Welcome to BeneathTheCork.com, the “Phoenix Edition”! Yes, my wine-loving friends, we emerge from the mythical “ashes” after an all too-long hiatus. This, our first “post-pandemic” tome, like the crocus poking through the snow-mound in spring, promises new growth, a glimmer of happiness, and lots of relaxing reads about our favorite topics, wonderful wines and festive foods! Join us now for our Spring 2023 adventure, “Rosés are Pink, Ham is Pink, Poetry is Hard!”
A couple of weeks ago, as usual, standing in our kitchen, pouring a second glass of Chardonnay, our friend Liz shared her most recent “crisis”. We’d been talking about pairing different wines and foods after I’d commented that the citrusy-tart Chardonnay we were drinking would be extraordinary with something fried…maybe a box of Bojangles chicken or some crispy fish and shrimp from Popeyes! That’s when Liz (…and I swear, she had the look of abject PANIC on her face) announced that she was terrified that it was “her turn” to host her husband Bob’s family, three siblings and their spouses, for Easter Dinner this year. Liz said she’d pointed out to her husband that growing up in Colorado, her family had always served lamb for their traditional Easter Dinner. Bob laughed and jokingly told her that nobody in his “…suth’n family would know a lamb if one walked up and BIT ‘EM!” Yes, he told her he REALLY wanted baked ham for this year’s Easter feast! And THAT, my friends, was the source of Miz Liz’s panic attack! As we opened a second bottle of Chardonnay, it became evident that Liz was hoping for more than just a good ham recipe, she said she’d really appreciate some “…knock their SOCKS OFF…” wine pairings’ to go with the ham!
I’ve always found it fascinating how often “coincidence” and “need” will meet head-on going opposite directions on the same path! As it happened, just a few days before the “ham conversation”, another “wine-buddy” of ours had told us about a couple of, as he called them, “Killer Rosés”. I, for one, have long thought that hams of just about any kind and rosé wines share a great deal of “sympatico”. After all, the broad range of pink hues found in different ham preparations cozy right up to the beautiful rainbow of pinks shared with the world’s most luscious Rosé, Rosato, and Rosado offerings. Not to mention how the slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly smoky flavors of a succulent baked ham pair so masterfully with many delicately light, fragrantly floral, and tantalizingly tasty pink wines!
Next step, a trip to the wine shop! We happen to frequent the Green’s store on Piney Grove Road. (…Green’s has two other stores in Columbia, as well as stores all over SC & GA). We’ve come to enjoy wine-shopping there because of their excellent selection of wines from wineries we’ve actually “HEARD OF OR READ ABOUT”. Add to that, our Green’s store is close and conveniently “on-the-way” to lots of other places on our usual to-do list. We also enjoy perusing their GI-NORMEOUS selection of wines and appreciate great prices and helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly folks at their stores. Did that just sound like a commercial? LOL! Well, I guess it sorta was…we REALLY do find their stores the best in town! Check ‘em out and you’ll see why we like shopping at Green’s! Anyhoo…after a perfunctory search, we located the two rosés our friend had so profoundly suggested we try, and with a couple of bottles each in hand, we were off to taste some wine and find the perfect EASTER HAM RECIPE!
As we always do here at BeneathTheCork.com, let’s take a look at our “Wine Finds” first, then we’ll dive into the subject of the PERFECT EASTER HAM RECIPE we found to pair oh-so-perfectly with our pretty, pink picks! Oh…and one more thing we hope you’ll find as pleasantly surprising as we did…the beautiful rosé wines we feature here are BOTH Certified Organic as well as biodynamically and sustainably farmed. Wow…who knew that even PINK WINES CAN BE GREEN!
Château des Annibals Coteaux Varois en Provence Rosé 2020 – $22.99
“Suivez moi, jeune Homme”
TECH & TASTING NOTES – J.P. Bourgeois, Ltd.
Appellation: AOC Coteaux Varois en Provence
Terroir: Center of Provence, clayish and chalky soils, south facing
Elevation: 1000 feet
Farming: Certified Organic
Blend: 55% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 5% Rolle (Ugni Blanc)
Aging: 6 months in stainless steel tanks
Alcohol by Volume: 13.0%
“Winemaker Nathalie Coquelle’s classic Provence rosé is a coppery salmon color that’s as striking in its depth as its exuberant nose of raspberry, lime, mint, and warm sand.
Its organic viticulture and pedigree as the oldest winery in the appellation show on the unusually rich palate of strawberries and blueberries, with a crystalline minerality that lends freshness heading into the persistent, red-berried finish. A superb and legendary rosé from this entirely solar-powered and certified organic winery.”
