With holiday meals ahead and spring vegetables coming into season, wine expert Seema Tikare joined Boston Public Radio Monday to share her recommendations and tips for purchasing wine.
Tikare was born in India, raised in the South, and has lived in Germany, France and Mongolia. She said the culture surrounding wine is quite different here than some of the places she has lived, particularly Europe.
"Wine is not considered food here. In many other places, it's food. They don't ask if you want wine with your meal, they just pour it," she said. "Here it is becoming a culture — the wine sales are going way up, and it's a huge market for imported wines as well."
She said you can find well-made wine at every price point. Still, she believes wines above $12 are the best deal. At that price point, wines are more likely to avoid grapes with pesticides or herbicides.
“They're going to be hand-harvested. You're going to get more sorting to get healthier fruit in the juice, the fermentation is going to take longer and so you get more flavor extraction," she said.
One other regional difference: corks vs. screw-on caps.
“It's an old world, new world distinction,” she said. “I think a lot of people in France and Italy, they see the screw top and they kind of cringe a little bit. But New Zealand wines, even the most expensive, are all screw top.”
If you're planning a night out in Greater Boston, Tikare recommended visiting Spoke Wine Bar, Forage, Alcove or Taverna de Haro.
And if you're looking through a wine list or want to find a bottle to enjoy at home, here are some of Tikare’s recommendations for the spring:
Winnings
Variety: riesling
Origin: Von Winning Winery in Southern Germany
Price: $17
What Tikare had to say: “So many people have the reaction that riesling is too sweet, and in fact, riesling is known for its acidity.”
Tikare’s recommended food pairings: Easter ham, vegetables, salads
Louro
Variety: godello
Origin: Rafael Palacios in Galicia, Spain
Price: $23
What Tikare had to say: “It's round, it’s a little bit softer on the palate. It's aged on the dead yeast for four months, so you get just a little hint of that cracker or bread sort of flavor.”
Tikare’s recommended food pairings: Spanish cuisine
Fleurie
Variety: Beaujolais
Origin: Famille Dutraive in Beaujolais, France
Price: $35
What Tikare had to say: “Fleurie is known to be very floral and delicate.”
Tikare’s recommended food pairings: Salads, fish, ham, Easter fruit
Espero
Variety: red blend
Origin: Tulip Winery in the Galilee, Israel
Price: $40
What Tikare had to say: “I'd never had anything like this before, I didn't know what Kosher for Passover meant… it’s a fabulous, fabulous wine.”
Tikare’s recommended food pairings: Lamb roast, steak, Passover seder
Seema Tikare is a wine expert who has taught at Commonwealth Wine School and now runs her own wine website, thepremiercru.com.
