It was a simple enough dilemma.
Which wine to pour with our grilled Portobello mushroom
burgers?
I debated, going back and forth.
Finally, out of the blue, like a revelation, it hit me.
OPEN. BOTH. BOTTLES!!!!
My decision-making powers amaze me sometimes.
The mushroom burgers were a hearty affair, marinated in
olive oil and garlic and rosemary, then grilled till smoky and juicy. Buns were slathered with guacamole, and the
whole thing was topped with onions and tomatoes.
We sat down, my partner and I, and began eating and slurping
and going for more napkins.
The Rib Shack Red is a 60% Pinotage, 40% Shiraz
blend from South Africa’s
Western Cape. It is part of the extensive family of Douglas
Green wines, which has been producing wine for over 70 years.
The label markets this wine directly to men, and barbeques,
and guys “keep(ing) it simple,” and “phew”, “maybe it’s best to keep it to
yourself”.
Whaatt?
This is where the trouble began.
I found aromas of smoked meat, smoky oak, and baking spice
with flavors of ripe sweet black cherry and cola, Dr. Pepper actually, with
more smoked meat mid-palate with a strong spicy finish. Definitely a grilling-meat kind of wine.
Jeff found cola aromas along with sweet barbeque sauce and
strong smoky, peppery flavors and dark berry fruits.
The sweet cola flavors were not compatible with the mushroom
and guacamole for me, but Jeff thought the smoky pepper was a great combination
with the burger.
Why not further complicate things? The Beach House was still on the table.
The Beach House is a red blend, also from the Douglas Green
portfolio, also from the Western Cape of South Africa. This blend is 75% Shiraz,
with 20% Mourvedre and 5% Viognier. The
marketing on this label is all about relaxing and campfires and “snacks at
sundown”. Not so much a guy thing.
I found aromas of plum and black pepper with smoke and an
earthy component. The flavors are easy
and drinkable with black cherry and soft plum, smoke and some nice spice on the
finish. The palate is soft but the
finish is supported by gentle tannins.
That earthy character was a nice complement to the mushroom, and the
smoke and spice were good partners with the burger as well. There was no sweet cola note to fight with
the burger flavors. This was definitely
my preference with the burger.
Jeff found bright candied fruit and tobacco aromas in the
Beach House wine, which put him off a bit, followed by sweet cherry front
palate and lots of spice on the finish.
He certainly preferred the strong pepper and meaty/smoky character of
the Rib Shack with his mushroom burger.
So interesting how two palates can read a wine so
differently from each other. And also of
interest is our split along the divergent marketing paths of these wines.
The good news, we were both happy with our own wine choices.
The moral of the story is… Always go with your
revelations. Opening two bottles is a
good thing.
