Salty, smoky and spicy

In today’s culinary global village, you’re bound to encounter food that’s salty, smoky, spicy. . . or, as in the case of some cusines like those of the Pacific Rim and Asia, all three! So, when you are standing in your local wine shop or reviewing a restaurant wine list, consider the S Factor: Is what you are going to eat salty, smoky, spicy? Fatty roast lamb marries well with a big, tannic Cabernet. However, if you marinate lamb in a spicy mustard, raspberry vinegar, and rosemary sauce, the result is much different and calls for a different kind of wine, a fruity wine whose ripe fruit and sweetness can stand up to the spicy marinade. What happens when you smoke your duck, or you barbecue a piece of meat, or even add salty ingredients (capers, cheese, anchovies) to a meat dish? Those smoky and salty flavors, like the spicy mustard sauce on lamb, need sweetness as a counterweight and thus go great with what I call Pinot Noir on steroids. I’m talking about fruit bombs like Shiraz and Zinfandel. In fact, one adage I’ve heard hits it on the head: If you flame it, Zine can tame it!

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