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Light whites - finding the perfect food match

Louise Johnson

Those who love good food and wine often struggle with the rules for matching the two. The Sydney International Wine Show does things a little differently to most wine shows. Wines are judged in weight classes alongside food to give diners the chance to make good food matching choices.

Competition director Warren Mason says the main aim is to help people interested in eating well make a "satisfying wine choice" that will complement their food.

In each category the judging panel is looking at finalists of similar palate weight. In the first instance, they judge them purely as wine, as is done in every other wine show, wine against wine. Then the food is introduced and each wine is judged again, but this time, with the food's flavours complexing the judge's palate before the wine is tasted and a final score entered.

“Our judges are often surprised by the differences between their score for the wine-as-wine assessment and their score for the same wine when judged as a complement to food,” he says.

The Light bodied white wine category compared a range of varietals – semillon, pinot gris, albarino, arneis, chardonnay, chenin blanc and blends against a similar weight dish that Warren says these wines could reasonably be expected to compliment.  The dish used for judging was prawn wontons with ginger and soy dressing, created by SIWC chef Jacqueline Mason (see recipe below).

Warren says when choosing a dish to match the finalists in the Lighter Bodied Dry White Table Wines category, (most of which will have youth, primary fruit flavours from the less powerfully flavoured grape varieties, crisp, clean acidity, little if any winemaker artefact or interference), typically they look for a food dish with similarly uncomplicated, quite delicate flavours. 

"Marinated raw fish, raw shellfish (toheroa, pipis, mussels, oysters, baby pauas) ceviche/carpaccio style, cooked crustaceans (crab, yabby, marron), even smoked salmon, are the staples. The marinade needs to be compatible with the delicacy of the primary protein and, whilst lemon juice/lime juice/grapefruit juice are obvious candidates, even vodka or gin, they usually need to be softened with a suitable oil, maybe herb infused, before plating. 

"Raw avocado, cucumber, julienned snow peas are definite possibilities as accompaniments.  Mashed shelled young green peas, roast capsicum, roast aubergine are examples of possibilities on the cooked side of the equation.  The pleasure also relates to the presentation.  Visual pleasure is also a vital part of the experience," he says.

The category trophy winner in the 2009 competition was the Bimbadgen Signature McDonalds Road Semillon 2006, which judge Warren Gibston says is a powerful wine and great compliment to the food.

“Attractive, toasty and showing some bottle age. Very pure. Excellent power and flavour. A complex and long palate. Clean, lingering and vibrant,” he says.

The wines:

Trophy Winner:

Bimbadgen Signature McDonald’s Road Semillon 2006
Beeswax and dry straw. Toasted almonds and honeyed notes. Good complexity and concentration. Showing integration and development with the weight and depth to pair with the dumplings. - Debra Meiburg

Medal Winners:

Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Gris 2008
A lovely lifted pear and red apple nose with some floral tinges. A youthful fruit entry. Good weight and phenolic followed by a lovely acid. Some nice grainy solids in the back end of the palate. The fruit and the palate weight looked very delicate and elegant with the prawn wontons. A good flavour combination with the ginger and shallot in particular and that little bit of spicy lift adding to the character of the Pinot Gris. - Stephen Harris

Ballandean Estate Wines Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Lifted, herbal, very fresh nose. Passionfruit and herb characters. A very light palate. Very pure, grassy with very crisp, tangy acidity. A long herbal aftertaste. Okay with the dish. The acid stood out a little maybe, but it was a very clean fresh style. - Kym Milne

Chrismont La Zona Albarino 2008
Very good Albarino characteristics i.e. sitting somewhere between a light Vigionier and a limey Riesling. Great expression but not very complex. The fruit tasted very tutti frutti alongside the dish but the texture and the acid was a great match. - Tony Allen

Clairault Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
A lovely wine. Lifted sugar snap pea flavours. Some green beans. Fresh garden herbs. Clean and vibrant. Cool tropical flavours linger. With food there is an emphasis on the zestiness and the tanginess of the wine especially on the finish. - Peter Forrestal

De Bortoli Hunter Valley Semillon 2005
Beautiful colour with green tints and a classical waxy development. A lovely clean refreshing finish with great flavour and delicacy. This is Semillon at its refreshing best. - Andrew Wigan

De Bortoli Sacred Hill Semillon Chardonnay 2008
Forthcoming lemon blossom, ozone nose. Fresh cut grass flavours on the palate. This balanced with fair varietal character, good length and concentration. A very good food match with Thai style dishes. The lemon “sourness” of the wine extends the traditional Thai combo of sweet sour hot salty. The wine also has a lovely palate cleansing acidity.- Cathy van Zyl

