Wines featured in today’s show:

• Yellow Tail Shiraz 2008  (~$7)
• Bodega Del Desierto 25/5 Syrah 2005  (~$18)
• Blacksmith Syrah 2004  (~$20)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

Honestly, aside from a few exceptions, I’m not too sure that “New World” Syrahs will ever set the world on fire.  I keep hoping and trying but, as we say in the wine retail world, they are hand-sells.  Sometimes that is not a bad thing.  But if they stay that way over time and few people come back to buy more, it gets really tough to maintain their sales long-term.   Know what I mean?  But I keep up the good fight because I think good Syrah is worth the battle.  They’re full bodied with lush, dark fruit notes and often with a hit of peppery spice.  That is right up my alley.

When it comes to food pairing, the one thing I would be wary of is the higher alcohol percentage in Syrah.  It can get up there pretty easily and as I’ve cautioned before:  spicy food and alcohol don’t team very well together.  Noticeably high alcohol in wine can enhance the heat in spicier foods.  If that’s your thing, cool.  If not…be warned.

That being said, I’m often flummoxed by the BBQ/Syrah suggestion.  BBQ ribs, chicken, brisket with Syrah makes little sense to me.  Sure, a burger on the grill and Syrah sounds great.  But anything with dry rub and/or sauce, it’s best to get some beer, or Sauvignon Blanc, or even a Sparkling wine.

For the perfect recipe, lets go Old World.  They tend to have a little higher acid and more vegetal notes.  I’m thinking of stuff from the Northern Rhone valley, but those prices tend to get crazy.  If you pick something from St Joseph (the largest N. Rhone region) or Crozes-Hermitage (the most bastardized N. Rhone region), you can cut the price down to the high teens or low 20′s.  With that in mind, and having a very prolific deer hunter in the family, I present to you a pretty fool proof and simple venison roast recipe that would do well with a bottle of Northern Rhone Syrah.

As Chef Tell would say, “very simple, very easy.”

Now, where did I put my bow?

Wines featured in today’s show:

• 1707 Syrah Almansa 2004  (~$8)
• Spencer Roloson Syrah 2004  (~$40)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

Two different Syrah’s at two completely opposite price points.  Would we enjoy the same types of foods with either of them?  Probably not.  The 1707 Syrah is a nice, medium bodied red with bright fruit, smooth tannin structure and a titch of spice.  Quite delightful with some grilled burgers on the patio with friends and family.

The Spenser Roloson Syrah from the Northern Napa Valley is something else entirely;  Full bodied, concentrated with waves of fruit, spices and coffee notes.  A wine that is seamlessly put together and destined for a long glorious life.  That was the 2004 we enjoyed and it still had plenty of stuffing left.  As we often discuss when pairing food and wine we must start with the weight of the dish.  Full bodied wine = full bodied dinner.  Don’t waste this wines time with burgers or a pork chop because it will the crush the life out of it.  Give it something hardy and distinct, but at the same time letting the wine be the star of the show.  I’m a big believer in letting either the food OR the wine be the star.  If you have created a gastronomic masterpiece, I’m all in favor of letting the wine play a supporting role.  Choose something interesting while making sure that the food and wine rules apply, but not so showy that it pulls your attention away from the incredible meal.

Here we have the opposite.  We have started with a terrific wine and now need to create some food that will help show this wine off.  Braised short ribs with some herbed mashed potatoes should work amazingly well.  Big, hardy flavors but by no means fancy or hard to make.  Back in the day this would be considered a one pot peasant meal that gets brought down to the field workers for dinner, but now-a-days costs $25.00 at a restaurant.

One reminder:  this recipe calls for “3 cups hearty red wine.”  Remember don’t spend lots of money for wines that are used for braising, but you still want to use a quality drinking wine.  Some examples would be, but are not limited to:  Yellow Tail Shiraz, Jacobs Creek Merlot, 1707 Syrah, or Protocolo red from Spain.   Get the picture?

Thanks for listening, and get on those short ribs before it gets too warm out.  It is true comfort food.

Wines featured in today’s show:

• Marquis Philips Roogle Shiraz 2009  (~$10)
• Brassfield Estates Syrah 2004  (~$15)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• Here is a recipe for prime rib that will take years to master but the mastering will be unbelievably tasty and fun.  What sort of wine would work with a flavor monster like this?  Lets break it down.  The balance of heat with sweet are all in place.  Smokiness from the long grilling process and the chili’s speak to a possible wine match.  You should have little to no issue enjoying the Brassfield Estates Syrah with this dish.  Big dark fruit flavors, above average acidity and the long smokey finish should play right into the prime rib’s hands.   One thing to keep in mind with higher alcohol wines (the Brassfield Syrah checks in at 14.8%) is that they may enhance the perception of spice in your mouth, and often that is not desired.  In the case of this dish I think we need to make a distinction between heat/smoke and flat out spice.  Pizza is spicy, but grilled prime rib steaks with bourbon BBQ baste has heat.
• I have made this short rib recipe a few times and every time I’m stunned with how amazing it is.  Labor intensive on the front end but comes together very quickly.  Shaving bitter-sweet chocolate on top of everything thing on the table never fails to induce gasps and it absolutely lives up to the promise.  This is an impossibly rich and savory meal and needs a wine that can match it.  Anything less than the power of an Australian Shiraz will be lost in the ether.  And of course the chocolate notes in the Roogle Shiraz don’t hurt.

Wow!   Bacon fat right away, vanilla, violets, blackberry, and even though this is only 13.5% alcohol, I get a touch of heat.

Palette:

This is a full bodied wine with good acidity and plush, round tannins.  Up front I get a lot of bittersweet chocolate and vanilla with the fruit evident but kind of buried.  Imagine too many “Nilla” wafers on top of too much chocolate topping on top of a red grape and blackberry medley.  That is this wine to a T.

Synopsis:

What does all that say to me?  Lets break it down.   Structurally the wine is well balanced.  All the vanilla and chocolate speak to the oak barrels (probably American oak) that the wine was aged in.  There is fruit underneath those flavors.  As the oak flavors begin to integrate with the fruit over the next year or so I think this could become something considerably more.  Very drinkable now but by mid 2010-2013 this should mature into something more smokey and leathery with a nice line of cherry fruit throughout.

Rating this wine is tough.   Right now I’m tempted to give it 6/10, but I can almost guarantee you that in 4 years I would freak out over this wine.  So lets split the difference.

The Som Rating: 8/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads

Featured in Today’s Show:

• 2002 Patron Santiago Grand Reserva from Argentina (blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah)

Geeky Wine Tip: Decant your wine if it is -

• A young wine and needs to breathe before serving
• A mature or unfiltered wine that may have sediment at the bottom of the bottle