No wine Monday (Betsy's quartet was doing couple pieces in a new music festival at Symphony Space, just ate a wrap before jumping on train to see), so good excuse to open 2 Tuesday.

The cooking wine was the 2013 Ch. Gales (Graves) blanc. Pretty standard for cheap white Bordeaux- grapefruit with a little gooseberry, hint of pepper, decent acids, a bit thin. Seems more SB than Semillon (as expected). B-/C+

Dinner was mussels in white wine, roasted zucchini, and herbed tomatoes. Dinner wine was the 2014 Girard "La Garenne" Sancerre. This is quite nice, lemon and grapefruit, rosemary, flint. Good acids, mid to full bodied, pretty classic Sancerre. B+

Wednesday Betsy made pork cutlets, roasted cauliflower, and a quinoa pilaf. Wine was the 2012 Passopisciaro. I thought this was Etna but its is labeled IGT Terre Siciliane. In any case it's awful good! Black cherries, lots of herbs and flowers. Bright acids, juicy, long. A smoky/flinty note on finish. Some tannin but quite gulpable. B+/A-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

On Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 4:38:03 PM UTC+2, DaleW wrote:
>Dinner was mussels in white wine, roasted zucchini, and herbed tomatoes.

I read that its difficult if not impossible to match wine with tomatoes. what's your take on that?

Im as far as realizing that the kind of wine I normally drink doesnt work. But Pouilly fume does.

Saw they had this a Wine Library so I bought two. Thanks Dale.

On 4/14/16 8:38 AM, DaleW wrote:
> 2012 Passopisciaro

On 15/04/16 06:13, Michael Nielsen wrote:
> On Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 4:38:03 PM UTC+2, DaleW wrote:
>> Dinner was mussels in white wine, roasted zucchini, and herbed tomatoes.
>
> I read that its difficult if not impossible to match wine with tomatoes. what's your take on that?
>
> Im as far as realizing that the kind of wine I normally drink doesnt work. But Pouilly fume does.
>


Tomato match:: Kiwi Sav Blanc (or its imitators). Purrfect!

On Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 7:01:31 PM UTC-4, greybeard wrote:
> On 15/04/16 06:13, Michael Nielsen wrote:
> >
> > I read that its difficult if not impossible to match wine with tomatoes. what's your take on that?
> >
> > Im as far as realizing that the kind of wine I normally drink doesnt work. But Pouilly fume does.
> >
>
> Tomato match:: Kiwi Sav Blanc (or its imitators). Purrfect!


Yes, tomatoes aren't easiest match but far from impossible. I think with fresh/raw tomatoes it's generally useless trying to counter the acidity, you have to go with it, best matches are high acid whites (and agree that SB, Melon, Gruner do better than even high acid Chards). Long cooked tomatoes are far easier.

On Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 6:13:50 PM UTC-4, Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
> Saw they had this a Wine Library so I bought two. Thanks Dale.
>
> On 4/14/16 8:38 AM, DaleW wrote:
> > 2012 Passopisciaro

I will say that retasting Friday (recorked, down to cellar, but not gassed) the Passopisciaro was quite stewy and disjointed, went into vinegar crock. I don't buy into idea that time open is a predictor of aging, but it can give some clues. I think that hgher alcohol wines -even balanced ones- sometimes are better drunk young.But I see no problem with drinking my remaining three bottles over next few years/

Michael Nielsen > wrote in
:


>
> I read that its difficult if not impossible to match wine with
> tomatoes. what's your take on that?

I like crisp whites with fresh tomatoes. Albariño will fit the bill at our
place, but I will not complain if you serve me a Fiano de Avellino with my
insalata caprese.

For tomato-based sauces, I like Sangiovese in a lighter style. Old style
Rioja can also work well.