BENEATHTHECORK.COM NOTES – Dan Hanfland
They say it kills cats! Not the wine, silly…CURIOSITY! The French phrase printed under the wine’s name on the front label was as intriguing to me as was the content of this beguiling bottle of Rosé du Provence! In spite of my modest (tenth-grade) French vocabulary skills, this one wasn’t hard to decipher… “Suivez Moi, Jeune Homme!” literally means “Follow Me, Young Man!” As with all catchy and mysterious comments on wine bottles, I knew there HAD to be a back-story to this one, too. So, after a little research, I was able to find its charming origin. Here it is…
“This name was inspired by a true-to-life tradition in 17th-century French fashion, in which women would wear hats with two pieces of lace dangling down onto the small of their back. The young men would “follow behind” the women, entranced by the beautiful lace floating behind them as they walked.”
Charming story, ain’t it!? And after tasting this charming bottle of wine, I, like the young men following the beautiful lace, am inclined to “Follow That Bottle!” We were impressed enough that we went back and got two more bottles! I’d urge you to give it a try.
RATING: 4.5 BTC STARS
Ostatu Rosado, Alavesa, Rioja 2021 – $16.99
TECH & TASTING NOTES – Bodegas Ostatu, Samaniego, Rioja, España
Appellation: DOC: Rioja Alavesa
Terroir: Soil: Stony clay calcareous and limestone
Elevation: 1950 – 2200 feet
Farming: Certified Organic
Vine Age: 20 – 60 years old
Blend: 70% Tempranillo, 27% Garnacha, 3% Viura
Alcohol by Volume: 13.0%
Vinification: “Manually harvested, the pressing is followed by a short maceration. The wine is cold-fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and left on the lees for 37 days prior to cold stabilization, diatomaceous earth filtering, and finally, bottling”
“The secret lies in the high-altitude, bush-trained vineyards of indigenous tempranillo, garnacha, and viura vines in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. Theirs is a singular mountain rosé produced from some of Ostatu’s oldest and highest-elevation vineyards in the village of Samaniego: La Paul, Valdepedro, and Carrera at 600m to 650m. Samaniego is located directly at the convergence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean climatic influences, which mold the character of the vintages. This unique soil and climate also lend a certain austerity and structure to Ostatu wines, which differentiates them from the Rioja wines of other subzones. Ostatu is pure Alavesa mountain wine, born of the tension and energy of an extreme climate.”
“Intense aroma of red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, currants), some citrus signs (orange peel) and fine minerality. Very fresh and balanced on the palate, very good acidity, greasy and with dimension. Alive, ending with a great balance of flavours, fruitiness and warmth.”
BENEATHTHECORK.COM NOTES – Dan Hanfland
Our friend was SPOT ON when he said this wine would strike our fancies! The Ostatu might just be one of the most refreshing and engaging rosé wines I’ve tasted in a LONG TIME! A real value where the price/quality XY-graph score LARGE!
RATING: 4.6 BTC STARS
“Did ya hear the one about the farmer whose pig had a wooden leg?” Never mind…let’s talk about the MOST AMAZING HAM ‘N ROSÉ PAIRING EVER!
I have a few “unorthodox” thought processes (NOOOO! SAY IT AIN’T SO, PA!”) Yes, it’s true…most folks like to start with “food first”, then select their wine pairings to compliment their food’s flavor components. NOPE! NOT ME! NO, SIREE! I am prone to do EXACTLY the opposite. In fact. I prefer to taste the wines I’ve selected FIRST, then find or create the recipe/preparation that’ll best compliment my wine selections! As I see it, it’s easy enough to “tweak” or “adjust” the flavors and seasonings for the preparation of an entreé. The wine, on the other hand, is a “fixed entity”...it is what it is and there just ain’t no changin’ it! Call it “Cork-dork Dyslexia” if you like, it just makes more sense to me…change the things that you actually CAN change to compliment the things you can’t change! So…now that more of my foibles and idiosyncrasies have been exposed to the world, let’s talk about the flavors I wanted to go after for this rosé ‘n ham odyssey.
