pairing a dessert with port

[lolly mackenzie]

Hello there
I have a friend who has just arrived back from a vacation in Portugal and Spain and she is bring a bottle of port to my dinner party on Saturday. My instinct is to serve this with chocolate - I was thinking chocolate mousse and some summer cherries. The dinner is is the garden and we are in the heat of summer - so something lighter would be welcome. Any thoughts? Perhaps a cheese selection? I have no idea how sophisticated this bottle will be by knowing my friend it will be of excellent quality.

[Bucko]

Stilton cheese and Port -- match made in heaven.

Bucko

[Drew]

I have to agree....stilton and port.

Drew

[lolly mackenzie]

Stilton sounds great. Thanks. Now for the main course, I will be serving Fillet of Salmon with fresh herbs - basil heavy, roasted green beans with fresh tomato and Olive and Roasted baby potato with rosemary butter - Rustic style service, so although a Chardonnay seems appropriate - I would like a wine that is perhaps will hold up against the olive oil, olives and herbs. Any suggestions?

[hotwine]

How are you preparing the salmon? Grilled? Baked? Broiled?

Sounds like a wonderful menu..... What was that address again?

[Innkeeper]

Pinot Noir. A Sancerre Rouge shouldn't be too hard to find in Calgary, and would be a perfect match.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 08-16-2001).]

[lolly mackenzie]

Thank you Hotwine - if you can get from Texas To Calgary by Saturday, I'll set a place for you!
I plan to open roast the Salmon on the Bbq - so the overall flavor will be very Mediterranean.
A Pinot Noir is an excellent suggestion Inkeeper! How do you feel about Chilean's?

[cpurvis]

lolly, lots of Okanagan B.C. pinot noirs to choose from...Jackson Triggs, Mission Hill, Blue Mountain & many others available in the local govt. liquor stores & independent wine stores in Calgary. Show some nationalistic pride & forget the Chileans. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] At least go no further south than Oregon.

Enjoy,
cp

[Innkeeper]

Cp has good suggestions if you can't find the red Sancerre. Have not found a Chilian Pinot that I would wash my mouth out with.

[lolly mackenzie]

Yes - I was not referring to Pinots specifically. Is this your general feeling on most Chileans wines? I have been reading many of the postings and do not any references to Chilean wines. They are quite popular here and are often on most casual dining menus. Price of course is most likely a driving force with this and in the US you have access to so many fabulous American wines that it is probably easy to put the Chileans into the plonk category rather easily.

[Innkeeper]

Chile does a respectable job with cabs and merlots, and a fair job with chards and sauvignons. Veramonte offers excellent values with their Alto De Casablanca Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. All Chilian stuff apes other New World stuff, so the whites are well oaked, the cheaper, excuse me, less expensive ones via the toasted sawdust 40 lb tea bag method.

[RAD]

Don't forget some walnuts with that stilton and port; also a classic combo.

RAD

[lolly mackenzie]

The Stilton was MAGNIFICENT with the port. We managed to drink the entire bottle! I also served Walnuts, Almonds, light and dark Belgian chocolate and cherries, figs and blacberries. What a feast! A perfect ending to the evening.
I was not able to find a Sancerre Rouge at my local shop - they did have a bottle of white that I picked up -now that inkeeper has piqued my interest. Instead, I took the advice of cpurvis and honored my Canadian heritage. I picked up a Quails Gate '96 Reserve Pinot Noir that was very good with the Salmon and roasted vegetables. It did my heart good to support our local wine growers (Okanogan) and I have to say - I was quite impressed with this Pinot. I picked up this bottle for $30.00 can and I understand that they Quails Gate is doing a booming business in the states. This bottle would be a super bargain with the mighty American dollar.
Just FYI cpurvis. The government had the good sense to get out of the liqour biz in Alberta - all of our stores are free enterprise now - which means more competition, better selection and better pricing.

[Innkeeper]

Sounds like it was a great time Lolly. Hope you enjoy your Sancerre Blanc soon. Tonight we are having a 1999 Reigny Sancerre Rouge with smoked chicken. It ran $13.50 here, so it would be around or under $20.00 Canadian if your man can find it in the future. Will post a report on tonight's results under Loire tomorrow.

[cpurvis]

lolly, sounds like a spendid time. And thanks for the business update. Am all for free enterprise & competitive pricing. As for "the mighty American dollar," I found that pricing for many international wines was much better in Canadian govt. stores than the mighty American govt. tariffs allow here. Several Spanish & other wines come to mind...I don't buy them here b/c they're 3x the price I paid when we lived in B.C.! (& not worth the US price). cp

[lolly mackenzie]

Thanks Innkeeper. Smoked Chicken with Sancerre Rouge - yumm! What would be your suggestion for the Sancerre Blanc. Is is similar too a Sauv Blanc - nice with delicate fish and seafood? I am not at all familiar with this wine.

[lolly mackenzie]

I find that Spanish and Chileans are very well priced here. As I mentioned earlier, Chileans are very popular in casual/ funky dining spots and they are plentiful on the shelves here. There is an extensive selection of Spanish and Chileans in most stores and easy to find a really decent bottle for your mid-week paella dish or your grilled chorizo, for under $10.00 canadian - that's - what about 35 cents american?! Well okay maybe not quite - but a heck of a deal anyway.

[Thomas]

lolly, Sancerre Blanc is produced from Sauvignon Blanc.

[lolly mackenzie]

Great then. So will this bottle I have go well with sole or scallops?

[Thomas]

Either, depending of course on how you fix 'em. I like saute--lemon butter, maybe even a dollop of dill, and an ever-so-slight dash of cayenne for a spark.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 08-21-2001).]