Namaste: Lessons in Wine Literacy from Los Poblanos's Dylan Storment
Our class wishes to extend a special thank you to Dylan Storment,
(soulful Sommelier) and Wine & Spirits Director at Los Poblanos Inn who joined our class on Thursday, February 21, 2019 to deliver a guest lecture on wine literacy. Dylan gave special focus to the intricacies of grape fermentation and the excitement of exploring international wine cultures. Some of his newest favorites hail from the Canary Islands (off the coast of Spain & Africa), Baja California, and Mexico!
Sharing lunch with Dylan at Namaste Indian and Nepalese Restaurant near the campus before his guest lecture at the University of New Mexico.
We took a walking tour of the UNM campus together with a visit to the Biology Greenhouse to check on our incubating vines. Four of our twelve newly planted rootstock vines are budding their first leaves.
Los Poblanos Inn in the Los Ranchos Village of Albuquerque, New Mexico takes pride in its eco-friendly cultivation practices and farm-to-table cuisine. As Wine & Spirits Director, Dylan manages the wine list for the Los Poblanos restaurant, Campo. His class lecture included a discussion of wine fundamentals and some useful ideas on crafting menus with memorable food and wine pairings. The Los Poblanos Inn farm facility offers a beautiful space for dining as well as hotel accommodations with sweeping views of the Sandia Mountains.
Dylan suggests that wine and food pairings like the art and ceremony of wine tasting is like good theatre. There's an aesthetic element that stirs the soul. A good sommelier curates an experience: part mentor, part guide; part critic (and perhaps a touch of shaman). Namaste.
Dylan generously offers these tips of Wine and Food Pairings for our class blog:
II. Additional elements to consider:
1. THE FRUIT: Does the fruit match up with what you’re trying to serve? Or does it achieve a nice contrast? Pickled Strawberry Compote with cru Beajoulais? Citrus Vinaigrette with Sancerre? Or perhaps a Spätlese Riesling with super spicy Thai food?
(soulful Sommelier) and Wine & Spirits Director at Los Poblanos Inn who joined our class on Thursday, February 21, 2019 to deliver a guest lecture on wine literacy. Dylan gave special focus to the intricacies of grape fermentation and the excitement of exploring international wine cultures. Some of his newest favorites hail from the Canary Islands (off the coast of Spain & Africa), Baja California, and Mexico!
Sharing lunch with Dylan at Namaste Indian and Nepalese Restaurant near the campus before his guest lecture at the University of New Mexico.
We took a walking tour of the UNM campus together with a visit to the Biology Greenhouse to check on our incubating vines. Four of our twelve newly planted rootstock vines are budding their first leaves.
Los Poblanos Inn in the Los Ranchos Village of Albuquerque, New Mexico takes pride in its eco-friendly cultivation practices and farm-to-table cuisine. As Wine & Spirits Director, Dylan manages the wine list for the Los Poblanos restaurant, Campo. His class lecture included a discussion of wine fundamentals and some useful ideas on crafting menus with memorable food and wine pairings. The Los Poblanos Inn farm facility offers a beautiful space for dining as well as hotel accommodations with sweeping views of the Sandia Mountains.
Dylan suggests that wine and food pairings like the art and ceremony of wine tasting is like good theatre. There's an aesthetic element that stirs the soul. A good sommelier curates an experience: part mentor, part guide; part critic (and perhaps a touch of shaman). Namaste.
Dylan generously offers these tips of Wine and Food Pairings for our class blog:
UNM – Wine &
Culture Class – Pairing Wine and Food Discussion
Dylan Storment, Wine & Spirits Director
Campo Restaurant, Los Poblanos Inn
February 21st 2019 - 2pm-3pm
I. Five basic elements of wine:
1. Acidity
- Does the wine make your mouth water?
- Where we taste acidity: Tingling sensation that focuses on the front and sides of your tongue.
- If you are trying to cut through a dish that is rich, salty, oily, fatty, it works to serve alongside a tart and acidic wine. For rich cream or butter based sauce and fried foods, a high acid wine can really balance an overly rich dish.
- Acidic wines scream for tart dishes, like a green salad with vinaigrette.
- Just like squeezing a lemon wedge onto a dish, a citrus driven acidic wine can liven up the flavors of your ingredients.
2. Sweetness
- Where we taste sweetness: Focus your attention on the tip of your tongue.
- Sweet wines can be a great way to balance spice in food. In particular, spicy Thai food and an off-dry German Riesling!
- Slightly sweet wines can also be complimented by slightly sweet components of a dish—Pork with a mango chutney, or many other fruit preparations.