We’d opened the first bottle of each of our two beautiful rosé treasures and had a pretty good idea almost immediately of their personalities and how they were going to play with the other kids in the sandbox! Given both of their “gentle but lively” personalities, I wanted to go after some “bigger, bolder” spice flavors for our ham. Mind you, nothing so outspoken that it’d cover up the delicate flavors of the rosés, but something to crank up a little “contrast”. That’s when spicy mustard came to mind! But it would also require a little “sweet” to diffuse edgy tones of the yellow-stuff! Follow along…it’ll make more sense once you see ALL the flavors in our ham recipe…
First things first…right about now, you’re probably asking yourself “Just exactly what kinda SPECIAL, EXOTIC HAM is this AMAZING PAIRING PROJECT gonna require?” The beauty, my wine-slurping friends, is…it ain’t nothin’ special AT ALL! We simply used a plain ol’,’ off-the-shelf” grocery store version of a hickory-smoked, spiral-sliced, bone-in ham! In fact, the one we acquired at our friendly neighborhood Food Lion was almost exactly 8 pounds on the money, which was WAY MORE THAN A GRACIOUS PLENTY for the six folks around our “easter” table (especially considering all the AMAZING SIDES we teamed up to put with it!)
The REAL MAGIC of the ham is a duopoly. The first of the pair is, the “ZEN OF HAM”, shared with me by a wise old country cook! This is the Rosetta Stone…the single-most vital key to “ham-wisdom”…the best thing ever shared from the “old ones” Ready? Pay attention…here goes!
STEP 1 – When you get your beautiful hickory-smoked, spiral-sliced, bone in ham home from the market, feel the packaging for a soft, pillow-like lump. Find the clear-plastic pouch filled with thick, gooey, Crayola-red glop, gently slide it out of the packaging, and CHUCK IT DIRECTLY INTO THE TRASH! There’s nothing good, tasty, healthy, or appealing about it’s contents…they are a conglomeration of high-fructose corn sweeteners, artificial fruit flavors, red-dye #40, and a list of chemical additives and preservatives that reads like the Periodic Table of Elements! THAT, my friends, is the “ZEN OF HAM”! The second part of the “REAL MAGIC” is the amazing recipe we unearthed on the worldwide web, surprisingly touting a product I remember from my childhood! I recall this small, square yellow tin that graced my mother’s pantry shelf. The front of the box read Colman’s of Norwich. Founded in Norwich, England, 1814. Colman’s is the CLASSIC dry English-style mustard that stakes claim as the other half of our delicious pairing!
Here’s the recipe!
BROWN SUGAR & ENGLISH MUSTARD GLAZED HAM
YIELD: 10 – 14 servings
PREP: 30 min COOK: 12 min. PER POUND
INGREDIENTS
1 – 8 – 10 pound hickory-smoked, spiral-sliced, bone-in ham
¼ c. pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. Colman’s™ dry “English-style” mustard powder
FOR THE GLAZE
½ c pineapple juice
½ c. dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper
DIRECTIONS
PREP – Get the ham out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time to start to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325°F.
STEP 1 – Combine Colman’s Dry Mustard powder and ¼ c. of pineapple juice in a mixing bowl and whisking until thoroughly combined in solution, then brush the mixture over all surfaces of your ham. Place the ham flat side down in a roasting pan on a shallow rack. NOTE: Be sure to remove the little plastic disk thingy from the ham!) Pour any remaining mustard solution over the ham, then cover the ham tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 325ºF. for 12 minutes per pound of ham weight.
STEP 2 – While waiting for ham to bake, combine glaze ingredients, whisk thoroughly, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to a simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
STEP 3 – About 15 minutes before the end of your calculated baking time, remove the ham from the oven and brush the surface of the ham with your glaze. Return ham to the oven uncovered until the glaze is caramelized and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the ham from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
FOR SERVING – Stir a few tablespoons of prepared mustard together with a little pineapple juice in a condiment bowl for serving with your ham and break out those beautiful bottles of rosé!
In case you’re wondering about those other sides we mentioned serving with this tremendous Ham ‘n Rosé Pairing. We kept it simple…Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Suth’n-style Country Green Beans, Deviled Eggs, Crusty Rosemary bread. Ann broke the ice with an amazing Hot Artichoke Dip for pre-dinner noshing with wines, and Marie NAILED IT with a fabulous ol’ fashioned Blueberry Pie with Ice Cream! How’s that for a proper “EASTER DINNER DRESS REHEARSAL”!
So there ya’ have it. That’s a wrap! Until next time, we close, as always, with the words of the late, great Mr. Bill Tuller…”If you always open your BEST bottle of wine first, you’ll never have to open your worst bottle of wine!” I agree, Bill! It’s ALL good!
“There’s no need to stay thirsty, my friends!”
Photo Credits: T. Wayne Lybrand