ISO: Wine to take to dinner tomorrow?

[KathrynY]

DH and I are invited to dinner tomorrow night at the home of a co-worker, and we are to bring the wine. The info I got about dinner was "a curry, and pork tenderloin". The host and hostess prefer a medium-bodied red wine, and would like to try an American wine as they are from Europe. I was thinking maybe a Merlot but am not sure about matching a wine with the curry. Any suggestions? TIA!

[KValley]

Hi Kathryn,

Curry calls for wines with low tannin- something fruity and sweet. A merlot will work fine, as would a French or AMerican syrah (an Australian shiraz would be too hearty). Try a Beaulieu Vineyards (California) or Columbia Crest (Washington State) Merlot. Merlot will also work great with the pork.

My personal preference would be either a Bordeaux rose or a Gewurtztraminer. ALl of those complex spices in the curry demand a wine that is light, spicy/sweet, with lemony, ripe fruit flavors and a tangy, bright taste. Washington State and British Columbia make some great Gewurtz...

Cin-cin! Julie

[jazzcat]

I don't know much about red wines, however I did a search under Food And Wine Magazine site and they recommended California Zinfandels and Zinfandel blends. Others mentioned were Reds from Spain

[ashley]

I've made a pork tenderloin with curry sauce before, and we tried several wines with it. I remember the syrah and zinfandel were both good. Two that I like are the Cline Syrah and Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel (both from CA). One trick that will make the reds taste even better is to chill the bottle in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes before opening. That will get the wine closer to the 55-60 degree "cellar" temperature. I do this all the time since my reds live in something closer to 75!

[KathrynY]

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. I ended up taking a '98 Beringer Merlot and a '98 Columbia Crest Merlot. Both were tasty and reasonably priced at $10. I love Syrah and Zinfandel too, but somehow never made it out of the Merlot section of the store! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Julie, I had not considered a Rose or Gewurtztraminer with spicy foods but will definitely have to try them now.

jazzcat, that Food and Wine Magazine web site pairing feature is really handy - I had not seen it before.

ashley, thanks for the suggestion about slightly chilling red wine. Especially in the summer, I'm sure my red wines are not tasting their best at 85º on my kitchen counter!

Thanks again!

[This message has been edited by KathrynY (edited 05-14-2001).]

[KValley]

Kathryn,

Thanks so much for letting us know what you chose! I'm glad the Merlot worked out so well.

I'm going to have to check out the Food and WIne magazine website....

Cheers,

Julie

[sam]

I vote for the Gewurtztraminer. Columbia Crest makes a good one that is inexpensive. I always serve this wine with curries or Asian dishes. It has a nice spicy bite yet it is refreshingly sweet. I think it would be perfect.