Wines for Vegetarians

Yesterday, while lamenting that I didn't have a topic for today, I asked a friend about doing more pairing pieces. She replied that they usually don't interest her because she only eats plants. Okay, shoulder slump, chin drop. Still no topic for today. 

Until just now. 

Apparently, and since I am not a vegetarian and don't expect I ever will be, although I do eat a lot of vegetables, my pairings and pairing posts have not been particularly vegetarian friendly.

Let's try to fix that, at least a little but. But, let's start with the problems.

Some vegetables are really difficult to pair with. Case in point: asparagus. Asparagus is high in asparagusic acid (that's what gives your urine a horrible odor after eating asparagus). Asparagus is also high in tannins. As a result, you don't want big, bold wines. And, you don't want rich wines. Both tend to clash with asparagus. But, think about what does taste good with asparagus -- fresh herbs, citrus (particularly hints of lemon), and bright flavors as compared to dark ones. 

Let's think of that in wine terms. Grassy, herbal aromatics sound like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gruner Veltliner. But, herbal aromatics also sound like Pinot Noir and perhaps even cooler climate Syrah. See how easy that was.

You don't like those grapes? Let's move away from asparagus then. In fact, with asparagus, I said to stay away from big, bold, tannic wines. What's one of those? Cabernet Sauvignon.

I know vegetarians who love Cabernet Sauvignon. And, despite us thinking of Cabernet as a wine for beef, most of us when we eat beef have vegetables with it.

Let's think about how to pair veggies with Cabernet. Longtime readers might recall that Cabernet Sauvignon is the baby of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Recall that these are the wines that are high in methoxypyrazine, usually shortened as pyrazines. What else has load of pyrazines? Bell peppers. Pair likes with likes. Pair bell peppers with Cabernet. 

But, that's not all. Lots of really good Cabernet, especially aged Cabernet has significant savory notes. Tasting reviews often speak of outdoorsy stuff like forest floor and smoke. Where else can we get that? On the grill. So, grill your bell peppers and drink Cabernet Sauvignon. 

But, you can't have dinner of bell peppers and Cabernet, or at least I can't. So, our vegetarians need more veggies. And, to go with Cabernet, we need veggies with some substance to them and in a perfect world, we'd love to be able to grill them. Choices #1 and #2: eggplant and mushrooms (not the little wimpy delicate mushrooms, but the mushrooms with some substance). Now we have more of a dinner.

I could go on, but I have things to do today. It's almost time for me to put in layers of clothes so that I can go out and play tennis in 30 degree weather this morning. And, drink some wine later to warm me up. Maybe tomorrow I'll be inspired to write about more veggies and the wines that go with them ... or conversely.