> Do you make 'tasting notes' of every chicken you eat?

Well put.

But the answer is yes, after a fashion. Certainly the chef of the house
does (and for that I'm grateful!). When cooking, one needs to select
herbs, spices, sauce ingredients, accompaniments... and all these things
interplay into each other to make one meal memorable and another one
so-so. The next time you're going to prepare chicken, do you poke
around your spice cabinet at random? I don't, neither does my wife. We
know what works well together, and what works better with lamb instead.

She makes "tasting notes" for chicken (etc) and has compiled a rather
extensive (and wonderful) handwritten cookbook, which I continually
benefit from. She also is very good at remembering stuff, and at
identifying the sources of flavors when we go out to eat, so she can
duplicate and improve upon what she's already had.

I see no difference between this and keeping notes of what wines you
liked with what foods, and why. It's the "why" part that will lead you
to new combinations that will work nicely, and help you avoid the ones
that probably won't. And since, as my choir director is fond of saying,
"elephants have memories, people have pencils", tasting notes can be
quite useful in that regard.

Tasting notes are especially useful if you are laying away a case or two
of something for a few years, because in a few years you'll forget what
kind of food it goes best with. It is less useful if this is the only
bottle of whatever is is you're drinking, and you're not going to be
able to get another even if you liked it.

Sharing tasting notes is also a good way to introduce others to wines
you liked (or didn't) and why, and what it is likely to go with.

I used to think that this business of "what wine goes with what food"
was overblown poppycock, until one day when I had one of my favorite
whites (I forget which) and was quite disappointed in it. I forget what
I was having with it but there were several items. I took out the wine
reccomendation list from Telluride Restaurant in Stamford (my first
source and a favorite restaurant), and sure enough, I had some "food
foes" of this wine on the plate, and some "food friendly" choices too.
So, I took the opportunity to taste the wine with each of the courses.

It made a world of difference. I was blown away. With one of the
foods, the wine was restored to its former glory. With another of them,
it was rendered bland and uninteresting - and it was the same wine from
the same glass.

Alas, I did not take notes.

I thought I remembered pine nuts and a sauvignon blanc were part of the
deal, but my Telluride listing does not show that combination, so that
wasn't it. And now I'll never know (and will be unable to share).

But, do try it with other foods. Go to
http://www.telluriderestaurant.com/wines.php
and pick out a wine, and have it with some "food friendly" foods and
some "food foes" at the same time, and compare.

Keep notes. (ps - it works for Italian wines too)

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
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