Bachelor Wine

When we are home, a bottle of wine, split between the two of us over dinner, has become our routine. Sometimes we have to compromise on which bottle to open, because sometimes I enjoy something not quite to Tina's taste. So on those rare opportunities when I have a weekend at home alone, I like to branch out.

While Tina was away for a weekend visiting family, I was left home, tasked with installing a kitchen back splash. The weekend of hard work required a special reward for myself, so I spent as much time planning my menu for the weekend as I did purchasing the supplies for the back splash work. Free to experiment, I planned carefully. I looked forward to a dinner of clams one evening, and a Philly cheese steak the second. Ideally, it made sense to pair the clams with a crisp white wine, and the cheese steak with a hearty red, but felt it a bit decadent to buy two bottles of wine for these wildly different meals. So, wandering through the wine shop, I decided to split the difference, and grab a bottle of rose. Not a bottle of some sweet concoction, but a bottle some crisp wine with an extra edge. Looking over the range of options, I settled on a Rosato of Petit Verdot from Channing Daughters, a Long Island, NY winery.

All told, my plan paid off. Some citrus notes in the wine played off the clams, and helped created a rich, flavorful broth. It made sense, from the idea of pairing local wine with local food, to match a Long Island wine the with fresh Long Island clams. Surprisingly, the wine was a bit aggressive when paired with the cheese steak, overpowering the light seasoning and mild cheese. Not quite the perfect pairing I was hoping for, but I guess I will just have to try the experiment again.