Château Bonnet, Entre-Deux-Repas

What a difference a meal makes. In his 2006 wine guide, Michel Phaneuf gave this Bordeaux white from André Lurton a Grappe D'or. So I pick up the Château Bonnet, Entre-Deux-Mers 2004 and wait for the fireworks to go off. I could hardly sense any of them with tuna steak, grilled zucchini and beets as an accompaniment. I thought cooking this arrangement of food would make the white meet its full potential. It didn't. As it turns out, with seafood pizza, it really sings. Practically a miracle transformation. I say that as if I'm lost in the clouds but I'll insist on trying to get this fantastic turnaround in taste down to science...

The thing is that sometimes you think the food you're eating is ruining your wine but you're not 100% sure if it isn't the wine that is off. So I analyse the situation. I had thought beets would be nice with the Bonnet. Why? Well, I make my borscht with a little white wine and it turns out great. And tuna -- how can you go wrong with fish and sauvignon blanc? The zucchini, done Nigella Lawson-style with lots of seasalt and lemon did indeed render itself an excellent complement to the wine. But I wouldn't do either of the other two again. I'll admit for the tuna that I overcooked it and it turned into a dry burger that ended up with virtually nothing fishy about it. My fault. But the beets, what did I do that you let me down? I give you chives, I give you butter -- you make me spit out the Bordeaux from the mouth as I drink it! Subject for further research. Pizza Donini to the rescue. Order their Di Frutti do Maro gourmet pizza for $11.49 sometime. It makes your unoaked white wine sing. Gauranteed. Or rather, guaranteed to indicate that your off wine has got to be sent back.

Grézillac, Gironde, France. 12%.