Thursday, August 12, 2010

Weird, Wild and Wacky Pairings: Skylite Cellars Malbec & Pickles

Sometimes you just have to go with it.  Sometimes you have to trust the people who are telling you to try something different.  They say, "Go ahead and try it. You'll like it." 

Now, it's not as if they are making you eat something disgusting or do something gross like a high school locker room prank.  Logic soon kicks in.  Okay. You love dill pickles, especially home made crispy and spicy dills, right?  And you love Malbec.  In fact, Malbec has become one of your favorite red wines.  So when you are told that dill pickles and Malbec are a great pairing, why not?  You give it a try.  

That's what happened to me when visiting longtime friend Cheryl Hodgins, owner of Skylite Cellars and associate, Becky Brammer. They were hosting me one evening for a special food and wine pairing.  They poured me a glass of Malbec and brought out the dill pickles. Now, it's important to know these weren't your average grocery store slimey dull-green pickles with just a flavor of dill.  Becky makes these crunchy little slices of pickled goodness.  They looked almost like a fresh thick-sliced baby cucumber and was also fresh tasting with a great CRUNCH and a bit of spice and fresh dill going on.  So, when they told me how these pickles paired with their Skylite Cellars Malbec - 2007  (a Double Gold winner of the 2010 Seattle Wine Awards and a Double Gold winner at the 2010 San Francisco Wine Chronicle Awards), I had to trust them. 

It worked.  It really worked and in fact the pairing of the two made my mouth salivate and wanting more.  It was quite addictive.  If you understand food and wine pairings,  you know that if you match acid with acid, such as in this case the acids from the pickles and the wine, the acid in the pickles softens the acids in the wine bringing out the fruity notes in the Malbec. 

I think we need to experiment and deep fry some pickles serve them with a side of Skylite Cellars Malbec. 

What is the weirdest, wildest and wackiest food and wine pairing you have ever tried?   

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