45 day aged AAA Ribeye

By Vin Greco  

I've added the same article from Our Friend Mr. Vin Greco about Dry Aged Ribeye.    Why dry-age? Flavour and texture. How do you do it? Carefully. It requires an environment with proper air-flow and controlled humidity and temperature. Over time, a loss of moisture occurs and nature works to develop a more tender texture and richer, concentrated flavour. Some suggest that the meat develops a nutty note. With wine pairing, it is important to provide balance with the flavours of the dish. To that end, we have some special possibilities for you to consider. Bigger flavours, bigger wines. The popular Killerman’s Run is a great introduction to one of Australia’s most famous kinds of wine, Shiraz. These wines tend to be full--flavoured with ample fruit, and that is what you will find here. Voluptuous plum, cherry liqueur and apricot lingers on the palate, robed in creamy tannins with a light, cleansing citrus note slipping in on the finish.   La Famille Perrin is an icon in France’s Rhone, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape lies near the more southerly end of the region. Perrin’s flagship Chateauneuf is the Chateau de Beaucastel which they make from the very best of their fruit. ’Les Sinards’ is made from younger vines in the Beaucastel vineyard, along with fruit from properties nearby. It is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah, and is aged in large wooden vats called “foudres” for a year before bottling.  While the wine has boldness, heft, and great length, it also has some silky textured elegance borne on flavours of currant and plum with sweet spices and herbal notes of tobacco, bay and cedar.     Amarone, the flagship of Italy’s Veneto is made in the Appassimento method by first drying the grapes, sometimes for as long as 120 days! This concentrates the flavours and results in a much richer wine. The wine is then aged for a minimum of two years in wood. In Zenato’s case, the wine ages a full 36 months. The Zenato Amarone di Valpolicella is gorgeous.  It offers sumptuous flavours of Marasca cherry and prune accompanied by accents of mocha, licorice, and spice. The aftertaste is long and satisfying. The process also results in higher alcohol, with the wine coming in at 16%. Be sure to drink some water along with it!     This Amarone spends 15 to 20 days on its skins, extracting colour and flavour…but that’s not the end of the skins! In a process called “ripasso”, the newly made Valpolicella is poured over the skins to undergo a second enriching fermentation. Zenato‘s Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore spends a week on those skins prior to 18 months aging in oak. Richer than most Ripassos, it offers layered flavours of dark cherry and plum, with accompanying notes  of chocolate, spice and orange, all wrapped up in a creamy texture. Sometimes Ripasso is described as a ‘Baby Amarone’ – that is exactly what you have here. In case you think a full bottle is too much for you, we do have the Masi Costasera Amarone available in the half bottle.  It would be a great, ‘smaller’ alternative. I am confident that, with your dry-aged ribeye – or any of our other steaks – your choice of one of the wines above will make your experience a true highlight. Enjoy!

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Vincent Greco is born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie. His years of newspaper wine columns and wine radio segments have made him the local expert on wines and pairings. Watch for his articles in our newsletter suggesting wines to pair with our menu and feature offerings.