original article from Wine Magazine
Perhaps the reason that the 2004 movie Sideways is so often referenced among wine enthusiasts is that so few other popular works of fiction have managed to feature wine at all successfully.
The scene in Sideways that I have written about before and shall no doubt write about again sees the two main characters in conversation shortly before a double date. The lascivious Jack is imploring the moody and self-involved Miles to be as charming as possible, and says: “If they want to drink Merlot, we’re drinking Merlot.” To this, Miles replies: “No. If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any (insert word here inappropriate for childrens consumption) Merlot!”
Of course, the variety is closely associated with the great wines that the Bordeaux appellations of St-Émilion and Pomerol produce – beyond most of us, price-wise. Yet while Merlot became hugely popular with the boom in wine consumption in the United States, it simultaneously acquired a reputation for being somewhat middle of the road, and hence the tendency in some quarters to look down on it.
What the better examples of Merlot have going for them, however, is their smooth texture. You might well think of it as Cabernet Sauvignon without the pain, as it typically has less astringency and more flesh and roundness.
This leads us to suggest that Merlot is the ultimate pizza wine, although there will surely be some producers of the variety who consider this a backhanded compliment! The thing is, most South Africans reach for a beer if they want an alcoholic beverage with their pizza (as do many Italians), so how to get them drinking wine instead?
Though we’re not going to dictate to anybody what constitutes the perfect pizza, we’re inclined to skip the deep-dish base and exotic toppings and opt for a thin base charred from wood-fire oven baking, a layering of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, plus perhaps one or two other traditional Italian toppings.
The pizza itself is just bread, not awfully far away from the crackers that wine tasters use to clear their palates, so it’s not the base but what’s on top that’s going to affect your wine choice. Essentially, pizza is simple food, so not much point cracking out any wine that’s overly complex…
Accepting in principle that a soft-textured Merlot will combine well with pizza, it is important to remember that compatibility and contrast are both issues when it comes to flavour marriage. So if the pizza has been covered with a particularly piquant tomato purée, then you might prefer to offset it with a riper, denser Merlot. If you’re lucky enough to encounter a pizza with creamy buffalo mozzarella, then a fresher, more medium-bodied wine will do the trick.
The above are merely suggestions, however. We’re the first to concede that there’s no point in being excessively rigid in this regard. What we ultimately want to provide are broad guidelines that allow enthusiastic eaters and drinkers to embark on a personal voyage of discovery. With a pizza carrying a lighter vegetarian topping, there’s no reason a wooded white won’t work well, and for those who absolutely insist on adding pineapple, then perhaps an appropriate drinking occasion for Viognier has finally been discovered.
Fantastic Article in our opinion, as we are relishing the release of our new Kleinhoekkloof Merlot in just a short while. It’s definately going to blow your socks off, its seriously complex and “large”.
We wish we could divulge more, but right now, we simply can’t. All we can say is that its unlike anything we’ve ever had presented to us, and that its been worth the wait…
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