- An off-dry or sweet wine can also pair nicely with a salty cheese, offering a nice contrast in flavors.
- Rule of thumb: Dessert or extremely sweet wines usually have to be sweeter than the dessert itself. Too sweet a dessert, and the wine will fall flat and bitter in comparison.
3. Tannin
- Where we taste tannin: bitter taste on the front inside of your mouth and sides of your tongue, and drying your tongue out.
- Of course, the classic pairing of red meat and tannic wine. The tannins in the wine help soften the fat of the meat. The fat can also help soften the astringency of the wine, allowing more of the fruit nuances to shine through.
- Tannin can accentuate the salty flavors in dishes.
February 21st 2019 - 2pm-3pm
I. Five basic elements of wine:
1. Acidity
- Does the wine make your mouth water?
- Where we taste acidity: Tingling sensation that focuses on the front and sides of your tongue.
- If you are trying to cut through a dish that is rich, salty, oily, fatty, it works to serve alongside a tart and acidic wine. For rich cream or butter based sauce and fried foods, a high acid wine can really balance an overly rich dish.
- Acidic wines scream for tart dishes, like a green salad with vinaigrette.
- Just like squeezing a lemon wedge onto a dish, a citrus driven acidic wine can liven up the flavors of your ingredients.
2. Sweetness
- Where we taste sweetness: Focus your attention on the tip of your tongue.
- Sweet wines can be a great way to balance spice in food. In particular, spicy Thai food and an off-dry German Riesling!
- Slightly sweet wines can also be complimented by slightly sweet components of a dish—Pork with a mango chutney, or many other fruit preparations.
- An off-dry or sweet wine can also pair nicely with a salty cheese, offering a nice contrast in flavors.
- Rule of thumb: Dessert or extremely sweet wines usually have to be sweeter than the dessert itself. Too sweet a dessert, and the wine will fall flat and bitter in comparison.
3. Tannin
- Where we taste tannin: bitter taste on the front inside of your mouth and sides of your tongue, and drying your tongue out.
- Of course, the classic pairing of red meat and tannic wine. The tannins in the wine help soften the fat of the meat. The fat can also help soften the astringency of the wine, allowing more of the fruit nuances to shine through.
- Tannin can accentuate the salty flavors in dishes.
4. Oak
- Food can amplify the oaky flavors in wine.
- It’s best to take this at face value, and match the perceived flavors of the oak with the cooking methods of your food (grilled, charring, smoking, etc.).
5. Alcohol
- Where we sense alcohol levels: Once you swallow a small amount of the liquid, you’ll notice the tingling or slight burning sensation in the back of your throat. You can estimate the amount of alcohol in a wine, by the degree of tingling or burning.
- Higher alcohol wines will have a much larger perceived weight and body, and wines with low alcohol content will generally feel less weighty and full.
- A good note is to pair higher abv wines that have more weight and body, with food that shows similar characteristics.
- Salty foods can make high abv wines seem even more alcoholic.
- High alcohol wines can amplify the spice in food tenfold.
- Food can amplify the oaky flavors in wine.
- It’s best to take this at face value, and match the perceived flavors of the oak with the cooking methods of your food (grilled, charring, smoking, etc.).
5. Alcohol
- Where we sense alcohol levels: Once you swallow a small amount of the liquid, you’ll notice the tingling or slight burning sensation in the back of your throat. You can estimate the amount of alcohol in a wine, by the degree of tingling or burning.
- Higher alcohol wines will have a much larger perceived weight and body, and wines with low alcohol content will generally feel less weighty and full.
- A good note is to pair higher abv wines that have more weight and body, with food that shows similar characteristics.
- Salty foods can make high abv wines seem even more alcoholic.
- High alcohol wines can amplify the spice in food tenfold.
1. THE FRUIT: Does the fruit match up with what you’re trying to serve? Or does it achieve a nice contrast? Pickled Strawberry Compote with cru Beajoulais? Citrus Vinaigrette with Sancerre? Or perhaps a Spätlese Riesling with super spicy Thai food?
2. Non-Fruit: Is there a gaminess to your Cote-Rotie? Would
it pair well with the gaminess of that lamb rack? Is there a black pepper and
blackberry gastrique on the lamb…? I bet those flavors would match up too. Is
there a chocolate component in your mole? Maybe the cocoa notes in that Merlot
would match up to it (but be wary of the alcohol with that mole spice).
3. Body: Is the wine full-bodied? Or delicate? Is that
beast of a Napa Cabernet going to devour your perfect piece of river trout?
Will that Chorey-lès-Beaune be stomped on by your Beef Wellington?
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