The three red wines that we tried last Monday at the Red Hook Winery were Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Before we even got to the winery, Torey and I were thinking of something rich, flavorful, well-balanced with a good amount of acidity to hold up the bold flavors of Grilled Lamb Steaks Hache with Ratatouille. Cabernet Franc from Finger Lakes fit into the most of our desired taste characteristics. We tasted medium to high acidity as well as medium tannins which we thought would pair great with our lamb dish. Good amount of acidity will nicely complement Ratatouille flavors as well. This Cabernet Franc has mouthwatering savory and herbal taste with the notes of sour cherries, raspberry sauce and sweet peppers.
This upcoming Monday, what we will be looking for while blending wines would be a nice addition to Cabernet Franc that will make it even more interesting in terms of flavors and texture. For right now, our idea is to keep Cabernet Franc as our base wine (around 60-75%) and maybe use the rest for Merlot from Long Island. Being soft and silky on a palate, this wine would add notes of herbs, dark cherries and hints of vanilla to a blend. We will play around with the ratios, but the goal will be to try and mimic a traditional Bordeaux style Cabernet Franc, using grapes from New York. Even though, we are beyond excited to try a blend of Merlot, we are looking forward to see how the blend of Syrah would come out as well. I really liked the smoky flavor of this Syrah which could definitely pair nicely with lamb steaks.
The best thing about this hands-on project is that it helps develop a better palate and truly expand your horizons in winemaking process. We get to understand that a lot depends on a winemaker, his techniques and desired outcomes.
