Matches....

Football time with Euro 2012.
Not that I am not a real football fan, but when Italy is playing I can't avoid watching it.
Most of the time, in the most recent past, it has been quite painful and depressing but it is my team, I need to watch it. And since a tournament starts all I think is when is going to be next match? (if there is one!)...but also what am I going to drink while watching it?
It is in order to answer to this primary question that I have developed my (quite useless)  personal theory: wine does not match football.

It's easy: football is cheap and simple.It doesn't need to much effort to understand it and appreciate it. It is fun but can create quite a bit of stress and sweating if your team is not playing well. So you can't drink wine while watching football. Wine will overpower it. Or alternatively football will distract you from your glass.
Also wine is too alcoholic and will make you sweat even more.
Beer is the right one. Beer is the perfect match with football. A refreshing, plain, light drink lager. Or a tastier and more intense flavoured Ale.
This depending on the country you are and your personal preferences.

On the other hand, red wine is the perfect match with a good novel or a movie and white wine pairs perfectly a sunny day. That's it, it's easy. Who said that we always need food with wine?
Try it with a John Irving's novel or on a sunny terrace in a Mediterranean village and let me know what do you think!

Now that I have bored you with my theory, it's time to try it in practise.
Tonight.
Italy vs England, Peroni vs Ale. I (and I guess you too) already know my choice....

And while getting ready...I cheer my self up with some good memories...(I know tonight it's not going to be like this!!)...

Mum used to say.....

My mother used to be very strict about the wine match. Red with meat and white with fish. This was the rule and no exception was allowed! Since I got deeper in wine knowledge then her (and moved out) I experienced that this rule is totally wrong. Not only you can drink white with meat and red with fish but most of the times what would sound outrageous to my mother, would give great pleasure to my palate.

Today I decided to celebrate the sun with a fishy BBQ and couldn't resist to treat myself with a special bottle: Jean Claude Boisset Savigny Les Beaune - 1er Cru Les Hauts Jarrons 2003. To be honest probably my fish, a wild rainbow trout was not as elegant as my wine, but they worked very well together and confirmed my theory against my (beloved) mother's one.

The deep red colour of the wine made me realise straight away that even if 8 years old the wine was still young and strong. Its perfume was an elegant mixture of red fruit, especially strawberries with a lightly perceivable touch of wood. In my mouth it was lightly fresh and had extremely gentle tannins and a delicate texture. The distinct but not too strong flavour of the fish was not overwhelmed and actually made a great partner to the fine fruit flavours of my wine.
A successful match and a fantastic lunch...I must remember to prepare it for my mother next time she is visiting me!.....Ops I need to buy another bottle then!

Bites of pleasure

Cheese and wine is a classic match. A never ending, successful relationship that will always give you pleasure and sometimes can intensely surprise.

Most sommelier know that sweet wines enhance the sharpness and saltiness of blue cheeses. This is why matching an English Stichelton from Nottinghamshire with some Muscat de Rivelsates from Cazes (Roussillon - France) can be such a great combination. Stichelton is very similar to the most famous Stilton but the unpasteurised milk gives it a creamier, more delicate and fruitier taste that match perfectly with the fine sweet aromatic flavours of exotic fruits, apricot and peach of the Muscat. The well balanced natural acidity of the wine will then finally clear the buttery texture of the cheese leaving a long and intense sensation in your mouth.
A less usual and very interesting food and wine marriage would come out pairing an aged Comte' with a Chablis Premier Cru such as the Laroche 1er Cru Les Clos.  

Comte' is an aristocratic, elegant and voluptuous cheese especially if long aged. A 24 months is outstandingly aromatic and rich and the stoney character and fine flower aromas of the Chablis 1er Cru Les Clos are going to be a great partner for it. The wine will enhance the nuttiness of the cheese and will extend the flavours in your mouth with a very long finish balancing the richness of the cheese with its powerful minerality and fine complexity and structure.This is a noble and sensual match.
It is a tasting experience that will open your senses and will leave you memories of pleasure.

Pictures taken at Liberty Wines stand at Imbibe