Each Friday and sometimes Saturday, InterWined.com pairs one great wine with one great meal and publishes the results along with the recipe in a little feature it likes to call ‘Blow the Bank’.

This week, ‘Blow the Bank’ introduces InterWined’s All American, a month-long celebration of some of American cuisine’s greatest dishes from classic comfort foods to the unsung greats of American soulfood.

First up is All American Meatloaf with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes.

Whether its origins rest, as some varyingly contend, with the mogul invaders of China, Italian meatball-makers, German Hamburgers, British shepherd’s pie-bakers, or the recipe books of eager home-meat-grinder salesmen, there can be little doubt that the humble meatloaf is 100% American and 100% classic.

Just as its histories are numerous, its variations and varieties are both countless and unpredictable. So, while some recipes call for the inclusion of pineapples or scotch eggs — ingredients that would be anathema in others, still others quibble over the significance of using barbeque sauce or ketchup or Bolognese in the name of authenticity and correctness. In the end, like so much confort food, it all comes down to what you like and what you think is right.

Indeed, there is little doubt that many chefs (and many of their mothers) will find InterWined’s All American Meatloaf far from correct. For one, it includes a couple of rather unorthodox ingredients, such as cubed pancetta and stale sourdough bread. For another, it’s topped with streaks of bacon.

And, because one classic deserves another, paired with InterWined’s All American Meatloaf is the 2005 Château Amarande (13.5%) Grand Vin de Bordeaux. A mix of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Amarande has the familiar nose of a classic claret — a bit of eart, spice, and forest. On the tongue, it’s surprisingly soft, rich in fruit, and mildly tannic with a touch of pepper that marries brilliantly with the both the crusty edges of the meatloaf and its slightly fatty, chewy middle (thanks in no small part to the cubes of pancetta). At 13.5%, the wine is a tad too high in alcohol and, therefore, attention-seeking to be a perfect wine to serve with food; but it high-alcohol wines are all the rage these days and this one proves a superb match for the meaty ground beef, fatty pancetta, and crispy bacon all the same: 9.4.

InterWined’s Own Recipe in Full

All American Meatloaf with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes

Click on the post to view and download the recipe

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The run up to the 2008 Olympics is Beijing is marred by protests. The issues surrounding the news images have a particularly deep impact on me, as a one-time student of the language, history and follower of the religions of the region.
The central authority of China is often described by scholars as an iron fist […]

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Whether it be a bottle of champagne served in celebration or a simple glass of table wine poured to help end a miserably long day, InterWined.com believes in the power of wine to mark each and every occasion as unique. It’s just one of ways that we find life and wine intertwine.
So, when Joel of […]

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For most of us, getting our hands on the best of the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux is unlikely; the price of this exceptional vintage is well out of reach in the higher echelons of wine production.
For InterWined.com’s standard, that is only rating wines worth drinking, usually in the £5 to £10 range, 2005 Bordeaux would […]

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this Friday, InterWined brings you ‘Not So Impossible Food & Wine Pairing #1: Chips & Salsa’, a tip of the hat to Dr. Vino and his “Impossible Food Wine Pairings”.

In July 2007 Dr. Vino asked his readers to recommend a wine to serve alongside snack food staple and wine-pairing stumper Chips & Salsa; and at a tasting event yesterday evening, InterWined finally discovered the answer.

A panel of 12 wine experts helped identify each of the characteristics and four grapes (Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Castelão, and Cabernet Sauvignon) required to produce the 2006 Pink Elephant, Portuguese Rosé (£5 from Tesco and Morrisons).

And, while InterWined doesn’t yet know if it’s the perfect match for spicy foods, it knows that it is the absolute matchless match to Chips & Salsa, and among the only successful examples of wine by committee. Looking quite a bit like Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry Juice on first pour is a fair description of colour, but an insult to the quality of the wine. This isn’t juice. Sure, there’s raspberry on the nose, but the flavour is more tannic and peppery, with a just of little hint of petrol aftertaste. This is a decent Rosé, make no mistake. But, it’s not until the wine (served extremely chilled) is paired, that it becomes something more substantial and worthy of real praise.

