What kind of Wine should you drink with Sweet Potato Fries and other things a Texas gal needs to knowBy Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady
My job was to suggest the restaurant and enjoy the wines. His was to provide the wines from his vineyards. Of course I accepted. I suggested Hector’s, a favorite place of mine with eclectic offerings and a few innovative interpretations of classics. The winemaker, Scott McWilliams, was born into one of Australia’s oldest and most well-respected winemaking families. Having a silver spoon or bottle so to speak, has its advantages, but it take s more than just genetics to earn a top spot on the McWilliams winemaking team. THE MENU AND THE WINESSince I love so many things on Hector’s menu, I suggested the winemaker order what would pair best with the seven wines he had brought. My only request was sweet potato fries because you can’t go to Hectors without ordering them. He seemed to embrace the challenge.
We started with grilled flatbread pizza which the chef changes daily. The McWilliams Hanwood Estates Merlot 2004 went nicely with the pesto cheese pizza-like flatbread. My favorite pairing was the McWilliams Hanwood Estate Chardonnay 2004 with Hector’s Grilled Chicken Salad. The salad is a tasty combination of chicken, toasted pecans, celery, red onion, herb aioli, Boston bib and Asian pear slaw. Since fruit comes first in Hanwood Estates, according to McWilliams, they use a lot of oak but preserve the fruit flavors. The pineapple, peach and nutty taste was a perfect compliment to the salad. I decided it is even better to have a winemaker pick your wines than a Sommelier. I loved the wine from the first bouquet—the distinctive white peach aromas typical of Chardonnay have been accentuated by the subtle clove and cashew nut oak. But the most important thing I learned is that Merlot is best with Sweet Potato Fries. Give me a bottle of McWilliams Hanwood Estate Merlot 2004 and Hectors Sweet Potato Fries and I am in heaven. The ripe forest berry, blood plum and redcurrant fruit flavors follow through to the palate, with a hint of sweet vanilla and brown spice oak. Williams recommended the Merlot for lots of other things besides sweet potatoes. He thought that because of the cranberry taste, it would pair nicely with turkey. I could gobble up turkey, sweet potato fries and the Merlot and be totally thankful.
Williams elaborated that he likes the red berry taste—sort of like cranberry—with Pork and Bacon. OTHER THINGS I LEARNED
The best wine with sweet potato fries is merlot. Hector’s on Henderson LEARNING TO BE A WINE WIZARD PICK A PERFECT WINE.IN NO TIME THE DOWNTOWN GIRL’S GUIDE TO WINE OLDMAN’S GUIDE TO OUTSMARTING WINE: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style RENAISSANCE GUIDE TO WINE AND FOOD PAIRING How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names VINO ITALIANO BUYING GUIDE THE LITTLE BOOK OF CHAMPAGNE THE LITTLE BOOK OF COGNAC Australian Wine Vintages 2005 The Guide to Colorado Wineries DISCOVERING WASHINGTON WINES Hidden Wine Country TOURING TEXAS WINERIES ACCESS CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY GREAT TASTES MADE SIMPLE WINE FOR WOMEN Madelyn Miller is a food, wine and travelwriter who contributes to www.travellady.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com and www.carladynews.com |
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An invitation to have lunch with an Australian winemaker. How could a girl turn it down?
We began with McWilliams Riesling 2005. It was citrusy with a lemon-lime flavor. Scott paired it with conversation as we waited for our other five courses to arrive. I learned that Australia does more dry wines rather than sweet wines. This wine has a low alcohol content so the fresh fruit flavors come through.
No one admits to having a favorite child, but I think that Williams was proudest of his Shiraz. We tried the McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz 2004 with Not My Mama’s Meatloaf—a gorgeous presentation of applewood smoked bacon, sweet-hot tomato glaze, lacquered baby carrots and white truffle whipped potatoes. I could have gone back for seconds but there were still more dishes and more wines to try. I have a very hard job but rarely get any sympathy for my efforts.
Williams expected the Shiraz to pair nicely with the Roast It Up Sandwich—thinly sliced roast beef, Wisconsin Cheddar, and sliced red onion on a toasted hoagie. I disagreed—until he suggested I take out the cheese. He was right. Then the Shiraz was a perfect pairing. I guess that is why he is a winemaker.
The best wine to drink with kangaroo (which is a bit like venison) is Shiraz. It is also a good wine with turkey because of the cranberry taste