are likely to still be here.

Who can forget Colombard, Chablis in a box, or Burgundy where that was the only description? Tracking down a successor wine to our good friend's much appreciated Pinot Grigio is easier, but even that is more complex than it used to be as the French style Pinot Gris has taken shelf space from the Italian style Grigio, while both are made from the same grape.

We encourage all wine consumers to embrace their wine drinking past by tracking down their old favorites and doing all they can to recreate their own perfect pairing. The exercise creates a compelling experience that reminds us what we love about wine but also will likely stimulate our overall experience including the movement to what we like now.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.