For £5, you would be hard pressed to find a better wine to serve with a bowl of Chips & salsa or Sweet Chilli Kettle Crisps (it’s a very good match for that too), when entertaining guests or slumped on the couch in front of the telly. That probably wasn’t what the Bill Rolfe and Toby Hancock from 10 International, the wine company responsible for Pink Elephant, had in mind when they decided to find a wine to pair with spicy food. (In fact, they were specifically thinking curries.) But, the two of them should be proud, regardless. Finding a matchless match to an impossible pairing is no mean feat. On it’s own: 8.0; with Chips & Salsa: peerless.

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Is it a Shiraz or is it a Cabernet? Well, the 2005 Sleeping Dog Lies Shiraz-Cabernet (13.5%) is both. And be thankful!

Australia is in the throes of some pretty crazy trends, like blending Shiraz with Viognier. This blend is not only completely nuts but also everywhere, leaving InterWined to try and reject more than a few Shiraz/Viognier bottlings…

Anyway the Sleeping Dog Lies is filled with ripe cherry and tastes of dry branches being smoked. This is true Aussie gold. Fun and enjoyable: 8.6 alone; 8.8 as part of a mixed case.

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Sadly, the aroma of this 2003 Les Ailes de Paloumey Haut Medoc (13.5%) is a little flat, which seems to be the norm these days for mid-priced Bordeaux, with a little liquorice.

The wine is nice and soft, but 2003 was a weak year for the region. In fact, you can taste all the rain. There is some tannin, though not enough for a good grip. This is the most understated of the wines and perfect for an easy drink by the Christmas tree on Boxing Day: 8.3 alone; 8.5 by the Christmas tree or in a mixed case.

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The 2005 Katnook Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon (12.5%) is straight Aussie Cab Sav with flavours of raspberries and violets.

What’s more fun, however, is the taste of powdered hot cocoa mix.

We know it’s Christmas, but don’t add marshmallows; it will clash with the oak: 8.4 alone; 8.7 in discounted mixed case.

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The 2004 Quinta Generación is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Shiraz, and a touch of Petite Verdot.

With so many grapes, how could it taste bad?

Well it does — at first.

So decant or leave open a least an hour, or, better yet, one day. Then you’ll be getting somewhere. A deep ruby colour, it gives that tell-tale ‘Cabernet from Chile’ smell that is kinda dusty and untidy. But, the blackberry throughout is great; and the body is peppered with…pepper.

Also, the roasted beef on the finish is kinda wacky. The finish is both long and harmonious: 8.8 points, 8.9 in a discounted mixed case.

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Last Friday saw InterWined invited to four parties: a dinner at the Italian Embassy…a wine party for Covent Garden designers, Will and George…a gathering of amateur actors at a pub in Islington…and a Christmas Party for the Islington Conservatives.
InterWined.com is sorry to report it only was able to attend the latter, due to a […]

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The christmas press party at Moody’s Investors Service was held last night in the upper walkways of Tower Bridge, high above the Thames. PR guy Daniel told InterWined that the place gave the ratings agency a good deal on the evening’s rental, £15,000 for three hours.
You think the Tower could serve decent food for that […]

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InterWined faced an interesting challenge last night: to pair wine with a very specific movie. I rang my friend Brian Kirk to tell him I was eagerly anticipating watching the movie he just directed, My Boy Jack, starring Daniel Radcliff, the actor who came to fame as Harry Potter. I asked if I should have […]

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A recent lunch at One Blossom Street presented InterWined.com a unique opportunity: to try a very, very expensive wine, compared to a not-so pricey wine.

Owner Roberto, and wine merchant Antonello, were there for the private tasting. Roberto broke out his 2003 Barrua Isola Dei Nuraghi , made by the same folks who produce the super tuscan Sassicaia, which he said will be the next great wine to come out of Italy. He’s going to sell it for around £85 a bottle ($175).

