Monday, April 12, 2010

#58 - Spinach Pie & '08 Château de Loirère Muscadet


Today's lunch is an example of a meal that seemingly wasn't the best pairing but become infinitely better toward the end and even after.

It left that kind of impression, especially upon reflection.

Food: Trader Joe's spinach, feta and phyllo pie

We've talked about this Trader Joe's product before (in the link at the bottom). It's $4, filling on its own for lunch due to its butter content, isn't salty, isn't too feta-y and tastes utterly delicious.

Wine: 2008 Château de Loirère Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie ($15 - Binny's)

Unlike most Muscadets we've had. The lemon notes are more in the background with more of an orange leafy note dominating. Salty but more like a light, consistent salinity. Also had a silkiness and purity that was unlike any muscadet we've had so far, bordering on minerally with something that resembled floral. Pretty good stuff and now has a place in our Muscadet world. WDC has it. Randolph Wine Cellars has it, IIRC. Widely available.

Côtes de Grandlieu as a sub-appellation only came into existence in 1996. Before that, the area was responsible for most of the basic AOC Muscadet simply labeled Muscadet on the market.

After this, we'll be buying this exact one again and keeping our eye out for other Côtes de Grandlieus. It made me immediately think an expanded Muscadet tasting that was eventually pared down might have been marginally (even if ever so marginally) worth it (and originally bought for that).

Pairing: 87 Given everything, entirely enjoyable

Not spectacular as a pairing by any means. But the greatness inherent in the $4 frozen spinach pie makes for an interesting wine choice if you're so inclined. For us, our love for the spinach pie forces a choice of wine already in the refrigerator from some other backup wine preparation that we never got to on some other night.

But interestingly, it would seem wrong to choose the crappiest one in the cooler to go with the pie. Choosing something a bit unique in the mid-dollar range seems right and good as the pie is forgiving so you can try a wine you might not have been too jazzed about but eventually want to get to someday.
The pie is pretty solid little lunch, infinitely open to tons of wine options for what it is and works great for us with Monday being our Friday-after-work type-thing. We're tired, gosh darn it.

Mostly, it was good meal with an interesting wine that didn't clash as a pairing.

Sometimes, that's completely welcome.

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