Farmers Market Wine Challenge: TOMATOES!

They say there are only two things that money can't buy: true love and home grown tomatoes. Whether you agree with that or not, the season has arrived for summer's most versatile fruit. I personally love seeing the tomatoes piling high in a rainbow of colors and varieties at my local shop and farmers market!

There are countless was to enjoy fresh tomatoes. Its sweet/savory flavor, aciditic tang and toothsome texture adds pop to salads and sandwiches and brings textural harmony to soups, stews and sauces. It can deliver heat, diced fresh in spicy salsas, but is instantly cooling as a chilled puree. While few would dispute that money can't buy the very best varieties--those lovingly nurtured from seed and hand-picked at peak ripeness from one's own garden (before the squirrels or other pests get to them!)--money fortunately can buy the perfect wines to complement your heirloom dishes, and you don't have to break the bank.

The same properties that make the tomato such a friendly ingredient in the kitchen can also make it a food-and-wine pairing foe. Prepared fresh, the tomato's sweetness and acidity can do battle with especially dry reds and most whites, increasing the sensation of astringency--not pleasant. Rich, tannic reds can also dominate the delicate texture and flavor of the tomato and other fresh ingredients, leaving the palate with nothing fun to appreciate from the plate. Cooked tomatoes in sauces, stews and braises can stand up to more structured reds, but you still want to watch the weight of the wine, especially if the dish is vegetarian.

Fruity roses with body like those from the Southern Rhone in France, the Bandol region of Provence and the surrounding environs in the Languedoc-Roussillon are great choices for both cold and cooked tomato dishes. Look for something with a deeper hue of pink, with can signify a fuller body and more intense flavor. I'd  save the palest, most delicate roses for your chilled tomato soups light salads, and opt for richer roses with complexity for your tomato-based sauces, pastas and other stews like the Provencal classic, ratatouille. A rose with full flavor and a little bit of sweetness, as is traditionally produced in the Cotes Catalanes of France and farther south in Spain, can be wondrously sweet and refreshing in the summer heat. Pair it with your all-American thick-cut tomato sandwich, classic Italian insalata caprese (fresh tomato and mozzarella cheese salad drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil), and any number of salsas and tapenades. 

2013 Joan d'Anguerra "Alta Roses" ($17.99)

When it comes to red wine, I recommend a light-to-medium bodied red with juicy fruit, mild tannin, and balanced acidity with your tomato dishes. Sangiovese-based reds are great with cooked tomato dishes, sauces, and braises, but Sangiovese's natural high acidity and tannin can be too harsh for fresher tomato preparations. Instead I look toward the Spanish Mediterranean coast for my vinous inspiration. In the foothills Montsant, just outside Barcelona in the Catalan province of Tarragona, not far from the village of Bunol where the famous "La Tomatina" festival is held annually, red wines made from the Grenache variety offer that perfect balance of juicy fruit and savory complexity perfect for fresh tomato dishes. I can't get enough of the naturally made 2013 Joan d'Anguerra "Alta Roses Montsant, made from biodynamically farmed Grenache. Bright and juicy, this red wine has the optimum ripeness, structure and complexity to sing alongside a variety of tomato dishes, especially the classic Spanish pan con tomate y anchoa, bread smeared with fresh tomato, anchovies, garlic and olive oil. Delish!

In stock now and ready for your table:

2013 JOAN D'ANGUERA "ALTAROSES" MONTSANT ($17.99)   

100% Grenache from Montsant in the Catalan province of Spain. Organic and Biodynamic. The Altaroses is Joan d'Anguera's first certified biodynamic and organic wine. The Anguera brothers have decided to label the wine as a “Granatxa,” the old Catalan name for Garnacha, as an emblem of their focus on adhering to the lighter, traditional style of wines that used to be made in Montsant. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in concrete vats using indigenous yeasts. Aged for 12 months in old oak barrels. Naturally cold stabilized by winter’s chill and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tasting Notes: Fresh wild strawberries, garrigue and warm spices on the nose. Very expressive. Medium weight, with mouth-watering acidity and soft warm fruit. Soft tannins and well-balanced structure between acidity, tannin, fruit and alcohol make this extremely gulp-able. (Importer)

-Chiara