Ribs Baixas
Most people don’t reach for wine when planning for barbeque (myself being one of them), but sometimes slugging down beers with pulled pork or sauce-slathered chicken can leave you with a need for a couch and a nap, with football playing in the background. Besides, I was challenged to find an interesting pairing for the lovely and versatile Albariño wines from Rias Baixas, and while most people are figuring out which oysters or fish would pair best, I thought I’d go a different route. Also, it’d been a while since I’d had good barbeque, so it was over to Blue Smoke in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood to give Albariño and ribs a shot.
Blue Smoke is a nice restaurant, so get the idea of rolls of paper towels on checkered tablecloths out of your head. Don’t worry, though, they still have multiple sauces in squeezable plastic bottles on hand, and the food is certainly Southern, if done with a bit of New York flair. The wines for the night were a bottle of 2006 Burgans and a 2006 Don Olegario, both 100% Albariños from the Rias Baixas region of Galicia and about $20 retail. The Burgans was selected for its smoky note, although this bottle didn’t really have it. The Burgans was a slightly richer, creamier style to the Don Olegario, which was almost austere with racy acidity, definitely ideal for pairing. Both showed characteristic peach and citrus flavors, and were pleasantly aromatic.
Getting into the food, we ordered a full rack of Memphis-style baby back ribs (dry-rubbed, for those Northerners like me who didn’t know the difference between Memphis or Carolina). For sides we decided to stay traditional with creamed spinach, hush puppies (served with a jalapeño salsa) and mac & cheese, as well as sherry & herb mushrooms that were highly recommended. Starting with the sides, the all out winner was the mushroom dish. They were small whole mushrooms, with a savory character that called out for acidity, which both Albariños offered up in waves. Each sip warranted another bite, which called for another sip. The hush puppies by themselves were okay with the wines, crunchy fried dough exterior with a sweet interior being rather innocuous, though the Burgans creaminess paired better, while the tangier Olegario clashed, especially against the slight spice to the jalapeño sauce. I had high hopes for the mac & cheese, but, alas, something just didn’t mesh. The creaminess to the macaroni just overwhelmed the wine, even the slightly creamy Burgans. Maybe a less creamy style of mac & cheese with a stronger cheese would have fared better, but I don’t think Kraft would make much of a match. The spinach isn’t worth mentioning, except for the fact that it could have come from a box in a freezer, but it and the wine had nothing in common.
The ribs posed a problem, as any respectable American knows you can’t eat them with knife and fork (though the Europeans dining next to us were attempting to, which is always good for a chuckle). So my only advice is don’t worry about fancy glassware and just dig in, or eat at a restaurant where you don’t have to worry about cleaning up… and dig in. Though the ribs were dry, having been rubbed in Blue Smoke’s Magic Dust, it wouldn’t have been the same experience without trying the Carolina Kick and Barbecue Sauce on the table… both delicious, with the Carolina a favorite due to its tangy kick. The Albariños were both excellent with the ribs, though things not only got messy with the added sauces, the stronger spice components of the sauces somewhat overpowered the elegance of the wines. The dry-rubbed ribs themselves were divine, however, with the acidity in the wines cutting through the meat of the pork while the citrus and texture meshed seamlessly with the mild spice of the dry rub.
Mike Duffy started writing by following his passion for wine, which led him to work at Wine Enthusiast magazine and later to live in Argentina, where he worked with a small importer after learning the language. He has traveled to wine regions on four continents and believes fine wine and good food are a lifelong pursuit, with something new to learn everyday. He enjoys promoting the wines of his native New York, as well as wineries that are sustainable from around the world. He now resides in New York City and travels at every opportunity. Email him at duffwine@gmail.com.
Blue smoke – www.jazzstandard.com
