My girlfriend and I are having a friend over for dinner Wednesday, and intend to serve a Viña Valoria, Cosecha 1968 Rioja. However, we can't quite agree on what food to pair it with.

Our idea was initially to serve some high quality tenderloin, but we're also thinking about lamb. Our fear is that the texture of the tenderloin could overpower this old, and quite probably frail wine, while the flavour of the lamb could be overpowering. Could anyone help us out here?

I would encourage you to actually drink this wine by itself so that you could enjoy all of the nuances that have been developing over the past several years. However, if you decide to go with food, do something very simple. I often times will encourage my customers to pair a very nice wine with a simple food so that the wine will be the center of attention so to speak. Think simple! I think you'll enjoy the wine best this way.

Thanks wineguy,

We're going to try to keep it simple. We have a 1994 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva which we're going to cork afterwards, so there is a wine for dinner no matter should we choose not to eat anything with the 1968 Valoria or not.

Still, we'd like to eat something together with the Valoria. Do you think a simple tenderloin beef with no sauce, lightly salted would work?

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Originally posted by Markus Randall:
Thanks wineguy,

We're going to try to keep it simple. We have a 1994 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva which we're going to cork afterwards, so there is a wine for dinner no matter should we choose not to eat anything with the 1968 Valoria or not.

Still, we'd like to eat something together with the Valoria. Do you think a simple tenderloin beef with no sauce, lightly salted would work?

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I think that the Valoria would be a bit fragile, so if you want to pair it with something the tenderloin with no sauce would be ok. Anyhow I would drink the tenderloin with the Imperial and the old Valoria with nice music, nice friends and nice conversation

Cheers,

GusOK

Thanks Gus,

and indeed that is what I did. I drank the Valoria with a 12 Month Manchego, and had the tenderloin with a light pepper sauce with the imperial.

I'll post my TN's on the valoria soon!

wonder if carpaccio might work well with it...

I think it would, mattach, the wine was very fruity (!) considering its age, and not that frail at all. Even so, a carpaccio sounds like an idea that could work for a far frailer wine that this one.

Will keep that one in mind.