Pig and Tiger

Pig and Tiger, Taiwanese inspired restaurant here in Denver on California Street. >> Today we have Sam and Justin visiting us here at Pig and Tiger. They are going to see which wine tastes best with the cold sesame noodles. >> And we're going to do three blind wines contain sulfites. I knew it.

It's kind of drink you could drink all day. >> Welcome to three blind wines. [Music] Let's say yellow, golden in the glass, clean, vibrant on the nose. It's got this beautiful kind of white flower. I would say lemon lime characteristic.

Uh green apple, you know, um no noticeable oak or anything like that. In Australia, we've got um splice ice creams and it's like lime icy pole on the outside with vanilla ice cream on the inside. It kind of tastes like that really or smells like that.

I haven't taste it yet. It's really really gorgeous. really refreshing squeeze of lemon juice on the wine that could go so nicely with a lot of those Asian spices. [Music] >> Oh yeah. Really, really good.

There's like a hint of salted honey, very ripe lemon, a little bit of lime zest. It's really really tasty. Great acidity, silky kind of mouth feel, but definitely that vein of acidity is really direct and fresh.

Oops, spilled it. Wine number one, a tinge of green, like slightly bronzy citrus, like I smell like a little bit of hay, like citrus and green apple almost. I would definitely say like a little bit of lime on the nose.

Probably has a lot of acid um in this wine. [Music] nicely balanced. Definitely has a lot of acid. Even just talking right now, I can just feel like the sides of my mouth pucker a little bit.

There's a nice little bit of like salinity to it as well. It hits the back of your palette, which is really nice. So, this would be like a really great wine to drink with something that's like a little bit fattier.

Definitely say this is like a new world wine. [Music] >> Like golden apple tart almost lemon pathy on the back end. You have that minerality coming through. Um, but it's definitely you can tell that it's not from Germany with it's like riper fruit almost this I don't even know how to explain it at the moment but yeah like golden apple like a fresh crisp golden apple but then you get the lemon and the acid in the back. >> I'm going to say this is rezling.

I'm going to say it's from Germany possibly Mosul. I'm going to say it's a pretty lovely little wine. So it's got a little bit of age to it.

Maybe 21 or 22. >> I'm going to go Shannon Blanc. And it's going to be New World, so like uh Czech or something like that. Czech Republic.

Bottle price, I would say, is going to be $18. Probably around about $45 at your local Mr. Be's bottle shop. >> Second wine.

Pretty clear for a red wine. I couldn't tell you what color it is. Maybe apple, maybe cherry.

Who knows? Off the smell alone, it smells like it would be like a I don't know. Dark fruits.

I get cherries for sure. I get like a little cherry cola on the smell. Probably could be a little bit lighter on the palette or I hope so at least.

This is super tasty. Um has like a nice peppery note on the first on your first sip and kind of really just hits like sits on the side of your palette which is really nice. the acidity and tannins kind of stay. The tannins just like sit on the top of your palette and you kind of get to taste the fruit itself the whole way through which is really nice.

I would say like I would want to probably just drink this by itself and not really eat anything with it. Slightly a little bit kind of dusty in the glass. Um but it does have this beautiful kind of burgundy color cherry like feels a little dense in the glass actually.

So, it is translucent. So, it's a little thin skin, right? Thin skin, variety.

Can I put a towel, please? I got a bit vigorous with my swirls. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

This is Ashley, everyone. Sorry. [ __ ] amateur over here. On the nose, you're getting a little spice characteristic.

You get definitely getting kind of a little riper cherry, you know, and red cherry. Add that. Little dirty, you know.

We like a little dirtiness in the wines. There's a natural smell. I don't really know what the word is.

Let's call it a little kind of woke smell, which is really appealing. It kind of reminds me of kind of stewed rhubarb. It also makes me feel like I'm in the mountains when I smell it and I'm wearing other people's dreadlocks.

On the pallet, nice acidity, juicy, fresh, kind of cherryike. It's really uplifted in the glass, but there's nothing too too natural about it. So, it it it drinks really really nicely, but definitely the softness of the fruit is really there.

Delicious. Some cherry notes. I would say more bright cherries, first of the season cherries than where you would get more of that ripe or fresher cooked.

This is I would say almost a little slightly underripe, minimally touched. There's not a lot of oak on it. It's probably older barrels.

I mean, I would crush a whole bottle myself. It's game >> a ganache. >> Could be California or it could be French, but I'm going to lay it on think and say it's French >> somewhere in France. My my guess is >> not nevo, but it is from a really reputable producer.

Um it could be from like a renier or mong, but I'm going to say it's a red bojlet 23. Get it into you. It's really good.

Bottle price for this red is going to be 23 because it's French and you know they got to be they got to be expensive. >> It's kind of drink you could drink all day. Maybe even where you're sitting by the pool in your speedos. That's kind of the wine I'm getting out of this thing.

