11/7/2007 Figs

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I love the fruits of fall  the apples - the pears - and the figs. Last week I purchased my first pint box of fresh figs and I placed them on the corner of my desk as I worked. About two hours later I reached for and found my last fig. They are so good  but what wine goes with figs? Now the figs that I love are the ones that are brownish purplish on the outside and have a perfect interior of pinkish red flesh and seeds. These figs are great served with roasted hazelnuts and soft mild cheese or quark  which is a soft, slightly sweet cheese made from yogurt. You can accompany this by a nice sweet dessert wine like Riesling or Muscat. However, figs are not for dessert alone. I think that a simple meal of thinly sliced dry meat; such as prosciutto, some figs, good crusty bread and a glass of slightly chilled rose of cab franc is heavenly. It doesn't take much to get a fig to pair up with a bigger more serious red wine. By adding fresh figs to roasting meats, during the last part of the cooking time, you will add great flavors from the figs and they will in turn bring out amazing depth of flavors in your red wines. Try a Cabernet Merlot blend with roasted beef and figs or a Syrah with roasted lamb shanks and figs. Give it a shot I doubt that you'll be disappointed. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.