Antonello brought his 2004 Piantate Lunghe, Conero Rossini, which would sell on a store shelf for a much more forgiving £12 ($25).

So which taste better?

Roberto isn’t a huge fan of his Barrua. He believes it is produced to appeal to more “international” tastes, and isn’t distinctly Italian enough. And he’s right to an extent, as it is a blend using French varieties: Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine is incredibly well-balanced. Flawless, even. Violets, plum and a strong helping of liquorice. The tannins are weak for an Italian wine, but this just makes the Barrua incredibly mellow. The loamy clay soil can also be tasted, at least that’s InterWined’s guess on what kind of earth the grapes grow in. The wineceller, Enotria, says that the wine pairs well with spicy food. They’re lying. Spicy food kills this wine. Ruins it. We tried the wine with a spicy tomato pasta with olives and hated it. 9.3 points. Drink by itself or with cheese.

Antonello’s Piantate was fuming with alcohol on the nose, but for some reason, it cut right trough the spice. His wine is a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese — very Italian. Medium body with surprisingly soft tannins. It had nice grip, sure, but still a year too young. InterWined noted a chalky flavor, which Antonello confirmed: the vines grow in chalky soil.

How about that? 8.9 points.

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Hey, did you know Parducci winery in Mendocino, California is the only carbon neutral winery in the United States?
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Every Friday, InterWined.com pairs one great wine that exceeds its normal £10 ($20) threshold with one great meal, prepared following the instructions of some the Internet’s best food blogs.

This week’s ‘Blow the Bank’ comes in the form of Sunday lunch and its own recipe for Haloumi on Aduki Bean & Spinach Bed.

In recent weeks, it seems that every supermarket has unveiled its own version this week’s ‘Blow the Bank’, call it serendipity or coincidence. Just don’t call it a controversy. Leave that to the wine.

The 2006 Red Heart Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot from South Australia, £5 from Sainsbury’s, is shrouded in controversy. Bottled in Northamptonshire for Buckingham Vintners, yet allegedly produced in South Australia’s Riverland. But, as Kim Wheatley and Paul Kent of Adelaide Now reported in December 2006, “Sainsbury’s says the wine comes from Kingston on Murray in the Riverland, but declined to elaborate on the vineyard that produces it. The Sunday Mail has contacted the main growers in the region, including Kingston Estate, Banrock Station and Salena Estate. All said they knew nothing of Red Heart.”

All very mysterious…

But wait; there’s more. Red Heart advertises itself as the Britain’s healthiest wine, containing 32% more antioxidants than average. Indeed the back of the bottle reads more like a press release for the health page of woman’s magazine than it does the traditional tasting notes and “excellent with cheese” malarkey more commonly found on the back of wine bottles these days.

According to Wheatley and Kent’s report, the wine’s health allegations put it in breach of wine export regulations. The two quote Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation corporate affairs manager Eric Wisgard as saying, “It’s almost promoting wine as a health drink and that’s something that’s not permitted. Because of these reciprocal agreements between all the wine trading nations, it effectively would be an international breach.”

Regardless of the controversy, InterWined’s ‘Blow the Bank’ is first and foremost interested in pairing foods and wine and the Red Heart makes an interesting and satisfying match to the haloumi salad.

A red wine most often paired with grilled meats and grassy steaks, the Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot blend here nicely compliments the grilled and chewy texture of the haloumi cheese, helping to give it a meatier quality and smooth its often salty flavour. The Red Heart’s juicy, blackcurrant taste and pepper/chocolate nose also support the subtle flavours of the peppered aduki bean and spinach bed. And, while the controversy surrounding the wine might not matter much to the average drinker, it matters to InterWined: 7.9. A good match, soured by controversy.

InterWined’s Own Recipe In Full

Haloumi on Aduki Bean and Spinach Bed

Click on the post to view and download the recipe

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