Sweetness and spice in autumn soups and wines
I woke up this morning feeling warm until I threw back the blankets and experienced an autumn chill in the air, coming from my opened window.
I immediately thought, “Soup time!” I’m always looking for reasons to pair wine with soup. I simply love soup. It’s a sort of addiction.
Remember the building block principle of sweetness: Pair sweetness in wine with the sweetness in your dish. Or pair hot and/or spicy dishes with sweetness in the wine. Make sure the wine is more intense and sweet than the spice and/or heat.
Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup is a classic dish to pair with an off dry white wine, such as Vidal, Gewurztraminer or Riesling. The soup is sweet, spicy and hot. In this case you want to make sure the wine has sufficient sweetness to harmonize. Look for a wine with at least a 3-sugar code.
In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 chopped sweet onion. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. When the onion is soft add 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and 2 to 4 cloves of minced garlic. (Sweet wine can work with dishes highlighting lots of garlic.) I’m a nontaster (fewer taste buds than super tasters or medium tasters) so I need loads of garlic and spice to experience sensory satisfaction. I love lots of heat, but too much will destroy the finer qualities of the partnering wine.
When the combination becomes fragrant, add 4 peeled and cut medium-sized sweet potatoes. Cook the mixture until the potatoes are soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. When done, let the mixture cool. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Add ½ a chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a can), and 7 cups of homemade chicken broth. Puree until smooth. Return the pot. Heat until hot. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Colio’s Predicament Late Harvest Vidal (CSPC# 470369), $11.95, is an excellent choice to pair with this autumn soup. The wine offers notes of citrus fruit surrounded by a coat of honey. Yet this wine is half as sweet as Icewine.
At first it may seem odd to serve such a sweet wine at the beginning of a meal. It breaks the wine rules. But rules are meant to be broken in the culinary world. You just want to do it effectively. The experience of this pairing will supersede any of your guests’ preconceived notions. It’s a different approach to dining, and I believe your guests will enjoy the partnership. I certainly would appreciate this pairing being presented to me!
This wine also complements Roasted Cauliflower and Tumeric Soup; Thai Curried Pumpkin Soup; and West African Peanut Soup (not too spicy).
Throughout the fall and winter I serve both French and East Coast split pea soup. But Split Pea Soup with Rosemary makes this classic dish a fun pairing for a light, fruity red wine like Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir should be chilled for at least a half hour in the refrigerator. There’s a lovely sensory contrast between the hot soup and chilled sip of wine.
Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir, (CSPC 54353), $18.95, is a favourite of mine, as it is predictably good from year to year. The wine offers bright sour cherry and floral notes on the nose and palate, with refreshing acidity and medium body. The wine’s tannic note is pleasantly bitter and brings out the subtle rosemary notes in the soup.
This wine will also complement Chickpea and Tomato Soup. The wine’s tanginess will harmonize with the tanginess of tomatoes.