One of the fun things I get to do as a winery owner is pair our wines with excellent food, and there is no better food partner than the James Beard Foundation’s “Taste America” series. As part of this series, JBF (as they will be known henceforth) travels from city to city putting on dinners that highlight local chefs, cuisines, and wines. On March 6th they are coming to San Antonio, a UNESCO designated City of Gastronomy.

I know that some people feel put on the spot when asked to pair food and wine, and I want to change that. Feel confident pairing wine and food, because there are no right answers. This is not math; this is deliciousness, and there are lots of ways to slice that.

Let’s get started with the First Course of the March 6th JBF dinner:

Ceviche with Seasonal Seafood, Passion Fruit and Turmeric Granita, and Thinly Sliced Kampachi Tempura with Sweet Potato Emulsion, Corn, and Pickled Onion

This course screams for acidity. Why? Because the fattiness of seafood and fried foods taste more savory and less oily when lubricated with acid-driven partners. Just as we like to put lemon on seafood, and ketchup on French fries, we want an acid-driven wine with this course. This points to either an acidic white like the 2022 Arcadia – a blend of Niagara, Roussanne, Riesling, and Viognier – or the 2023 Over the Moon Rosé. Rosés are made from grapes that are picked early, so they almost always have good acidity.

Second Course
Silky Black Bean Cream Soup with Burrata and Truffle, Corn Tropezones, and Pickled Heart of Palm

This one is tough! In general soups are difficult, because, by definition, they are bits and bobs all jumbled together. To pair with them, it is best to focus on a dominant characteristic. In this case, my inclination is to go for its creaminess, both the soup itself and the burrata in it. Here there is a fork, because one could say fat hence acid, and go with the Over the Moon Rosé, and it even helps that the rosé is a blend and hence brings a lot of different flavors to the pairing. Alternatively, one could think about the creamy texture coating my mouth and go with something with some tannins as a contrast. In that case we would go with a red blend – same idea, lots of different flavors to pair with – and I am going specifically with the 2021 GSM Mélange (which just won Best of Class at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, meaning it was the best Rhône blend, beating out even wines from, uh, the Rhône – woop! woop!). It has an earthiness that can stand up to the truffle. By the way, I did look up what Tropezones are, and it turns out they are clumps. No wonder they didn’t spell that out in English.

Third Course/Entree
Tender, Slow cooked Oxtail with Rich Brown Gravy with Puffed Rice, Scallion, and Pickled Peppers

My mouth is already watering. This dish is going to need a wine with a powerful punch of flavor. Given the meaty flavors, we are going to also want some mighty tannins, and in Texas there is no better response than Tempranillo. Luckily, we have many to choose from: the 2020 Tempranillo Reserve, the 2020 Canted County Tempranillo Reserva, or the 2020 Lahey Vineyards Tempranillo. I will let you pick your personal favorite.

Dessert
Warm Chocolate Cake with Coconut Gelee, Caramelized Pineapple-Rum Chutney, and “Coquito” ice cream

No meal is complete without dessert! The prevailing rule about pairing wine with desserts is that the dessert should not be sweeter than the wine, but that really depends on you are thinking about this. If you consider the wine the true dessert, then the dessert made of food can be sweeter as far as I am concerned. This cake will go perfectly with our Texas Ruby, a rich fortified wine with lots of sweetness, a luscious texture, and vibrant fruitiness.

I hope you feel more confident about pairing food and wine and are as hungry as I am thinking about this Taste America menu.
Tickets to Taste America