Food:

• Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Wine of my Choice:

• Viña Pomal Rioja Reserva Spain 🇪🇸 2013

For people who live far from their home country, the cure to homesickness might be a dish that recalls the flavor of home. Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup is one of the remedies to my cure.  

One of the advantages to living in NYC is you can find almost every cuisine from all over the world, from Asian to African food. There are a few restaurants serving great Beef Noodle Soup, but the best Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in New York is from my kitchen: my husband’s Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. 

 In general, there are two types of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. One is cooked with soy sauce and chilly bean paste. The broth is dark with a spicy kick. The other one is with clear broth, without the strong seasonings and the flavor is subtle. It’s a wonderful option for people who prefers non-spicy food. 

Today we are pairing the spicy soy sauce version with a red wine from Rioja region of Spain. The reason I choose Rioja to pair with the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup is because the umami and savory flavors of Rioja match wonderfully with the flavors of the soy sauce and the spicy chilly bean paste that are used in the dish. A young Rioja, such as Joven or Crianza, often displays red cherry, strawberry and red currant with soft tannins. With age, the tertiary aromas and flavors of Rioja start to show, for example, tobacco, leather, forest floor, and mushrooms. The combination of fruitiness and savory notes of the Rioja wines works magically well with the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. It’s like they are mean to be together. 

Made with 100% Tempranillo, this Viña Pomal Rioja Riserva is aged in American wood barrels for 18 months with another 18 months in bottles before it is released to the market.

This Rioja Riserva is showing beautifully at the moment but still has the potential to be aged for another five years. Succulent red and black fruits aromas on the nose with vanilla, clove and nutmeg in the back. What I found most appealing of this Rioja are the tertiary notes of tobacco, chocolate powder and umami. It’s a balanced full-bodied wine with great acidity. This Rioja and the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup would be a great pair. They’d perform a marvelous Waltz together.

Having Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup for dinner? You’ll know what wine to pair with next time! 

紅燒牛肉麵的餐酒搭配

餐點：

• 紅燒牛肉麵

餐酒：

• Viña Pomal Rioja Reserva Spain 🇪🇸 2013

長期旅居國外，要吃上一碗地道地台灣口味的牛肉麵還真不容易。許多留學生往往練就一身真功夫，為的就是能吃上一碗滿滿的鄉愁。

所幸，在紐約要吃上一碗好吃的牛肉麵並不難，卻又因為個人口味不同，也都各有所好。我覺得最好吃的牛肉麵莫過於我們家大廚（我先生）煮的牛肉麵了！最常煮的口味便是紅燒牛肉麵。

紅燒牛肉麵到底要配什麼葡萄酒才搭呢？這些湯湯水水的麵類，會跟葡萄酒搭嗎？相信我，以前我也問過我自己同樣的問題。經過無數次的試驗後，我可以很肯定地告訴你，絕對搭！而且可搭配的酒款還不是只有一種。舉凡西班牙酒里歐哈，法國南隆河隆河丘或是義大利古典奇揚第的紅酒都很搭呢。

今天選擇的餐酒是來自西班牙里歐哈(Rioja) 產區的紅酒，也是我個人很喜愛的產區之一。里歐哈一般喝來果香濃郁，帶有豐沛的紅色水果的風味，例如紅櫻桃，草莓及紅醋栗。隨著酒陳放的時間越來越長，而漸漸展現出菸草、皮革、帶有濕氣的土壤，及特殊的鹹香酯味（類似於醬油或紹興酒的風味）。由於里歐哈裡擁有這種特殊的鹹香酯味，與許多以醬油調味為主軸的料理特別地搭，這也是為什麼我選擇里歐哈來搭配紅燒牛肉麵的主要原因了。

這瓶Viña Pomal, Rioja Riserva 是由100%田帕尼歐(Tempranillo)釀製而成，在美國橡木桶中陳年了18個月，之後再放置瓶中陳釀至少18個月才上市。花香、果香、酒香如迷霧般席捲而來。紅色的乾燥花束、櫻桃、草莓、黑莓及無花果乾一湧而上，接著是香草莢、甘草、丁香、肉豆蔻等香料緩緩而至，尾韻則散著菸草、黑巧克力粉及鹹鮮的酯味等陳年後才會出現的風味。豐腴的酒體卻因清麗的酸度而顯得輕盈，與紅燒牛肉麵的湯汁是相得益彰; 配著牛肉塊一起下肚，當肉汁與酒交融的那一剎那，嗯嗯嗯...

每每遇到近乎完美的餐酒搭配時，往往都詞窮。再怎麼付諸言語形容也比不上親身體驗過的心領神會。希望大家也能試試！