For the most part when it comes to wine, my amateur status (I’m maintaining it to compete in Olympic wine tasting….) precludes me from being skeptical in the wine world. A designated wine expert could be spouting the most ridiculous fiction and my only response would be to agree and nod along blankly.
The Combinations
Snow Crab and Begonia
Wine before dish:Â The riesling was a bit too sweet, can taste a bit of zestiness, but it is definitely not something I prefer to drink alone.
With the salt crab:Â I felt it really enhanced the zestiness of the riesling, and the Begonia herb significantly (and deliciously) popped out. The wine’s sweetness really toned down, and the really interesting flavours of the wine were revealed.
Salted Red Kangaroo and Bunya Bunya
Wine before dish: Perfumed, light bodied. I do not like Rosé although this one is better than most. It always reminds me of rose-scented soap water and feminine hygiene products. Tannins gave a slight dustiness on the end.
With the kangaroo:Â an earthiness to the wine was revealed and the ‘hygiene product’ flavours disappeared. The tannins definitely added to the savoury length of the dish.
142 Days on Earth

The Industrious Beet

Wine before dish:  Dessert wine aged 30 years. Sweet (duh…), rich and complex. A slight waxiness to the aftertaste.
Positive pairings:Â
The ones that really popped out for me were the riesling and the rosé. Both are wines which I would not choose to drink but were significantly enhanced by their respective dishes. The real surprise was that they (in turn) improved characteristics of the food as well.
Neutral pairings:
Unconvinced:
Summing up:Â
- Some aspects of the food were certainly enhanced
- Wines I did not like were improved
- Wines I already liked had their characteristics changed but were not improved by food
- I do believe that Attica’s sommelier is some kind of genius.