|
Greenery Restaurant and Market’s Mark Heins talks about good wine, good food, and putting the two together
By Jeff Becker Photography By Joseph Burgess
On April 25th, Almudena de Llaguno came to El Paso to participate in a special wine dinner hosted by Greenery Restaurant and Market. The event paired a variety of Spanish wines with Greenery’s take on Spanish cuisine. We caught up with Mark Heins, owner of Greenery, to talk about how to put on a successful wine dinner.
 How did you discover Almudena de Llaguno and Classical Wines?
There is tremendous respect for Almudena, and what she has accomplished, among those in the wine industry. She has been able to attract quality Spanish winemakers and successfully distribute their wines in the United States. These winemakers have a real connection to Spain and represent generations of winemaking families still producing wine from vineyards planted generations ago. The fact that her portfolio of wines continues to grow speaks of her ability to maintain relationships with producers so that we are able to get these wonderful wines year after year.
How do you find good wines for a dinner?
It’s really easy to go out and find good wine. There has never been a time in the history of the planet where so much good wine, from around the globe, is available. I look for wines that not only tell the story of the country or region they come from, but pair with the foods we want to work with. When I say pair I mean enhance, complement, meld together with the food, in a way that enhances the overall experience. Pairing wine with food should start with selecting interesting food from a selected area and matching interesting wines from that, or other areas – not about serving a big name wine, your favorite wine or varietal, with food you like – it’s like reading your favorite author’s bestseller for the umpteenth time – you know it’s going to be good but you’ve already experienced it – be adventurous, try something you’ve never considered. I often compare wine with the art world and I always tell people to remove the burden of trying to understand the wine and just appreciate it for what it is. It’s often like looking at visual art. Sometimes it’s very difficult to understand, but you know you like it. It’s very much the same thing. Take some time to evaluate the food’s flavors along with wines you think might work. Do some investigating, reading or ask someone you have confidence in for recommendations. It takes a bit of research and testing (the fun part) before you find what works, but when it all comes together – it’s a wonderful experience. After all, this isn’t just dinner – it’s a Wine Dinner. Don’t be afraid to look to outside resources for help, there is a wealth of information available.
 When we did the Classical Wines’ dinner, we started with the wine – after all, we wanted to showcase Almudena’s portfolio. From there we wanted to pair the wine with food from the wine’s region of origin, in order to make the experience as authentic as possible. This is one approach. It’s always fun and interesting to try to replicate authentic cuisine and experience the flavors of the world outside their area of origin. Another approach is to select your menu first then match the food with wines that best compliment the food’s flavors. This approach can be intimidating to those who lack extensive wine knowledge and the likelihood of selecting “old stand-bys” threatens the uniqueness of the combinations. So whether you’re sitting in a tapas bar in Madrid or an intimate Cataylunan restaurant - or wherever you might happen to be – even El Paso, Texas – Spanish wine is Spanish wine – the difference is where you are and what’s available to you to re-create those authentic flavors. If you can’t find authentic products from the region, try to find products that are indigenous and somewhat represent the flavors and experience you are trying to create. The wines of Italy are made for the food of Italy but finding wild boar might be difficult so use a meat that closely resembles its flavor profile. The wines of California are truly made for the food of California – big, robust, fresh flavors. Try to be as authentic as possible.
You spoke of pairing wine of certain region with food of a certain region. What advice would you give our readers trying this at home?
First, it takes a little bit of study to know what’s regional. Where do these foods really come from? What’s authentic about it? Then find the wines that match. It doesn’t prevent you from doing a spicy Asian seafood dish with an Austrian wine – let’s face facts – the wine of Japan is Sake and most people have little to no experience with Sakes. Next, try to get an understanding of the wine’s flavor profile. Understanding wine only happens through tasting and evaluating. Reading about it is a start but tasting and noting the specifics of the wine is the only sure-fire way to know. You will know right away
whether you like the wine and I strongly advise never drink a wine you don’t like. Just because someone says it pairs well with this or that doesn’t mean you have to agree or like it. There is too much good wine in the world to drink something you don’t like. I also advise not restricting your choices to classic pairing ideas – go outside the box and see what happens. In order to do this you must fully understand the flavors. What is Chardonnay really supposed to taste like? What about Petite Syrah? Learning about these and other elements of wine is not only fun and delicious - it’s educational and often a great way to entertain guests. Host a wine tasting with friends who share an interest in wine. Then get in the kitchen and start cooking with great ingredients – learning about their origins. Use the highest quality, freshest ingredients you can find. Often the cost of these ingredients might appear to be more expensive than generic, frozen or “second” quality items but you will find, more often more than not, that you use less and get more flavor out of them. And always, always, keep it simple and don’t overcomplicate the food. Often, the freshest, simply prepared foods posses the vivid flavors that time and processing erode. It’s about a marriage of flavors – not about which (food or wine) is the biggest and strongest – neither wins in that case and the experience isn’t what it could have been.
For information on the Greenery Restaurant’s wine events call 915-584-6706
|
