It seems that the wine reviews, when they discuss food
pairings, always assume the main dish is lamb or
tenderloin. What about vegetarians?

I eat stuffed squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes.
What are the wines for these dishes?

I also find that cold salads don't pair at all,
it's practically like drinking the grape neat.
Is the problem the salads or the wine?



--
Rich

On 2018-09-04 4:54 PM, RichD wrote:
> It seems that the wine reviews, when they discuss food
> pairings, always assume the main dish is lamb or
> tenderloin. What about vegetarians?
>
> I eat stuffed squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes.
> What are the wines for these dishes?
>
> I also find that cold salads don't pair at all,
> it's practically like drinking the grape neat.
> Is the problem the salads or the wine?
>
Perhaps the salad dressing.

On Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 6:54:08 PM UTC-4, RichD wrote:
> It seems that the wine reviews, when they discuss food
> pairings, always assume the main dish is lamb or
> tenderloin. What about vegetarians?
>
> I eat stuffed squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes.
> What are the wines for these dishes?
>
> I also find that cold salads don't pair at all,
> it's practically like drinking the grape neat.
> Is the problem the salads or the wine?
>
>
>
> --
> Rich

I guess it does take some thought; what is the flavor profile of the veggie dish? Riesling tends to be a safe choice with many foods, as well as Pinot Noir. With the squash, maybe something like Gewurztraminer? I would imagine eggplant and mushrooms would get overpowered by anything too acidic; Provence rose'?

Dan-O (throwing darts at the board...)

In message >,
RichD > writes
>It seems that the wine reviews, when they discuss food
>pairings, always assume the main dish is lamb or
>tenderloin. What about vegetarians?
>
>I eat stuffed squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes.
>What are the wines for these dishes?
>
>I also find that cold salads don't pair at all,
>it's practically like drinking the grape neat.
>Is the problem the salads or the wine?
>
>
>
>--
>Rich

Salad will be a problem, because of the dressing, but also because even
tomatoes can be difficult. And artichokes are very difficult to pair
with anything (but are too good to give up). Unoaked chardonnay for
some of the others? I would be happy with a spicy red for the mushrooms
(depending on type): a shiraz for these?

Let us know what works for you.
Sheila
--
---
Sheila Page

On Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 6:54:08 PM UTC-4, RichD wrote:
> It seems that the wine reviews, when they discuss food
> pairings, always assume the main dish is lamb or
> tenderloin. What about vegetarians?
>
> I eat stuffed squash, eggplant, mushrooms, artichokes.
> What are the wines for these dishes?
>
> I also find that cold salads don't pair at all,
> it's practically like drinking the grape neat.
> Is the problem the salads or the wine?

Salad (esp acidic dressing), we have salad most nights but I concentrate on my seltzer then. But we eat vegetarian a couple times a week, and I don't have trouble pairing wines (or hosting dinner for vegetarians)

As Mark posted, we recently lost a former regular, cwdjrx. And his site hosted the AFW faqs. But I did retrieve at least a draft of the veg section of matching

Vegetables and Sides
Mushrooms- one of the great pairings for red wine in general. Many
types are a great combo with earthy Pinot Noirs (especially cremini,
cepes/porcini, oysters, chanterelle, black trumpet, matsutake, etc).
Cremini or porcini/cepes in cream sauces do well with Chardonnay based wines.
Creamed morels or morels en croute call out for a fragrant (not big) Burgundy,
though others reach for Côte-Rôtie and Temperanillo. Grilled portobellos usually are a good
match for Cabernet, Merlot, or Nebbiolo based wine. Enokis and straw
depend a lot on presentation (true for everything of course), but more
about sparkling or characterful white (Loire Chenin Blanc, Viognier,
Pinot Gris or Kabinett Riesling).
Truffles, black or white:
Best nebbiolo based wine you can find, Barbaresco can be even better
than Barolo for this match.
Artichokes- can be a wine killer, but try lighter whites.
Asparagus - for some a strange match, but try NZ Sauvignon Blanc or
Grüner Veltliner. For white asparagus, try Alsace Muscat.
Fresh tomatoes- acidic whites

Ratatouille- fresh whites or rosés

Salad- vinegary dressings are a wine killer. Drink water!
Cheeses

When in doubt, go with white.
Goat cheese- Sauvignon Blanc is the classic
Munster- dry Riesling
Gouda -lighter reds. Aged Gouda -good match for Cabernet based wines
Manchego -same as Gouda, depends on age. A tangy aged one is great with
Priorat.
Hoch Ybrig -does well with mature but vibrant big reds
Parmigiano Reggiano- Amarone, Cabernet
Cheddar: If we're talking young moist cheddar, fruity Zinfandel or
Merlot. Aged artisanal cheddars deserve a big dry red
Triple cremes- Auslese level Riesling.
Epoisses - some of us like with red Burgundy, almost everyone likes
with white Burgundy.
Stilton- Port (or Tokay)
Roquefort-Sauternes
Gorgonzola dolce needs a bit of sweetness - recieto della Valpolicella
maybe. More mature versions, though pungent, can stand up to drier reds
Mimolette -Bordeaux
Brie and its relatives- better with whites
Cheese fondue- crisp whites. If you're looking for regional matches,
more "alpine" wines include Fendant from Switzerland and various whites
fromt he Savoie. Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner or more

acidic versions of Chardonnay might also work. If one really wants red,
try a lighter red with good acidity such as a cru Beaujolais.

I'd add that eggplant is pretty wine friendly, as is squash.
What one chooses would depend upon prep. Eggplant parm would be good with a modersstely high acid red, while I like lemony baba ganoush with bubbles or light white.