I’ve been recovering from a fairly gnarly case of Covid a few weeks back. It may be psychosomatic, but my taste buds have been slightly off. Wine and food feeling slightly muted. In an attempt to jump-start my senses, I recently prepared two Super Size meals with matching semi-geeky, flamboyant wines: spaghetti carbonara (made with guanciale) paired with Pepe Pecorino 2016 and a 28-day dry aged Porterhouse with Metras Beaujolais 2018.
2016 Emidio Pepe Pecorino Colli Aprutini IGT Love the sensory cornucopia of this wine. Slightly wooly texture, oxidative/bruised apple nose, medium-full body, 18k gold color, chewy, grippy. Cleansing acidity keeps it from being squishy or fat or tired. There’s a salty, green banana note playing off the honeysuckle that just holds one’s attention. Nice foil with the carbonara, a rich dish that is always hard for me to pair. A bit pricy but I dig these singular wines that have great sustain.
2018 Yvon Métras Beaujolais Funky, earthy nose, check. Crunchy red fruits, check. Juicy texture, check. This wine hit all the Metras markers for me, but it just lacked a bit of oomph. Thought it would be excellent complement to the gaminess of the aged meat, but this bottle seemed slightly dilute and four-square. I usually enjoy these wines because they are wild without being bretty – if that makes sense. Just lacked a bit of zip and spiciness.
