When pairing wine with food we can go one of two ways:
- Great minds think alike.
- Opposites attract.
And then there’s a third bonus option of eating what you love and drinking what you love. And if they happen to go well together, all the better.
Tomato-based sauces will always do best with option one, where highly acidic tomatoes require a high acidity wine, and red needs red. From there, it depends on what else is in the sauce as to which wine best suits your palate’s balance, but in general one thing is true: Red sauces pair best with red wines that have medium to high acidity.
In the case of Herzog’s Napa 2000, you want to keep things relatively simple pairing wise, as age will naturally lessen the wine’s strength and we don’t want the food to overpower the complex aromas and flavors found in your glass. Because if you’re going to open this gem, it’s got to be the star of the show. Sometimes the food is the star, but not with this wine.
That’s why a simple fresh marinara sauce with fine Capellini noodles makes the perfect partner. The acidity from both play well with one another and the wine shines upon the marinara base. Add some freshly grated Parmigian0-Reggiano and we have a real Mmmmmmm moment.
Unfortunately, the Napa 2000 stock was very limited and the Moishe’s Sip box is selling like crazy, therefore if you haven’t signed up yet, you’ll be getting Herzog’s Alexander Valley 2000 instead. Slightly more structured, yet the same holds true: mazel tov to Herzog for creating wines that can stand the test of time.
Check out @moishemayer on Instagram for a video and tasting notes on the Napa 2000.
L’chaim!