Creation visits Norway

Creation’s Carolyn Martin recently attended the Sandefjord Vinfestival in Norway which is celebrated in June every year. En route she was invited to a very special dinner at the home of Geir Salvesen and Gunnhild Bjørnsti in Oslo. Geir, a veteran wine writer and wine consultant is also an umami fundi with no less than five books on the subject to his credit.

Carolyn tells more: What a fabulous opportunity to brush up on my knowledge of umami and the role of umami in wine and food pairing. Literally translated umami of course means ‘good taste’ and is regarded by many as the fifth taste – after bitter, salty, sour and sweet.

There are three main types of umami: glutamate which is found in seaweed, inosinate which is found in fish and guanylate which is found in mushrooms. According to Geir the secret is finding the right balance on the plate. Protein, oil, fat and low pH or high acidity food combinations are ideally suited to pairing with wine – they make wine shine!

Two gorgeous examples are the cured leg of lamb with mozzarella and tomatoes served with the Creation Reserve Chardonnay and the salted cod pan fried in burnt butter with king oyster mushrooms and shallots which we enjoyed with the Creation Pinot Noir. As Geir put it: “Umami is like food therapy, it is kind to the body, mild and after eating, it is not heavy on your stomach.” I discovered a new meaning for ‘deliciousness’ – it is about feeling good after eating! Real inspiration and needless to say, I can’t wait to implement my newly acquired knowledge.


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