Vino de interesantes uvas latinas: a broad spectrum dinner based on varietals from Spain, Portugal and Latin America
Vino Latino. New and Old World
Nuevo Latino was the theme of a recent wine dinner at Fresno restaurant, on Fresno Place in East Hampton. I don’t think that the terminology was exact—is Portugal Latin?—maybe, but it nevertheless was a suitable and concise phrase to embody the idea of uncommon or unexpected wines from Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries, old world and new. Even if the lingo was questionable, what I went there for, the food and wine, were irrefutably on target.
With some terrific tapas, we sipped a torrontes. Although not related, this Argentine grape is similar to viognier in its dry, fruity profile and knockout floral bouquet. The bottle was labeled 2006 Crios de Susana Balbo ($19). Ms. Balbo is a respected winemaker in Argentina, and crios, which means offspring, suggests that while these wines receive her loving care and attention, they are not quite as mature or grown-up as her more expensive label. Perfect for me. Youthful exuberance is what I want in an aperitif.
Alvarihno (sometimes spelled alvarinho) is the Portuguese equivalent of the noted Spanish albarino grape. It is used to make Vinho Verde, a still or slightly fizzy light white wine that is ready to drink immediately after being produced and is really best enjoyed there in Portugal. But the Portuguese make other good, fragrant white wines with the grape, and imports labeled alvarihno are generally worth drinking. Quinta de Feital Auratus 2006 ($17), which we had, was a good choice for a multidimensional fluke and shrimp cerviche with jicama and mango.
One of the unexpected moments of the evening was an Argentine malbec blend (2003 Don Tiburcio from Bodega Benegas, $17) served with a dish of local Littleneck clams and chorizo with black beans and pepitas. The wine, composed of malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, is blended in a Bordeaux style, not surprising since Michel Rolland, the notable French winemaker, works as a consultant to Benegas. I was skeptical about pairing such a wine with Littlenecks, worried about that tinny taste that results from eating shellfish with sturdy red wine. But the chorizo and spicy beans and nutty pepitas (pumpkin seeds) lent enough brawniness to the clams and also stood up vigorously to this robust wine. A lighter bodied red or a white wine just would not have worked with this dish.
Most of the world’s carmenere now comes from Chile, although it was originally a Bordeaux blending grape. Terra Noble Reserva 2005 Carmenere, which we had with braised short ribs has a soft, earthy, smooth, ripe taste, and is a very good wine for the money ($13).
The point of this wine dinner was not to sample over-the-top wines. In fact, all the wines are moderately priced. (They were supplied by Domaine Franey Wines, on Pantigo Road, and the prices quoted are their retail prices.) The point was to have wines that enhance the food, and, if you will, foods that enhance the wine. While there was no need to be overly diagnostic to enjoy it all, pausing to analyze and dissect the flavors and tastes and aromas, certainly increased the pleasure.
Chef Gretchen Menser has a confident hand in the kitchen, and understands that the layering of tastes, that variations and complexity in a dish, are essential to the anatomy of a wine dinner. From what I have seen, on this occasion and at other wine dinners at Fresno, she is a master at it. The Nuevo Latino evening was organized by David Loewenberg and Michael Nolan, the proprietors of the restaurant.
