We’ve fallen back an hour and, save for a warm week of “second summer” weather in late October, the days have gotten cooler and shorter.
The vines and trees will eventually shiver their last brilliant yellow, orange and red leaves to the ground, closing their 2024 vegetative cycle in preparation for Winter dormancy and a new vegetative cycle come Spring 2025.
Something about fall is incredibly appetizing - the animal in us knows winter is coming and, with it, a need for thicker insulation, which we build up with friends and family, around dining tables and cozy fireplaces, and foods and wines that embody the warmth and richness of the season.
When it comes to food and wine pairing, the #1 thing to remember is there is no perfect pairing, and #2 - there is endless room for creation and experimentation.
It is important is to know what you like (which depends on your DNA and cultural upbringing, but generally if it tastes good to you, it most likely does to others), and a few food and wine pairing guidelines (altered from a blog I wrote for Farah Trading Co):
Remember, “what grows together, goes together”. Feijoada à transmontana (bean and every-part-of-pork-imaginable stew) and a DOC red wine field blend of Douro’s many native red grape varieties are a classic pairing - the wine’s tannins and acidity perfectly cut through the rich stew.
Food can more easily overpower wine than vice versa, so choose a wine that is more acidic or sweet than the food pairing (sweet and spicy Ruby Port with dark chocolate desserts).
Pair like colors (a golden nata pastry with Tawny Port) and intensities (a grilled dourada fish with a crisp and mineral Douro DOC Rosé).
Leverage contrasting flavors (a sweet and racy Colheita Tawny Port with salty and nutty aged cheeses).
Don’t let the tannins in a Douro DOC Reserve or Grande Reserva red wine attack the proteins in your saliva (creating that mouth drying effect); give them another protein to chew on, like a matured Maronesa steak.
And finally, avoid asparagus (its mercaptans make wine taste vegetal) and artichokes (packed with cynarin that creates fake sweet or bitter tastes).
Following these guidelines, here are three classic and innovative pairings of our Quinta do Tedo Port, Douro DOC wine and Bistro Terrace dishes.
Tender bísaro pork tenderloin with apple and chestnut purée and crunchy chestnut chips, paired with our Late Bottled Vintage Port.
Cod fillet with smoky chorizo cabbage under a potato “cloud”, paired with our Douro DOC Red or Rosé wine.
Velvety almond and salted caramel flan pudding, paired with our Tawny 30 Year Port.
We hope to have inspired your taste buds, and are curious to know what you are pairing with our fine Quinta do Tedo products this fall.
Bom proveito ~ Odile Bouchard