Castillo de Almansa perfect potable to pair with pizza

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/04/2016 (3576 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I love pizza and hamburgers.

Relatively easy to prepare — or, in the case of the former, have delivered! — these are comfort foods, meals that were treats in childhood days that have become standbys in my adult years, due to their convenience, deliciousness and lingering aura of indulgence.

Because now that I’m a grown-up, I can have them whenever I want without anybody having to approve my decision to do so.

Not that I have either of them often. But when I do, generally, especially in the case of burgers, they’re homemade — in our household, venison burgers, which are enhanced by minced garlic, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce added to the meat before it’s formed into patties.

(I found my burger wine a few weeks ago — the certified organic Michel Torino Estate Cuma Cabernet Sauvignon. With cassis, raspberries, black pepper, a dash of paprika and a whiff of vanilla oak, it’s great with burgers and superb for my bank account, too, at $10.99 a bottle.)

We sometimes make our own pizza, too — my husband’s favourite is Margherita pizza (the spelling of this varies with the recipe, and it’s not the same as the cocktail, so please accept this as my best effort to discover the mostly commonly used spelling for the pizza), with basil pesto (rather than tomato sauce) on the crust, and basil leaves, sliced tomatoes and cheese as toppings.

However, the lack of any meat usually leaves me hungry, so I usually add some chicken and mushrooms and red pepper to my half, making it not at all a true Margherita, but my enhanced version of the traditional creation, which makes me happier than the original.

(When we’re not in the mood, or time doesn’t allow, for major meal prep, we frequently order from our favourite pizzeria, which specializes in fresh toppings and has tons — and I mean TONS! — of cheese on top, which I love.)

We haven’t made our own lasagna for years — we must get back to that someday — but it just always seemed to take forever, even though it was great and we’d make enough to have for supper that night, as well as three more meals of it that we’d freeze for easy suppers in weeks to come.

Consequently, I’ve come — under the tutelage of my brother Grant, who’s one heck of a cook and a model of food enhancement and adaptation — to buy a basic frozen lasagna and add more meat — or not, if it’s a well-crafted dish that already contains enough burger in the first place — and some red pepper, sliced brown mushrooms (sprinkled with taco seasoning), and more cheese to the top.

This turns what could be a “meh” dish into something quite lovely, and even with my additions, takes way less time that starting from scratch.

Anyway, because I love these dishes so much, this question has, for many years, perplexed me: Why do I feel I should have “lesser” wines with these foods?

I’ve always felt that way. It seems ludicrous to have burgers and/or pizza or lasagna with high-end wine. But when food and wine mesh beautifully, the experience of both can be enhanced. So my attitude is confounding to say the least. But it is what it is, so I’ll have to continue to deal with it.

Which is why I was so delighted a few weeks ago to discover the delight that is the 2010 Castillo de Almansa Reserva from Spain. I love Spanish or Italian wine with the aforementioned traditional Italian foods, but was always reluctant to pair expensive wines with those dishes.

And now I don’t have to.

The Castillo de Almansa Reserva, made from Tempranillo, Monastrell and Garnacha (or Grenache) grapes, boasts wonderfully deep red cherry and blackberry aromas and flavours with hints of cedar and sage, complemented by toasty oak and a pronounced

re-emergence — a kick, if you will —of the rich berry notes on the finish.

All this, lovely on its own, and a perfect match for pizza and lasagna — for just $13.99 a bottle. Hooray! Or rather, perhaps, Salute!