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If you are 40 years old or more, chances are you may recall the taste of a real tomato.
It has nothing to do with the red-coloured tennis balls that masquerade as the botanical fruit nutritionally categorized as a vegetable.
Round, firm and flavourless, today's hot-house produce has made a mockery of the fruit that half a century ago came in scores of colours, each with its own taste and size, all brimming with juicy flavour.
I was reminded of this last fall when I attended an extraordinary event celebrating the heritage tomato in Sonoma County. Next month, the annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival will celebrate 10 years of great taste on Sept. 9.
At the heart of the K-J tomato fest are 175 heirloom tomatoes in all colours, shapes and sizes. The tomatoes are laid on a quadrangle of tables that stretches across a large walnut grove behind the Sonoma County winery's tasting room. Each variety is displayed in the whole, along with a tasting plate of tomato pieces that is constantly replenished by an army of volunteers, feverishly slicing and dicing the various samples inside the quadrangle.
Each heirloom variety is identified by name and it's often as appealing as the fruit itself. Amana Orange, Amish Gold, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Cherokee Purple, Ding Wall, Scotty, Dixie Golden Giant, German Red Strawberry, Hawaiian Pineapple, Lemmony and Marvel Stripe are but a few of the colourful monikers.
Interestingly, the tomatoes are organized by colour intensity, from the lightest to the darkest. And even more intriguingly, Kendall-Jackson winemaker Randy Ullom says the winery's experience suggests the best wines to eat with a particular tomato are those that match its colour. Thus he would pair sauvignon blanc with white and super-light-coloured tomatoes, presumably those with a bit more acid, while the merlot and syrah are best with the sweeter or riper purple or black varieties.
And should you want to grow your own tomatoes, you can purchase the seeds to most of the heritage tomatoes on display. One bite of the Mortgage Lifter and a glass of chardonnay will soon part you from your money.
The festival is a fundraiser for the School Garden Network of Sonoma County and as well as the tasting, you can visit Bruschetta Boulevard where myriad recipes are matched with wine. Or you can stroll the outer circle of the grove and visit local food purveyors and restaurants, all playing to the tomato theme.
This year, The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook (Chronicle Books), written by cooking and garden expert Mimi Luebbermann, commemorates the event with 50 delicious recipes, as well as gardening tips for growing your own tomatoes. Today we share some of those tips on food pairing with six K-J wines you can buy in British Columbia.
Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 2005 is one of California's great chardonnay transformations. Now 100 per cent Jackson Estates-grown, this two-million-case brand continues to amaze me with its freshness and fruit aromas of mango, honey and pineapple nuances. It spends only five months in oak, lending it a fresh, mineral, citrus, peach skin demeanour. This is New Wave California chardonnay you can pair with yellow/orange tomatoes or in dishes such as the classic BLT with wood-smoked bacon.
The Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc Vintner's Reserve 2005 is the best sauvignon we have tasted yet from the VR series. The nose is fresh with fine aromatics mixing citrus and grassy, lime-rind aromas. On the palate, more lemony fruit with a mineral, seawater undercurrent gives it a touch of complexity. Serve with ripe green tomato relish and goat cheese bruschetta.
The delicious fruit you taste in the Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve 2003 is 50 per cent Sonoma sourced; the rest is a split between Mendocino and Napa. The entry is smooth and well rounded with typical cassis and black fruit and spicy, earthy cedar and blackcurrant flavours. How does soft polenta with mushrooms, oven-roasted heirloom tomatoes and sausages sound?
The Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve 2003 blends fruit from Napa and Sonoma and most of that off top benchland. Look for a rich black fruit nose with spicy cassis notes. On the palate, it's rich, ripe and round with coffee, vanilla, peppery blackberry fruit flavours and a long, smooth finish with substantial but soft tannins. Tame this with a tomato-avocado salad with garlic toasts and chevre cream.
An extended cold soak prior to fermentation continues to enhance the round, supple nature of the Kendall-Jackson Merlot Grand Reserve 2003 with its spicy black fruit nose and cedar-y, olive underbelly. Similar flavours mark the palate, flecked with cherry cola and chocolate. A delicious red to accompany grilled steak and a black tomato salad.
The star of the tasting is Highland Estates Camelot Highlands Chardonnay 2004 from Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. Stunningly rich and sophisticated, it's 100 per cent barrel fermented but by using only 35 per cent new French oak, it has both power and elegance wrapped about a tropical fruit tour de force of pineapple, mango, baked apple pie and spicy vanilla. This is the full meal deal without being over the top. One of the best California chardonnay in the market at a highly attractive price. Think crab cakes with a sweet cherry tomato and corn relish.
If Sonoma is in your September plans, tickets to the Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival are available online at www.kj.com/events/tomato-festival.
