Sausage and Cab Not So Bueno

So I love the idea, but my favorite peasant food, sausage, just doesn”t work with my favorite varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon. Let me explain.

Hillary and I went to Hansen Winery for our club member pick-up party. The wines are, as everyone knows, my favorite reds in the whole area and one of our hidden gems. Bruce and Sheila always make us feel special, and the club this time was treated to freshly barbecued meats on the tasting counter in the barrel room that included a half dozen different sausages, and some BBQ tri-tip, along with a standard buffet of chips, dips, beans and the like.

Bruce’s wines are complex, velvety, rich without being overly “big” – they deserve to be loved. But sausage is a harsh mistress and demands all your attention. The grease, the bite, the spiciness, the temperature, the herbs, the salt. Just didn’t work for me. Now with a bold beer, like the Green Flash IPA I had later in the day, this pairing would work great.

With the tri-tip is a different story. Smokey, subtle, juicy without too many other seasonings. The grill marks and dark notes in Cabernet Sauvignon play in your mouth. The rarer, less flavored parts of your bite absorb the higher notes of the Cab and fill out your taste buds but let the wine shine. And shine they do. But then again everyone says a good Cab goes with a good steak. Maybe everyone isn’t wrong. This time.

Check out Hillary’s post for more.