Doug Jamieson
Pairings
Our Pairing's food item for this week comes compliments of chef Tony Rechsteiner, instructor of culinary arts at the College of New Caledonia, and is Chocolate Almond Roca Squares. Roca is the Spanish word for "rock." Yep, this confection rocks for sure and is a staple Christmas holiday treat.
Sweet, or dessert wines, are a classic or standard selection for dessert pairing. These include the standard array of fortified, late harvest and icewines. Added to this is a selection of sparkling wines. This is where I am going to take our article today.
The wine that I have selected for this particular pairing is Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars Non-Vintage (N/V) Brut. Wine made in this style, in the Champagne region of France, is known throughout the world as Champagne. In Spain it is called Cava. In the rest of the sparkling wine world it is known simply as sparkling wine or brut.
Blue Mountain's Non-Vintage Brut is consistently excellent. Tight, small bubbles that carry the intrinsic yeastiness and citrus notes one would expect to find in the best sparkling wines, regardless of the region of origin. The Blue Mountain team is patient and thorough when it comes to selecting the base wines that go into the production of their sparkling portfolio. This particular label provides exceptionally consistent flavours and a texture that sings when it hits the glass.
There is also a toffee note and faint nuttiness that intermingles with the yeasty character and lingers on the palate for what seems like an indefinite period. Another sign of a quality wine, whether sparkling or still.
For this reason, I think Blue Mountain's N/V Brut would be a great match for this particular food pairing. The toffee like coating of the Almond Roca along with the obvious nuttiness supplied by the almond component of the recipe will be accentuated by the wine. The citrus and yeasty notes will also play off of the graham wafer, butter and brown sugar in the recipe to provide a complete mouthfeel and extend the finish of both wine and dessert. A match made in heaven!
Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars, N/V Brut is available exclusively in Prince George through Urban Liquor at 15th & Central in the City Gate Plaza.
Life should be lived with elegance and finesse. Sometimes we need a little help doing this successfully from outside sources and this food pairing will definitely help to provide elegance and finesse when you feel you need a little boost! Enjoy responsibly, but as often as is practical in your busy life.
Also, with New Year's cork-popping festivities just around the corner, this wine will make an excellent pick as a sparkling wine to ring in the New Year with friends and family.
