Wine on the Radio - February 10, 2004

Bordeaux With Food

Some wines seem all alone and stand offish if you try to sip them all by themselves, without food - and perhaps Bordeaux tends to suffer from that a bit.  

You see, the wines of Bordeaux, which are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends, often seem too lean or astringent to just drink on their own.  They aren't as robustly fruity as American and other new world styles.  

But when you put them together with food, that tightness takes on new meaning. Richly flavored meats like lamb and more fatty cuts of steak like rib eye are particularly good.  

It's the leanness of the wine that makes the fitting complement to the richness of the meat and that makes for a more complete tasting experience, sort of like one plus one equals three!  

There are great wines to try from Bordeaux but if you're used to the new world style it's more of an acquired taste.  

And how do you get an acquired taste?  

Guess you'll just have to pop the cork™!

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