Birthday WInes

When you take your wife or husband or life partner or significant other out for their birthday, wine comes with it. It has to; if it doesn't, you are clearly reading the wrong blog. And, while there is no requirement that you order the most expensive wine on the list or even close (in fact it extremely rarely makes sense to order the most expensive wine on a list unless you have far more money than sense), you must appeal to the (in this case) birthday girl's senses.

There is a starting requirement. With us, it starts with bubbly. It can be Champagne or some other sparkling wine preferably made in la methode traditionnelle/la methode Champenoise. It sets the stage. It's fresh. The bubbles are exciting. It's food friendly and well-made, it just tastes good. There is just something about the vibrant little bubbles hitting your tongue and your palate that prepares you for the meal.

Then there is the wine to go with dinner. No matter how much the wallet might like to escape with a single glass of a mediocre or worse wine, we know that's not happening. So, we look for bottles. And on birthdays (and anniversaries), we have had some pretty spectacular wines although not all of them have been priced like spectacular wines. 

When I look on a wine list for a celebratory wine, while the budget does increase, I am looking for a wine that perfectly complements the food we are having. So, while I might love a 1959 La Tache, a 1997 Screaming Eagle, a 1982 Chave Hermitage, or a 2009 DRC Montrachet Grand Cru, sadly, it might be that none of them go with the meal. And, besides, AmEx would probably have me committed to an asylum.

Let's digress for a moment. If we happen to be going to a steakhouse, it's easy to find wines to pair. Or, if we chose to have seafood, as long as we are both having relatively similar fish, no problem. 

But, what do you do when you are having food you know little about? Because that will be the case tonight when we will be dining Filipino. I can imagine anything from more sparkling wine to Italian medium-bodied reds to a Beaujolais Cru to a Condrieu or barely off-dry Gewurtzraminer (the more I think about it, the more the lychee seems to really appeal with the way I envision this food). Thankfully, the restaurant in question has a wonderful beverage manager who understands wine and knows their food which menu changes to a different part of the world every three months.

To end, I feel certain we will have dessert. We never eat dessert. But, when there is a special occasion, we often make exceptions to never. I understand that even in desserts, Filipinos often use cardamom in their food. I've never had it, but I can imagine pairing a Cipro (indigenous to Slovenia) or some sort of Muscat (there are so many types).

And, that is part of how to make the birthday celebrant happy on her birthday.