Main Course: Beef Short Ribs - Beef ribs are always a favorite for red meat lovers, and these filled the bill. Simmering the ribs prior to baking them in the sauce does remove some of the fat, but they still have that palate-coating quality that ribs are known for. The good acidity of the tomatoes helps cut that and make it less heavy. Consider using a red wine in the sauce that is high in acidity, like Barbera or Sangiovese. Although we made mushroom noodles with this dish, primarily to pair with the wine, baked or boiled potatoes that you could top with a bit of the sauce would work well. We used carrots as the vegetable for their weight and earthy qualities.
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Wine: 2004 Cuvaison Estate Merlot : This is a classic cooler California region Merlot from the Los Carneros region. The wine had a full body that coats the inside of the mouth and leaves an impression of the wine on the palate for a very long time. The fruit was primarily black berries, plums and blueberries, ripe on the nose, but tart on the palate. There was a great deal of spices like white pepper, allspice, and cloves. But the tea, bitter chocolate and molasses gave this wine a great deal of intrigue, and kept it interesting throughout the long finish. This was a beautifully complex and well balanced wine.
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