Dog Days of August
Dog Days of August
Most beagles have a one-track mind, and Sasha is no exception. Sasha, who I adopted many years go from Almost Home, Nelson County SPCA, and who is now 16 or 17 years old, reminded me that my column this year was to be about “eating lots of food.” The marriage of food and wine was how I thought I put it, but she evidently heard differently. She said she'd be happy to help me with research.
Sasha tries to eat a wooden pig napkin holder.
I thanked her for her altruistic motivations then explained that each month when I sit down to write, I long to say something meaningful, something about compassion for all, or simply how the breeze blows through the leaves, or about the baby wrens who just fledged. But it's a column about wine, and I have five hundred words. Sasha wasn't listening; she doesn't much care about wine, and she nudged me with her nose, trying to get me to commit to her new status as food critic. So, here's my attempt to put meaning into food and wine. And here's a piece of River Oak Farm chicken for Sparkle, Isabelle and the ever round and edacious Sasha.
Leaving aside the physiological benefits of drinking wine in moderation, let me suggest that with the addition of wine to the table, time slows as conversation flows. Perhaps we all remember some version of the well-worn table beneath summer trees, dappled sunlight and laughing loved ones. No matter what occasion—from simple picnic to star-studded terrace—there's something ritualistic about the presenting and opening of wine that lets us pause and reflect, and perhaps revive tradition. This is the world of wine with food, a world where intuition is more important than intellect, and where the senses trump logic.
Domaine de la Foliette, Clos de la Fontaine, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2018 (organic)– Muscadet is a great food wine because of its acidity and minerality. Lees aging gives a creamy texture with yeasty notes, and there's an intriguing, almost saline-like quality reminding us of its proximity to the sea. Muscadet calls for nothing more than oysters on the half shell with a squeeze of lemon, but pairs well with mussels, shrimp, summer squash, turnips, celeriac, tarragon, tofu, tempeh and Jerusalem artichoke, which are most plentiful now. Muscadet is the original white wine in beurre blanc, invented by Chef Clémence Lefeuvre in the early 1900’s at her restaurant La Buvette de la Marine near Nantes. The story goes, she'd intended to make a bearnaise but forgot to add egg and tarragon. $18.99
Domaine de Fa, Fleurie, Roche Guillon, 2016 (biodynamic)– Beaujolais is another great food wine due to its relatively high acidity, juicy fruit, and low tannins. For years, Cru Beaujolais was the best kept secret, perhaps because so many people assumed all Beaujolais meant Beaujolais Nouveau, but the secret is out; get it while you can. Silky smooth with tart cherry notes. Take a sip and you too can avoir du chien—literally “to have some dog” which means to be chic or desirable. Don't ask me why it translates as such. Ask Sasha. $36.99
Kay Pfaltz