This is the second vintage of this wine I’d had the chance to drink, and you know what? I just don’t get it. I love pink wine, I love JK Carriere’s pinot noir and chardonnay, and this wine? Let’s just say that anyone who likes this wine presumably really, really loves this wine; to me, it’s kind of like reading Pravda: it’s still recognizably a newspaper, but it sure doesn’t read like one, at least not to me.So what is this wine like? It’s impossibly pale in the glass, more pale than any other pink wine I know. The smell, such as it is, is faint, fragile; it reminds me of traditional English summer drinks such as elderflower-scented water, potentially even rose-and-cucumber water. The acidity is lively, there’s just a hint of carbonation – OK, not really, more the suggestion of spritzig-ness – but on the whole it feels empty, strangely lacking to me. I suppose it’s just missing some ephemeral complementary foodstuff that I haven’t figured out yet – my friend Mark was thinking maybe goat cheese? – but on it’s own it’s very much an enigma, at least to me. J. K. Carriere
Price: $20
Closure: Cork
It definitely is a food wine. That acidity will not be really appealing, otherwise. I recommend light, summer fare. Goat cheese could work, as part of a salad, or fresh green accompaniment. Scallops are nice, or pan-seared, broiled, or poached fish (anything but breaded and deep fried).
It’s a unique wine because it has subtlety, but begs for food. This makes food-matching harder than usual because you don’t want to overwhelm the wine.
My prime choice would be a moderately oily white fish, pan-seared (finished in the oven), and topped with a lightish beurre blanc (no cream – just butter). Bright summer herbs, like cilantro, will do nicely. Asian flavors are not bad, especially Thai. I could see this wine going very nicely with a chile/lime/cilantro/fish sauce combo of flavors.
Hey Alex – thanks for the lengthy comment! I definitely need to work on my food prep skills – I’m in the habit of drinking wines like this while waiting for dinner to finish cooking, but I think that really doesn’t do this wine justice. I’m eagerly awaiting the next shipment from JK Carriere and will definitely try your suggestion of pan-seared fish – that sounds perfect.
Incidentally, I saw JK Carriere pinot noir for $65 a half bottle on a wine list in Cincinnati last weekend. Nice to see them on the menu!