Spittoon: We Spit So You Can Swallow
The recipe, a breakfast type dish of smoked salmon served on a toasted muffin with a poached egg, fresh spinach and hollandaise sauce, was sent to me by the good folks at Hollick, Australia. The dish, apparently a favourite of Ian Hollick, they recommend serving with Hollick Sparkling Merlot.
Many an Aussie Sparkling Shiraz has passed my lips, but a sparkling Merlot? This may just be a first.
Wine Tasting Note: Hollick Sparkling Merlot, 2004, Coonawarra, Australia.
Available from Independents including Andrew Chapman Fine Wines for £13.99 & Australian Wines Online £14.20.
The aroma from this lovely wine leaps from the glass – pure blackberry fruit. The fizz, hardly noticeable in the glass, really explodes in the mouth giving a fine, frothy, sensation. A fresh palate followed by a mellow finish. A good, long, length and a lick of tannin evident but generally soft, fruity and hugely drinkable. Alcohol 13.5%.
Scribblings Rating – 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]
The problem with eggs, when matching with wine, is their mouth-coating qualities. What a sparkling wine does well is clean the palate and counter this effect. The thought that the salmon might be better replaced with a slice of black pudding might have worked better; as it is though it is a good, interesting, combination.
We Spit... So You Can Swallow
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A sparkling Merlot? Interesting. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of that before. I wonder if it’s available in the US?
I liked Vixen Sparkling Shiraz. And after reading your tasting notes, i think, i should give this one a try if i can find it in germany.
certainly worth trying to find the importer – as it is rather delicious as well as interesting. A touch pricey though…