Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrusted salmon, red potatoes...what to buy?

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Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrusted ... - 8/26/2008 7:07:06 AM

berettafan

Posts: 32
Joined: 2/7/2008
Status: offline

I am new to wine myself but really enjoy it. In an effort to get more folks buying and trying I am 'hosting' a wine dinner for the office after work this week. I am cooking a recent favorit; salmon w/ crushed pistachio and light italian herbs cooked in olive oil, red potatoes (golf ball sized) halved and cooked in light butter with salt/pepper and possibly a simple veggie like peas (no sauce; i hate saucy peas!;) )

I am serving a white and red to 10 folks, several of whom are miller light types. i really want to get them interested but i know it would be easy to turn them off with the wrong choices.

For white i have a couple bottles of Matua Sauv. Blanc which i like because it isn't sugar water but is still very drinkable.

For red i have 1 bottle of Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir (couldn't find Poppy which i prefer) and would like to find another red to serve. Should i go with a different PN for comparison sake? Price needs to be in the $15 or so range.

There is also a lonely bottle of KJ Chard which was a gift to somebody this past Christmas which has been getting passed around the office (unopened of course) since then. Should i open that as well?

Thoughts?

Post #: 1

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/26/2008 7:11:55 AM

Colonel Lawrence

Posts: 2093
Joined: 4/24/2006
From: Arabia
Status: offline

With that menu they had better not complain about the wine!
Enjoy.
L.

(in reply to berettafan)

Post #: 2

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/26/2008 7:29:53 AM

Serge Birbrair

Posts: 1554
Joined: 4/23/2006
From: Boca Raton, Florida
Status: online

How about putting 1 Spanish Cava on the table for $9?
Miller Types might take heart in bubbles as their first step in wine education.

_____________________________

Do you really think you understand terroir!? -

(in reply to Colonel Lawrence)

Post #: 3

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/26/2008 2:41:53 PM

Hollowine

Posts: 330
Joined: 7/25/2008
From: Hood River, OR
Status: offline

Couple bits of advice for what it's worth;

Don't try to do too many wines at once. If you are trying to pair with dinner, go with one white, one red. If you want to have more than that, you really should look to pairing other wines with other courses, or having a general tasting flight before dinner. There is too much going on with the food flavors to be trying to expose people to new things.

Don't intimidate your audience with odd selections or pricey bottles. Especially if many are beer drinkers, stick to stuff that is understandable and affordable. Remember, you may have to answer questions from them if someone likes something, better to be in a comfort zone than playing the field.

Keep it fun - forums like this are for the geeky side of wine enjoyment, hanging out with friends and coworkers is about the relationships and making something new to them fun.

Enjoy!

(in reply to Serge Birbrair)

Post #: 4

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/26/2008 3:58:38 PM

ParkHill

Posts: 134
Joined: 6/27/2007
From: Denver, CO
Status: offline

The cava idea is great. Couldn't go wrong with an italian bubbly, either.

Pinot can be good, or not. And if it is in the marginal range, then newbies may not be struck down by the god of wines. I mean, for a newbie, tannins or acid or bitterness may be unpleasant instead of intriguing.

How about something a bit more universally accessible, like a good zinfandel, a good merlot (not one of those cheap-**** things). Or go for a spanish red, like a rioja. Choose something fruity or even modern and oaky, and jump way above the pop-an-pour pricing. $20s for Zin or Rioja, $30s or more for merlot, will knock their socks off. Just make sure it is properly in its drinking window, because tannins can easily offend.

(in reply to Hollowine)

Post #: 5

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/27/2008 6:12:34 AM

berettafan

Posts: 32
Joined: 2/7/2008
Status: offline

Thank you for the suggestions and input!

Park being new to wine i had found that PN was very drinkable vs. spicy zins, funky cabs and the like. If the meal goes well today I'll plan another next month when it's a touch cooler and maybe do steaks and cab/merlot. Looking forward to that one big time!

No pricey bottles for this gang (or me for that matter!). Everything is under $15 BUT it's not stuff you can generally find at the local grocery store. I didn't want to buy sugary whites and hawaiin punch reds because i wanted to demonstrate that real wine is different from those things in that it can have more than just one 'flavor' in a glass and that grabbing a box of Franzia chillable red is just throwing money away when you could mix up a box of fruit punch and dump some vodka in it for the same effect. I hope i wasn't wrong in doing so.

< Message edited by berettafan -- 8/27/2008 6:19:34 AM >

(in reply to ParkHill)

Post #: 6

RE: Introducing newbs to wine; serving pistachio encrus... - 8/27/2008 6:27:36 AM

berettafan

Posts: 32
Joined: 2/7/2008
Status: offline

Neat point on overwhelming with food AND wine flavors. You guys are a great help. As to the meal it happens that each item served has at least some level of 'creamy' texture/flavor to it. Fairly rich meal as well (though terribly healthy!).

(in reply to berettafan)

Post #: 7