No Flabby Wines

A few weeks ago I went out to dinner with some girlfriends – a crazy Thursday Moms Night Out. The girls always make me pick the wine for some reason, which, frankly, puts a lot of pressure on me. Everyone’s taste is so different, we’re lucky if we can agree on red or white. It was a “steak” kind of evening, so red it was, and I ordered a syrah out of the Columbia Valley. Well, the girls LOVED it. I didn’t. It was flabby, no backbone, no acidity, the classic “high alcohol fruit bomb.” It completely drowned out the flavors of the food I was trying to enjoy. Why a restaurant would put a wine like that, so UN-complimentary to food, on its wine list was beyond me.

A few days later I was in another Bend restaurant, one with a fantastic wine list. And there was that same syrah. I asked the owner about it, and he said it was their best selling red wine. I was stunned. When I mentioned that I thought it was completely un-food friendly he said, “True, but people don’t care.” And I thought, “Ah-ha!”

A big reason Scott and I moved to Bend 6 years ago from San Francisco was to slow down and enjoy life (although ironically we’re working more than ever now, but hopefully that will settle down someday!). The lifestyle we wanted was one where we could hike without worrying about beating bridge traffic or not have to put our bikes on the car before we could take a ride. To lose the commute, to not have to ride on MUNI, to be able to walk to work. And most of all, to have the ability to enjoy the here and now. That includes tasting and enjoying food and wine. Truly dining. Experiencing flavors.

So, why drink wine that destroys the flavors in the food you’re eating? Think about that, and next time we’ll talk about syrah specifically.