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November 15, 2018

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Use your head when selecting wine for headcheese

Isacs is the founder and CEO of EnjoyGourmet, a leading gourmet digital (www.enjoygourmet.com.cn) and print media company in China. He has authored over a dozen wine and food books including the awarded ISACS Guides and other gourmet books and is a wine consultant to governments, wine regions and organizations. He also hosts wine events for leading organizations and companies throughout China. Contact John via jcolumn@enjoygourmet.com.

Today’s iDeal feature story started me thinking about one of my favorite Western appetizers, headcheese. Despite the name, this yummy concoction has nothing to do with cheese and is actually a wonderful amalgamation of meat from the heads of cows, pigs or sometimes sheep. Whether manifested in Chinese or Western dishes, true gourmet around the world know that meat from the heads of animals is among the most savory and delicious.

Whole split heads are placed in a large pot with seasoning and slowly simmered until the meat is tender enough to fall off the bone. The cooked meat along with the marrow and cartilage rich gelatin are then formed into a type of large, usually square-shaped, sausage that is sliced and served chilled. Many cuisines, including regional Chinese, have their own distinct styles of headcheese. The only thing missing is a glass of wine.

Western headcheese or Chinese dishes featuring head meats all benefit from an appropriate wine partner. Head meats tend to be quite fatty and rich so several styles of acidic white wines or tannic red wines pair nicely. Pork head meats are lovely with either a robust white or a fresh red wine, while beef or lamb head meats benefit from a flavorful red.

Valpolicella

What’s the world’s most food-friendly red wine? Let’s put it another way. Suppose you’re dining at a Chinese friend’s home and you know there will be a variety of different Chinese dishes but you have no idea exactly which dishes they’ll serve. What wine will you bring to dinner? A great answer to the afore-postulated questions is Valpolicella.

Winemaking in Valpolicella dates back to Roman times and for many centuries this region made some of the world’s most renowned sweet red wines. Dry reds came later, but during the early and mid-20th century the popularity of Valpolicella wines grew globally.

In 1924, the Consortium for the Tutelage of Valpolicella DOC Wines was established. This association included the vine growers, winemakers and bottlers of the Valpolicella region as well as regional and national government representatives. The consortium’s mandate was to oversee and help regulate all aspects of production as well as promotion of Valpolicella wines. In 1968, the Valpolicella region achieved DOC status and then in December 2009, Amarone dry reds and Recioto dessert wines received their own separate DOCG status.

There are four styles of Valpolicella wines; namely, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella. All are red wines and the last is a sweet wine. Valpolicella DOC and DOCG wines are based on the Corvina grape that bequeaths body and structure, while other important contributors are Corvinone and Rondinella. Smaller percentages of other native varieties are also allowed in the blend. When you see the word Classico on the label it means the wine was made with grapes from the traditional more steeply sloped part of the region. Superiore refers to wines made with riper fruit that have higher minimum alcohol requirements and are usually aged longer.

In China, when wine lovers think of Valpolicella the wines that first come to mind are full-bodied Amarone reds or Ripasso wines. While these and other weighty and robust reds are certainly satisfying, they are also more restrictive when it comes to food pairing. In other words; the bigger the wine, the fewer the pairing options. Therefore when pairing with many popular Chinese dishes including those with head meat, I suggest the lighter and fresher reds like the food-friendly Valpolicella or Valpolicella Superiore wines.

Basic Valpolicella DOC wines are palate-pleasing charmers with an attractive garnet-ruby red color, fragrant and fresh notes of flowers and sour cherry. The combination of vibrant fruitiness, excellent acidity and elegance makes Valpolicella wines perfect partners to many Chinese dishes.

The majority of basic Valpolicella wines do not undergo oak aging and are easy-drinking reds with low tannins and moderate alcohol content. Superiore wines from top producers have oak aging and can be quite structured but they still retain a vibrant fruitiness and freshness. Both the basic DOC and Superiore wines should be served slightly chilled, 15-16 degrees Celsius to retain freshness and vibrancy.

When choosing a basic level Valpolicella or more substance Valpolicella Superiore wine, always pick wines from best producers. In Shanghai, this means looking for wines from Villa Canestrari, Valentina Cubi, Santa Sophia, Sartori, Novaia, SalvaTerra, Latium, Villabella, Villa Girardi, Terre di Leone and Rubinelli Vajol.

Ranging from the fresh and friendly basic DOC reds to the complex and heady Amarone DOCG nectars, these Valpolicella producers are producing some of the world’s greatest red wines.

Varieties:

The most important grape in Valpolicella is Corvina, followed by Corvinone and Rondinella and a host of other local varieties.

Key term:

Superiore in Valpolicella refers to wines with higher minimum alcohol and longer aging requirements.

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