You remember it like yesterday how wonderful you enjoyed those nice sunny holiday wines. Yet the same wine tastes very different here in the Netherlands. This not only has to do with the difference in peace of mind on holiday and at home, but also with the local cuisine. These local wines go very well with the traditional dishes in the winelands.
The delicious wine discovery
Together with your friend or partner you discovered the holiday wine of your life, which you enjoyed every day. On the last day of your holiday, you decided to stuff your car with several boxes of that delicious nectar. Back in the Netherlands, however, the wine tasted disappointingly different. You notice that he had undergone a change of taste during the ride back home. What had been exciting and full of flavor in the holiday country now tasted sharp and sour. Except for the touch of rhubarb, nothing was left of the sultry, tropical fruit notes from the memory.
Why was that now?
It was really the same wine as on those balmy summer evenings at that romantic vacation spot. Not the wine had changed, but the vacationers! During the holiday you were relaxed and relaxed and drank the wine without any critical eye for quality or taste. However, once back in the chilly, rainy Netherlands amidst the piles of unwashed clothes and mountains of unopened mail, you couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm for what actually turned out to be a rather ordinary wine. Don’t forget that the poached salmon trout, the delicious cheese or the steamed scallops from the holiday restaurant went perfectly with the wine. In any case, much better than the meatballs with Brussels sprouts back in the Netherlands.
Sad moments of disappointment
Surely you will experience more of this kind of ‘memory that does not materialize’ moments with many more travel wines. Therefore, learn not to take back wines from your holiday. But hey, who doesn’t like to take that ‘holiday feeling’ back home? If not with wines, then with dishes. That delicious pata negra and chorizo from Spain, the tasty Italian starter ‘vitello tonnato’, the grilled sardines from Portugal and the creme brulee from France.
Spanish tapas
The ‘drink’ in Spain is Tapas. With countless different ingredients (which often also differ greatly regionally). They are always flavorful and usually salty in style. Not infrequently with an edge of fat (as in sausages such as chorizo) or by deep frying. Wherever you go in Spain, regular tapas items include: olives, almonds and other nuts, chorizo and hams (such as the pata negra). The Spaniards traditionally drink a Manzanilla or Fino with this. The classic wines from Jerez thus form a fresh counterpart to the appetizers with their aspects of salt and fat. Instead of these classic Jerez wines, you can alternatively opt for a cava (the Spanish counterpart of champagne). Cava is just as fresh as the sherry and has bubbles instead of alcohol. For the Spaniard, ‘real’ wine is red, so you can also opt for a young, red wine in the joven style. This basically means without too much wood, really made for the fruit and the freshness.
Italian vitello tonnato
This is a classic Italian appetizer based on smoked veal brisket to which a tuna dressing has been added, enriched with capers and anchovies. It is smooth and creamy in taste, light to medium heavy. In Italy people often drink a lighter rose (such as a chiaretto). Both a white and a red wine can be combined with vitello tonnato. It is important that the white wine is not too light and can withstand the creamy style of the tuna sauce. The red wine should not be too heavy. Then choose a Viognier from the Languedoc and a Mercurey from Burgundy.
Portuguese grilled sardines
Grilled sardines are lacking on almost any menu on both the south and west coast of Portugal. It is a relatively light main dish with a crunchy texture and salty taste. Very often the briny is accentuated by sprinkling sea salt over it. Traditionally, the Portuguese drinks a Vinho Verde or its equivalent from Spain, the Albarino from Rias Baixas. Alternatively, other wines are not objectionable, as long as the wine is fresh, dry and not too heavy. Choose from the Italian, mineral-refined Grechetto or an understated New World style (such as Chenin Blanc from South Africa).
French Creme Brulee
Creme Brulee is a heavy dessert based on egg yolks, milk or cream and sugar. Creme Brulee has a soft texture with a crispy top layer and a taste of vanilla, very creamy with the bitterness of the burnt sugar. The combination with Muscat de Beaume de Venises is really considered a classic. It is important that the wine is not inferior in sweetness to the dessert, otherwise it will soon appear sour. Alternatively, you can opt for the Late Harvest from Santa Alicia from Chile and the Chateau Jolys from the Jurancon.