Which wine matches with central asian pilaf?

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Last night I prepared an ex-Soviet themed dinner for our non-Russian friends, trying to open their palates to some traditional and very good Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish, and Central Asian foods.  Sausages and kvas (drink made from rye bread) for pre-dinner snacks, Borscht (cabbage and beet soup), pickled veggies and two kinds of pilafs - lamb and beef - for main course, and sour-cherry filled blintzes for dessert. That's me on the photo, painstakingly filling the blintzes.

Which of these wines do you think paired best with the main course?

The wine line-up:
  • White Rhone from Pierre Gaillard (Viognier and Roussanne blend), 2006
  • Hermitage from M. Chapoutier (Syrah, Northern Rhone), 2000
  • Bourgogne blanc from Domaine Denis Mortet (Chardonnay), 2006
  • Two big Oregon Pinot Noirs from Pheiffer and High Pass Winery, 2005 and 2002
  • Bourgueil from Domaine Breton (Cab Franc from Loire), 2007
  • Montes Alpha "M" Chilean red (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (10%), Cabernet Franc (50%) and Petit Verdot (5%)), 2004 (Wine Spectator 94 pts, the "mystery" wine of the evening)
  • California Pinot Noir from Kosta Browne (not displayed on the photo)



Well, actually none paired great.
The 2007 "La Dilettante" Bourgueil from Domaine Breton (second bottle from the right) tasted a bit like beer and pickles, so it went well with the pickled veggies (cabbage, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant).  And the 2000 "La Sizeranne" Hermitage from M. Chapoutier (second from the left) was the best match for the slightly sweet and pungent Central Asian (Uzbek + Afghan style) pilaf, though still the Hermitage was bigger and drier I would have preferred for an ideal match.

Russian food - tough pairing with wine (and you wonder why they drink vodka!) - but we'll keep looking!

Comments

enochchoi said…
I agree, the cab franc was great with veggies, just like Trinch! i've had before from Breton.

I actually liked teh Montes Alpha with teh pilaf if you were to pair 1 wine with both. The Hermitage was delish with the lamb pilaf.

loved the nose on the rhone white & bourgogne blanc

surprised y'all finished the high pass, you must have continued imbibing for hours after i left ;)
December 1, 2008 at 10:52 AM
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