2012 Gamay Noir – LCBO 57349 – $12.95 – (Gold Medal – Ontario Wine Awards) – If you don’t like that bottle of wine you just opened set it aside and cook with it … we have either been on the giving or receiving end of this piece of advice. Let’s stop the circle of bad advice and stop cooking with bad wine. If you cook with a wine you don’t like … your food is going to taste like it.
The reason I am opening this note about cooking is I had the opportunity to cook with this Gamay just this past weekend. This wine is great, especially at the price. Flavours of ripe Raspberry and Cherry dominate this wine with a hint of spice on the finish. I served this wine with Steak… but the trick to pairing this lighter red with grilled meat was to make a beautiful sauce with Morel mushrooms using the wine.
Here is what I cooked with this great wine. Serve this sauce over any cut of beef seasoned with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
1/4 cup Butter
2 Sprigs of Thyme… you can remove the leaves or not.
1 Clove Garlic Minced
1 Shallot Minced
1/2 lb of Morel Mushrooms Cleaned and Halved
1 Cup Gamay
2 Cups Beef Stock
1 Tbsp Flour
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat and mix in Garlic, Shallot and Thyme cook for a minute or two. Add Mushrooms and cook for another two to three minutes. Add one cup Gamay wine cook until it is reduced by half. Add 2 Cups of Beef Stock and reduce by half again. Thicken with a bit of flour.
2012 Chardonnay Musqué – LCBO 640516 – $16.95 – I love Chardonnay Musqué. It’s not quite as floral as Gewurztraminer… but there is a strong pressence of wildflower on the finish of this wine. While you’re sipping you would expect this wine to be sweet. But I assure you it’s very dry. Layers of tropical fruit and peach. Musqué just tastes like summer in a glass, and is one of those patio… or dock wines that do not need to be paired with anything.
