"Gourmet News" No. 9 "Recommendation for Wine at Lunch"
Tokyo is in a state of emergency, but is still celebrating the Olympics, and the spread of infections has not subsided even after the Olympics, and it is unclear when the peak will be. The sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited, and it is unclear how long the shortened business hours will continue. However, for a time before the Olympics began, perhaps to justify the holding of the games, the regulations were slightly relaxed. The shortened business hours remain the same, but alcohol can be served for a limited number of people and time. Outside, the heat is getting worse than usual. At times like this, you want to have a glass of wine in the afternoon while watching the dazzling sunshine in a cool store. If it weren't for COVID, I would be able to drink it openly, but it's unfortunate that I feel somehow guilty even though I'm not breaking any rules.
The city where I live is a designated area, and alcohol can be served for up to two people for up to 90 minutes, so I went to the Italian restaurant " di Formaggio KURA6330 " in front of the next station with Mr. H , a high school classmate who lives nearby. This Italian restaurant is run by a farm in Funabashi, and the dishes made with homemade cheese and locally grown vegetables are quite delicious. Lunch is basically a course meal, but when I asked if I could have an ala carte meal since I was drinking wine, they readily agreed. I was grateful. The point of "lunch wine" is not to eat a lot, but to enjoy the wine. So I ordered an antipasto platter and homemade cheese, and enjoyed the wine. Of course, I didn't forget the dolce at the end.
So, what wine should I get? I basically only drink red wine, so for lunch I wanted something that wasn't too heavy, but also had the characteristic acidity of Italian wines that would be too strong. There were Japanese wines, but they cost over 10,000 yen at a restaurant, so it wasn't casual. Then I found something interesting. It's a red wine from Piedmont, but it's not Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, or Barbera. It's a wine made from the grape variety Brackett, and it's called "Acqui" DOCG (Designation of Origin). Usually, Acqui's Brackett is made into sparkling wine under the DOCG "Brackett d'Acqui". It's a wine like the "Lambrusco" that appeared in Ikaho last time. However, it seems that there is only one winery that makes regular red wine (still wine) from d'Acqui. The maker is "Societa Agricola Botto". It cost about 6,000 yen at the restaurant.
Brackett is a light-colored wine with a strawberry aroma and a soft, fruity acidity. It feels like a rough version of Burgundy, and I'm calling it a "Burgundy imitation." In fact, there is another local grape variety in Piedmont called "Pela Verga," which also produces a "Burgundy imitation" wine. This wine by Emidio Maero of DOC "Colline Salzzesi" can be purchased at Avico. Italian red wines are often thought of as either rich fruit flavors from southern grapes such as Nero d'Avola and Primitivo, or clear acidity like Chianti, but Piedmont has many unique wines that are comparable to Burgundy, starting with Nebbiolo, which is used to produce Barolo and Barbaresco. The trick is to focus on minor grape varieties. They are all reasonably priced.
"Daytime wine" is not only enjoyed in tranquil suburban residential areas, but also in the heart of the city. I like to have "daytime wine" in Seoul and Taipei. Even in French restaurants, dinners are quite voluminous compared to Japan, so you should drink plenty of wine at lunch, but keep your meals light. Especially in Seoul. I remember having a daytime wine at "Assoline" when I went to Seoul in 2014. Assoline is a high-end book publisher in Paris that publishes graphic books, and has a branch with a cafe in Gangnam. In Seoul, wine is so widespread that every stylish cafe in Gangnam has a wine list, but when it comes to French wine, there are still many stores that are not very reliable, so I went to Assoline thinking that it would be fine. I went into the cafe and asked for the wine list. There was a pop-up on the table introducing affordable Italian wines. Then, I noticed that there was a 2007 vintage of Chateau Lafon-Rocher, a fourth-growth wine in Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux. Of course, it's expensive for a daytime drink, but this is all I have. When I ordered, the staff asked me again if I was sure. It's fine. This is a cafe in a bookstore in Paris.
However, we didn't have any food, so we shared the lasagna and Caesar salad for two people. As expected, it was Korean size? And the salad that came out first was so voluminous that even two people couldn't finish it, and I wondered if it was enough for one person. I thought that salad doesn't go well with wine because it was the main dish, but I drank Lafon Rocher, which was really delicious. I thought that Lafon Rocher was one of the wines that didn't taste good, so I thought that the style must have changed with the new owner. Before, the harsh tannins would get stuck in my throat, but now it's smooth and you can really taste the fruit. In the meantime, the lasagna that was served was also too big to finish. It went well with the wine, though. Well, it's more like a snack, so I didn't mind leaving some.
And from here on, Korean-style service begins. Just as I was starting to stop eating, a large fruit platter also appeared. Of course, I didn't order it. It was a complimentary gift from the restaurant, they said. I had experienced this a few times before. When I went to a cafe at lunchtime and ordered a decent bottle of wine, they would bring out some kind of complimentary gift. Most of the time it was a fruit platter. "Et tu, Assouri?" I was told. Yes, this was Seoul after all.
There are some unexpected joys to be had from drinking wine during the day. Give it a try.
This month's recommended wine
"Barbaresco, the pinnacle of Italian wine"
"Barbaresco Riserva 2013 Meinerud" 6,900 yen (excluding tax)
We introduced Burgundy's "Pommard" as a French wine that goes well with game, and Piedmont's "Ghemme" as there is a wine in Italy that is comparable to it. The key point was the grape variety Nebbiro, which is comparable to Pinot Noir. However, Pommard is a curveball from Beaune, which has many famous white wines in the Cote d'Or, while the standard is Nuits wine, and we introduced "Morey-Saint-Denis" last time. So this time, we will introduce "Barbaresco" from the standard Nebbiolo "Barolo, Barbaresco". While "Ghemme" is made in northern Piedmont, both are made in the Alba region in the south. While "Barolo" is called "the king of wines and the wine of kings," Barbaresco has a slightly shorter legal aging period and does not reach Barolo in dynamic strength, but it is said to be superior in terms of delicacy and balance. If Barolo is the Vosne-Romanée of Burgundy, then Barbaresco is the Gevrey-Chambertin.
The Barbaresco we are introducing this time is a "Riserva", a higher grade wine with a longer aging period. The law requires it to be aged for at least four years in barrels and bottles (Barolo is aged for at least five years), but the winemaker, Meinerd, founded in 1920 , ages it for five years in barrels and then bottles it. They are also an excellent producer that makes high-quality wines using traditional brewing methods such as using natural yeast and large oak barrels. It can be aged for a while longer, but we think it would be perfect as a refreshing drink to get through the hot summer, or simply when you're eating delicious meat. Please give it a try.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
Seki Osamu FACE BOOK
Seki Osamu Official Website
