Autumn food & wine pairing with Californian top wine Louis M. Martini.

In collaboration with en Cordier Wines

Our wine specialist Jasper Van Papeghem is ex Best Sommelier of Belgium 2017-2018 and former sommelier of two-star restaurant De Jonkman in Bruges. Each month, he brings his own unique perspective on the world of wine. And he gives insight into his notebook with 'coup de coeurs'. 

The leaves are falling, the weather is getting cooler, the fireplace is lit after a brisk autumn walk… We love autumn because it brings a lot of new delicious flavours. Therefore, we are very excited to present you the first part of our autumn special. In this two-part series, we are going to talk about the Californian top wine house Louis M. Martini. Today we present to you a food & wine pairing in collaboration with restaurant Michel (1 Michelin star) in Groot-Bijgaarden!

Californian top winery Louis M. Martini

When the first pioneers settled in California, they soon realised the unbelievable potential of the region for agriculture. With its long, sunny days and fertile soils, California soon became the driving force behind the rise of the United States. The real rise began when gold was first discovered and the famous Gold Rush began. The great thirst of the first presidents and the European immigrants had to be quenched and everywhere new vineyards were planted (mostly with European grape varieties which were shipped along).

For the land of the free…

In 1899, Louis M. Martini leaves Genoa Italy for the promised land to realise his dream of growing wine. Together with his father, he bottled the first wine in 1906, after which the son returned to Italy to study oenology and learn more about the world of wine. There followed a flowering period for Martini and the entire wine industry in California until around 1920, when the prohibition was passed and the consumption of alcohol was banned. This prohibition would last for more than 10 years and unfortunately destroyed a large part of the wine-growing arsenal in the US. These were the glory years of Al Capone, the Mafia and the moonshiners. In 1933 the prohibition was finally lifted and in the same year Louis Martini started making wine again. So to say that the history of this house parallels that of California winemaking is an understatement.

Cabernet Sauvignon: the gold standard of the Napa Valley

The great speciality of this historic house is the cabernet sauvignon. Today, we taste his Cabernet Sauvignon from the historic heart of California: Napa Valley. With its excellent location and moderate oceanic climate, this region is ideal for making elegant and refined wines. On the nose, we have a complex bouquet of pepper, cassis, blackberries, cedar and lightly roasted notes of chocolate and coffee.After rolling, a pretty spiciness emerges, with some rosemary and eucalyptus in particular. The typical light animality with some old leather spices the pallet off. In the mouth, there is first a light moelleux with especially some sultry, ripe fruit followed by refined acidity and fine tannins. The whole looks surprisingly elegant and fresh for a Cabernet-Sauvignon where you often expect powerful wines. The long finish provides an ideal balance between power and elegance with a light moelleux to support the whole. Wine for the wild!

A wonderful autumn food pairing: restaurant Michel, 1*, Groot-Bijgaarden / Chef Robert Van Landeghem

Restaurant Michel* has long been known for its wonderful dishes with game fresh from the hunter. We are therefore very proud of our collaboration with this star chef. As in my previous articles, we will briefly dissect the dish. Hare is known as one of the most hearty pieces of game you can find here: powerful with a real ‘wild’ or animal touch. The cardamom adds a slightly sweet and spicy note to the dish, while the smoked bacon of course adds a slightly smoked and salty note. Here we are going to try to find the same aspects in the wine to give it a supporting and reinforcing function. In my description of the wine, we found these aspects: slightly smoky, pepper and spicy.

But the best pairing here is in the mouthfeel. Faithful readers know by now that this is the single most important thing for an excellent pairing. The beautiful moelleux (the warm aspect of the alcohol in the wine) and the ripe tannins counterbalance the powerful, wild meat while the acidity and spicy aspect of the wine will perfectly highlight the cardamom and pepper. These same acids will also bind the saltiness and smokiness of the bacon to the dish. The wine as support, reinforcement and binding agent is for me still the nec plus ultra of a good foodpairing.

Recipe Restaurant Michel (1 Michelin Star), Groot-Bijgaarden: hazenrug with cardamon, spelt and smoked bacon

1/ Hare roast

Instituents:

• 2 pcs fresh homegrown hare’s back
• 12 wafer-thin slices of artisanal smoked bacon without rind.
• Ground ground cardamom.
• Pepper, salt, pepper mill.
• 2 sticks of salsify about 20 cm.

Preparation:

• Remove the fillets from the back and sprinkle with cardamom.
• Season with salt, pepper and grinder.
• (The smoked bacon also imparts salt to the meat!!!
• Place a 25 cm plastic foil on the table.
• Place the slices of bacon side by side on the foil.
• Place the fillets of hare and the cooked salsify on top of each other.
• Make a tight roll and leave to set in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Pre-cook for 15 minutes at 65°C in a Roner bain-marie.
• Pull out and fry briefly until crispy in noisette butter.
• Cut into equal pieces and serve.

Ingredients

2/ Organic spelt

Ingredients:

• 240 gr organic spelt.
• 120 gr wild mushrooms.
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots.
• Fine chopped parsley.
• Olive oil.
• Pepper, salt, pepper mill.

Preparation:

• Cook the spelt for 20 to 25 minutes in plenty of lightly salted water.
• Drain and rinse briefly under cold water.
• Smallly dice the mushrooms and fry in olive oil.
• Spice with salt and pepper of the mill.
• When the mushrooms are almost cooked, add the shallots and parsley.
• Fry for a few minutes and you are ready.
• Mix the spelt warm and mix it in with the mushrooms.

Taste, season and ready to serve.

3/ Wildsaus Hare:

Preparation

• Marinate the legs with the carrot, onion, celery aromatics, juniper berries, wine vinegar, red wine soya oil for 48 hours.
• Remove the legs from the marinade and dry them.
• Sieve the red wine from the other ingredients.
• Colour the legs in noisette butter.
• Add the vegetables and colour briefly.
• Moisten with the veal stock and leave to infuse for 4 hours.
• Shred the shallots and braise them briefly, moisten with the marinade and leave to reduce completely.
• Moisten with the sieved and defatted game stock and reduce to sauce.
• Sieve and season (for those who prefer, you can also bind the sauce with blood, once the blood has been added the sauce must not boil)

4/ salsify.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of salsify.
• Olive oil.
• Pepper, salt.
• Spoon of cream.
• 1 lemon.

Preparation:

• Sauté the salsify with a generous splash of water, lemon juice and salt and pepper until al dente.
• Take a few nice pieces and brush them with olive oil.
• Grill on the bbq and serve.
• Mix the remaining salsify and strain into a smooth cream.
• Finish with a dash of cream (a little of the cooking liquid if necessary if the cream is too firm)

In the following article, we will take a closer look at what makes Californian wine so special and we have a new recipe from a young up-and-coming talent: Restaurant Commotie from Ghent.

All information about the Louis M. Martini wine can be found here: https://bit.ly/LouisMMartini

More info on Cordier Wines can be found here: https://www.cordier-wines.be/nl / Adres: Ekkelgaarden 6a, 3500 Hasselt / Tel: 011 28 19 57

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