VP food pairing

[Ole Udsen]

Dear all,

I felt the need to start a discussion on food pairings. Most discussions center in very strict port issues (vintages, quality, price etc.), but for me port is also very much a matter of sharing with others, enjoying good company (as mild to severe intoxication overtakes you), and having great food with it. So let's share our good and bad experiences.

My classic combination with young, powerful VPs is pepper steak. No other wine in the world can match the aggressiveness of the pepper, and it also combines so well with the juiciness and sweetness of the beef. All sorts of wonderful, spicy combinations arise. Most recently, I did this with the Niepoort 2003, a fantastic wine.

Chocolate is in my experience NOT good with VPs or any other ports (PX sherries are much better, as are the best Moscato Passito di Pantelleria).

Best regards
Ole Udsen

[Derek T.]

Ole,

Welcome to FTLOP - it is great to see that the world of Port extends to Kazakhstan

I tend to drink port, and especially VP, on it's own without food. I find that the flavours in the food get in the way and distract me from the tastes and smells form the wine. I have tried many combinations of meat dishes, cheese and deserts but have not yet found any food that made me enjoy a glass of port more than I would if I had it on it's own.

That said, I agree that the peppered steak & port combination in a good one - mainly because peppered steak is my favourite food and port is my favourite wine - how can I go wrong with having them together 8)

Regards

Derek

PS: I think you may be our first member from Kazakhstan. It would be great if you could give us your thoughts in another thread about the general availability and consumption of the various styles of port in your part of the globe - perhaps you could even write an article for the next issue of Roy's newsletter

[Ole Udsen]

Dear Derek,

Many thanks for your reply. I would agree that port is probably best tasted in a serious manner on its own, however, port is also a perfect conviviality wine, and downing it in good company, and often with food on the table, happens to us all rather frequently, I suspect. Besides, port with nothing is probably not healthy in the long run. That is why I wanted to discuss food pairings.

An article about port in Kazakhstan would be rather short, I am afraid. Kazakhstan has an indigenous wine production, and some of it is actually made into something called "portvein" (a Russian term with German roots). This bears a vague resemblance to real port, in a sort of young tawny style, but is horrible and unclean. Imported real port used to be available in small quantities, but is now mostly unavailable - due to low sales, I suspect. At any rate, it never was any of the really good stuff (at best a 1997 LBV in half bottles). Luckily, I travel a lot, so am able to bring in good bottles frequently. Most recently a 1963 Taylor's VP, in fact. Will open on New Year's Eve.

Best regards
Ole Udsen

[Frederick Blais]

This spring I was served a piece of meat with a blueberry/chocolate gravy. I tought it was the best time to try this plate with a port. I did try with the Noval LBV 99 and it was quite good.

[Mike Kerr]

When you guys refer to pepper steak, how would a port go with something like steak au poivre? I know that steak au poivre is essentially a pepper steak, but I've always seen it served with a reduced bourbon cream sauce.

Just wondering if the sauce would significantly change the pairing?

Mike.

[Derek T.]

My version of pepper steak is a fillet of beef rolled in crushed black pepercorns and then grilled or fried until pink. I would not normally have the au poivre sauce but sometimes do.

I don't think I have had port with a au poivre sauce but I think the cream would not be a good combination with the port.

Derek

[Ole Udsen]

I have had it with the cream sauce, several times. My own way to make it work best with port is to base it on a really good, well reduced dark beef stock (homemade, no salt). Start with simmering some finely chopped shallot in a bit of butter (most not colour, just soften), then add stock, then a bit of cognac/brandy (bourbon too obvious) and a bit of port (preferably tawny, particularly because the colour of ruby/VP makes it a sick looking purple). Then green peppercorns and some cream, reduce to consistency. Adjust for salt at the end.

The result is a fairly dark sauce, spicy with the pepper, sweet from the onions and port, and not too heavy on the cream. Fantastic with the French fries that would be de rigeur (the English call them chips). These should be crisp by way of a initial low-temperature frying and a second high-temparature finishing.

Best regards
Ole Udsen

[Roy Hersh]

For the record:

I WELCOME WELL WRITTEN ARTICLES ON PORT, MADEIRA OR DOURO WINES that can be submitted to me for inclusion in the newsletter!

That said, I welcome Ole here and can only wonder what took him so long to join us as we´ve exchanged a handful of emails in the past. Glad to have him aboard. Nice to see you here my friend!

[Doug Zdanivsky]

I heartily second the nothion that Port is best on it's own..

I hope you guys are joking about the meat and sweat stuff..

Yuck..

Just thinking about it..

I've tried Port with all the supposed best accompanying food stuffs..

All but cigars (double yuck)..

The best chocolates, the best stilton cheeses, nuts..

While they didn't exatly DETRACT from the experience, they sure muddied the waters..

Personal preference, I guess..

[Jay Powers]

I primarily drink port after dinner (I don't think I have ever had it with the main course), either as a dessert, or primarily by itself as the night gets on. I find tawnies go well for me as an appetizer, but get the strangest looks form people!

The first time I tried it with a Stilton, I was almost turned off forever. Turns out the cheese I had found was "off". I persevered and got another and found it was a good combination. I've now had a wide variety of cheeses with port, from Stilton to triple cream blue cheese to Basque cheese all the way to Gouda. I think the best was the Basque cheese (which was not blue at all), but for the life of me I cannot remember the name, and it was in a resturant in LA that I have not been back to for a while. The very strong cheeses like Stilton are a good combination, but I agree that if the port is very good, you can easily miss some of it by being overwhelmed by the cheese.

If it's just my wife Carolyn and I we mainly drink it without anything. If we have guests, after dinner with a cheese plate. I tried dark chocolate and did not like the combination at all. I'll probably be drummed out of the forum, but I must admit I do like the combination post dinner with a strong expresso.

Guess I need to look up a pepper steak recipie and try it out!

Jay