This past Sunday, we had a fellow blogger and his wife over for dinner. Anyone who's an OWF reader knows that Derrick... well, he knows his wine. And he's a ridiculously accomplished home chef, with a particularly enviable skill for plating.
So, to keep things simple, I decided we'd grill a Moroccan-spiced boneless leg of lamb and vegetables skewers, with a pine nut & golden raisin couscous.
As I got to thinking about wine, I of course went immediately to a Gigondas (2001 Domaine du Grand Montmirail, Les Deux Juliette). Which was fine. And a safe bet. And, you know, sort of predictable.
So when I popped in to Farmstead Cheese & Wine (at the Alameda Marketplace) to pick up my cheeses for our cheese course, I started browsing the wines and, after some creative thinking, decided to also pick up a bottle of rose.
What a fabulous, beautiful surprise. The 2004 Ch. Mas Neuf Costières de Nîmes was a hit. A blend of Syrah, Grenache & Cinsault gave this wine just enough spice to carry the spices in the meat, and it was nice not to be "weighed down" by a rich, heavy red -- just right for a warmish day.
It was really fun to experiment with a pairing I would never have thought to put together, and I learned a very important lesson: no matter how much I will ever know about wine, there will always be something more to learn.