Esk Valley Estate Black Lavel Chenin Blanc 2008
Ripe rockmelon, peaches, florals. Nice round entry. Very perfumed orange blossom, honeyed. Good length. Good balance. The wine seemed to become richer and fuller with the dish. It complemented the citrus flavours of the dish. Those citrus flavours brought out more of the orange blossom flavours of the wine. - Lynnette Hudson

Flametree Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008
Subtle grapefruit, passionfruit and white peach. Crisp acidity. Fruit extends through the finish. Minerality. This is a lean, light, quiet wine which is a touch overwhelmed by the ginger. - Debra Meiburg

Peter Lehmann Wines Clancy’s Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Bright lime and lemon tinges to the wine. Lifted, grassy, lanolin and Semillon notes with some underlying punch of Sauvignon Blanc. The palate is clean, fresh and light with some nice light flavours. Nice crunchy acidity finishes the wine well with the dish. - Adrian Atkinson

Rockfield Estate Semillon 2007
A lovely pale yellow/green colour. The nose showed flinty mineral notes with some underlying citrus characters. The palate was well balanced with restrained mineral notes but quite good length. Cleansing acidity worked well with food but there remained some question as to whether there was enough fruit here to handle the spiciness of the food. - Ken Dobler

Rockfield Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Lifted tropical fruit. Almost false fruit and confectionary. Also some cut grass and herbal notes at second look. Attractive. Lovely acidity and excellent fruit freshness and length. Nice matching with the food. Purity and acidity really helping the match shine through. - Warren Gibson

Salmon Run Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008
Light, cut grass and floral aromas with some fresh hay notes. A very pure palate. Clean and crisp. Quite a long, light, herbal finish with some mineral edges and tight acidity. It was okay with the food. Nice and light. Perhaps slightly tart with this dish but a good, fresh, very pure wine. - Kym Milne

Trentham Estate Albarino 2008
Dusty. Hints of must but that cleared in the glass. A spicy, floral, clean palate. A very refreshing wine. Nice weight, length and balance and that seemed to complement the citrus flavours of the dish extremely well. It made the wine longer. Lovely balance. The lovely refreshing character of this wine is really perfect with Asian cuisine. - Lynnette Hudson

Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008
Succulent. A crisp tangy finish. Gorgeous gooseberry lychee guava flavours. A really vibrant good example of the style. With the dish there was a significant emphasis on the vibrancy of the wine and its drinkability. Sheer drinking enjoyment. - Peter Forrestal

Vasse Felix Classic Dry White 2008
A nice bright green colour with nice texture and weight. The wine is soft and clean with nice mouth watering acidity. Nice and clean, fresh and balanced with the food. The wine was class and elegance with nice intensity. - Adrian Atkinson

Wither Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2008
Light straw yellow. A very bright colour. The nose shows light floral and May blossom characters. The palate showing nice floral, tropical flavours with a pleasing cleansing acid finish. The spicy notes on the wine married well with the food and the cleansing acid worked extremely well. - Ken Dobler
 

The dish

Prawn Wontons with Ginger and Soy Dressing
Recipe by SIWC Chef Jacqueline Mason

Serves 4 (as an Entrée).

Ingredients
400g Green Prawns, peeled, deveined and chopped
2 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
2 tbsp Spring Onions finely sliced
1 tbsp Ginger finely diced
1 tbsp Rice Wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp light Soy
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Caster Sugar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
20 Wonton Wrappers

Dressing
2 tbsp thinly sliced Spring Onions
2 tbsp finely chopped Ginger
2 tbsp Malt Vinegar
1 tbsp Caster Sugar
2 tbsp thinly sliced Coriander Roots and Stems
5 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
Dash of Sesame Oil

Method
1.        To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
2.        Set aside until ready to use.
3.        To make the filling, combine prawn meat with all the other ingredients except the wonton wrappers in a bowl.
4.        Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
5.        Lay wonton wrappers on a chopping board.  Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wonton.
6.        Brush the edges of the wonton wrappers with a little water.
7.        Place a second wonton wrapper on top of the filling.
8.        Press lightly along the moistened edges to seal and remove any air.
9.        Use a round cutter to cut the wontons into the desired size.
10.  To cook the wontons, bring a large pot of water to the boil. 
11.  Drop the wontons into the water in batches and cook for 2 minutes or until they are just cooked.
12.  Remove wontons with a slotted spoon into a colander and drain.
13.  Cook remaining wontons in the same manner.

To server
1.        Divide wontons amongst the 4 bowls (or deep plates).
2.        Top with dressing.
3.        Garnish with thinly sliced spring onions and serve immediately.
 
 

Recipe and tasting notes reproduced with permission. (c) Sydney International Wine Competition. www.top100wines.com.au

Regions

• Hunter Valley (NSW)
• Margaret River (WA)

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