Minestrone and Cabernet Merlot

The Food: A rather chunky minestrone with beef mince and extra pasta

The Wine: Xabregas Cabernet Merlot from Mt Barker, Western Australia

The Resulting Explosion: Contrary to the indicators on the label, the expected tastes of chocolate, mint, blackcurrant and ripe berry fruits, balanced by cedar and vanillin oak were found to be somewhat lacking in a wine whose 'soft tannins' were rather harsher than expected and whose taste was overshadowed rather by the aforementioned blackcurrant. Serena however, disagrees, and found the tannins as-advertised (although she still described the wine as 'flat and uninteresting'), but the dissagreement can probably be reduced to my recent fondness for pinot noir and merlot, and not properly cleansing my palette after a cheeky chocolate while cooking the minestrone.

The Minestrone itself was missing the typical contributions from parmesan cheese rind (and its chicken stock substitute, in favour of vegetable stock), as well as pesto (substituted for paprika and itallian herbs). While the excessive addition of lean beef mince and generous use of mini shell pasta resulted in something a bit more like chunky soup, the overall effect has a delicious and subtle taste that benefits well from the addition of some pepper. The meal itself was startlingly simple to prepare and cook, although very finely dicing the vegetables (which make this ultimately a VERY healthy meal) was quite laborious from the perspective of people whose usual labours involve the judicious clicking of computer mice.

Verdict: Lose the wine, swap the beef for panchetta, possibly try some more risque spice combinations. Otherwise, enjoy!