Page 14 - Italian American Herald - December 2019

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | DECEMBER 2019 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
LET’S LIFT A GLASS
Why should my two greatest loves not get along?
By Murray Schulman
As I started to think about writing this month’s article, I was more than a bit concerned. I was about
to dive into an area where only a few have dared to venture. After all, some steadfast and well-grounded individuals in this realm may become convinced that I had lost my mind. But, then again, I have great faith and confidence in my audience. You, my readers, have come to know me well. I occasion-
ally make that hard turn well off the main roadway straight onto bumpy and hazardous pathways. My favorite part of this is that you buckle up a little tighter, grab on to whatever you can and take that ride with me. I guess that is why I love writing for you. So, as John Wayne might say, “Hold onto your hats pilgrims, we’re in for a rough go.”
There are two beverages that the majority of us enjoy nearly every day. In my case, several times each day. Those two beverages are coffee and wine. This is not a shocking revelation by any means. We also know that wines go perfectly with food. Similarly, coffee is a great complement to food. Plus, we often pair coffee with certain special libations in just the right setting and situation. Still, nothing earth-shattering or shocking here. Just to keep this conversation going in the direction that I am leading all of you, let
me say that I have engaged in a few coffee tastings very recently. These tastings have led to many eye-opening discoveries. We can talk about the fascinating topic of coffee another day. Right about now though, you should be thinking that it is high time that I delivered my “zinger.” Fine, here it comes. I am going to tell you here and now that I have become excited about pairing coffee with wine.
Yes, I am absolutely serious. I have taken the leap. Pairing wine and coffee does work
if you do it correctly. In fact, Harvey Steiman, the great wine expert along with Joe Fattorini, expert and former wine merchant, agree that this not only works, but it is enjoyable.
In a 2017 Newsweek piece by Tufayel Ahmed, Fattorini exposes the secret passion that is pairing wine with coffee. The first
key that comes to light is that the tolerances for specific pairings is dependent on each
of our taste bud counts. I know that we all experience foods in different ways. What I didn’t realize was that some of us have as few as 2,000 taste buds. Some individuals have hypersensitive taste buds numbering as high as 8,000. Now that is a lot of taste buds. What this means is that we are all affected
differently by the acids and bitterness levels in both the wine and the coffee.
Fattorini helped
to clear up how the majority of us can best enjoy wine and coffee together. He said that for the typical Ameri- cano drinker, whether you take your coffee black or white, sauvi- gnon blanc or merlot win the prize. The reason is surprisingly obvious now that I read the article. These wines fall into the middle taste profile for wine. They are not too bold or brash. They are in the middle and because of that, they work with the basic coffee choices that we make every day. These wine selections are ideal for our normal everyday cup of joe.
For those of you with more taste
buds: You want
less bitterness in
your coffee choices. You tend to prefer cappuccino, latte and café au lait. These calm-flavored coffees pair perfectly with pinot grigio or if you prefer reds, pinot
noir. Just like these calmer coffee styles, these wines are softer, lighter and gentler on the palate. Once again, this pairing works.
I get a kick out of those who look down on sweet wines. Years ago it was believed that people tended to have sweet palates. Sweet wines at that time were the typical table wines. Napoleon, Churchill and Queen Victoria enjoyed and served sweet wines at their tables. Try pairing a mocha coffee with white zinfandel or an off-dry muscat. You could even pair your mocha with an off-dry Riesling. Fattorini even goes so far as to suggest trying Gewurztraminer. Not only is this wine off-dry. It is also very low in acidity, making for a spectacular pairing with mocha.
At this point we are fairly convinced that
pairing wine with coffee works. However, like many of you, I lean more toward the strong full-bodied coffees. I love my coffee black and intense. We are the dark roast lovers. We relish our espresso, cortado and macchiato. Likewise, we also are lovers of the big wines. I have great news for all of us. Fattorini tells us and I can attest to this through firsthand experience that our strong coffee and big wines pairs exquisitely. Order your double espresso and pair it with a glass of cabernet sauvignon. Or my personal favorite, a great chianti classico riserva. You can readily enjoy your big bold coffee with a good chardon- nay, an Australian Shiraz or a Malbec from
Argentina.
I will readily admit that I traditionally
order a black sambuca with my espresso. Lately, I have been experimenting with pairing coffee and good bourbon. Now that my eyes are wide open and my palate is enhanced, I can stay with two of my great loves in life. Big wine and bold coffee together in perfect pairing. The best part is that now I can share the experience with my one great love, my wife Liz. She can enjoy a pairing
of her Moscato with a nice café mocha. Life is good when you can sip laugh and love together. So, friends, Let’s Lift a Glass and in this case a cup as well. Cheers! IAH