So delish wine number three. Slightly darker as you can see all you folks out there and the information super highway. Can you see that?

So a little bit more dense. Um, so when it's a bit more dense like that, you can kind of say that it's it's got like uh a thicker skin or it's been merated for a little bit more longer time. When I say merated, it means skin contact.

The juice has been in contact with the skins. It's definitely denser, very dark brooding color. Um, you don't get this color much.

And I'm I am kind of comparing it against a brown background, but you don't really see much rosiness to it. Not really giving me much on the nose. I'd say it's like more dark plum, black plum.

Um, there's a there's a hint of like stalky character, like dark forest. Uh, it's moody, like a like a a very dark children's fairy tale. There's a bitterness to it.

I find like maybe a little kind of chocolatey characteristic. So, bit of chocolate, dark fruit on the palette. That's what we've been waiting for.

That's why we're here. Okay. High acid, soft tannins.

Could be a blend of something. Zin kind of ganache kind of characteristic. Wow.

But the fruit is so clean. That's definitely cleaner than me. You know, slight grippy tannon.

Nothing too over the top. Blood plum characteristic. I would say I'm a little confused.

Wine number three. This one is definitely darker than the second one. You definitely get like a lot of like merated fruits in this.

Like kind of like I would I'm almost smelling like masserated um raspberries like if they've been like lightly cooked uh slightly muddled. There's a little funk on the back end which is really nice. That one's really cool. the like uh funk that I was saying like is on the back back end.

You really can kind of taste it on that first sip which is really nice. Uh it's like probably mediumbodied for sure. There's a little bit of tannin.

I would say there's probably more tannin in the second one than there is in the first one. I would probably go as say that this is a Cabernet. Actually, no.

I'm going to say yeah, I'm going to go Nero Diablo. This is probably not right at all, but it does give me like some like new like newish Italian style uh wines on my what I think of at least >> juicy. Uh still bright, a little bit richer than the the second wine.

This is like a dark red cherry almost maybe slightly stewed violet a little bit of floralness and the minerality from the granite comes through. >> Maybe a Zinfendol kind of blend or maybe a ganache blend. Maybe I'll stick with ganache. Let's say ganache.

Uh might be a couple of other grape varieties in there. It's got high acid soft tannent. It's pretty juby like um like um lolly lolly like confected kind of style but there is a sour kind of picked eariness to the fruit which is really charming and I think that's that's a really really stunning little wine.

So all these wines have a little hint of sweetness, like a little, you know, when you get highlights in your hair, you're just like, "Ooh, here I am today." I think all these wines across the board have that. Um, but they're all very clean with really fresh acidity, good structure. So that's all you need. >> I'm going to say that this wine is Nero Diablo at Italy.

And I'd say the price point of this is going to be 28. I've been given the bag and we're going to unveil. I remember I said Rezling.

What is it? What is it? What is it?

What is it? What is it? Revolution.

It is. Oh, it is a Rezling. Ego Müller is a Mosul producer, isn't he? >> It is.

But >> but it's not. It's in Slovenia. >> Yeah, Slovakia. >> Slovakia. Slovakia.

So, Chat Bella Slovakian little wine. Egon moola's little uh collab with air petre pet I think probably plays in goals for Chelsea. No that's Peter Czech sorry or did playing in goals for Chelsea.

Really good reasoning. Hey I was lucky enough to drink this rezling last summer I was in at pig and tiger hence I should have guess it but I knew it tasted really delicious. That was fabulous.

I love German relings and obviously it goes very well with all Asian food, but my family is from Slovakia, so this just hits all the notes. I think it's great. It drinks well.

It's tasty. Sick. Contains sulfites.

I knew it. Slovakia. Uh, what is this?

Which? Oh, Rezling. Should have known.

That's why Sam was so happy about it. Sam's favorite style wine. Rezling, baby. especially early in the morning.

I for sure was wrong. I did say it was New World for sure, but um I definitely said it was Shannon Blanc. Wrong. >> Wrong.

I'm going to go three for three today. Feel good. Feel good. >> Oh man, it's really acidic. >> It's definitely why Sam loved it so much. >> And now we're going for our second bag. >> Oh, no way.

Grigalino from Pom. We should have got that as well. That's delicious little grinino.

Uh it's nice and light. Wow. Okay.

So, that's not me. But gorgeous little wine. 2024. Fabulous.

Uh Mirando Silvio does a really nice job out of Pumog. Crino is like a darling of a grape variety. >> I don't know how to read a bottle. >> Am I right? Greek is for peanino.

No, the wizard. Uh, what what grape varietal would that be? >> It's an indigenous grape, too. It's very unique. >> Oh, cool.

Is it like there's like a sister or brother of like this this grape that >> I would be able to recognize or is it just like Italy and I don't recognize anything? >> I mean, it's indigenous crepe to Pedmont. Juicy. >> Well, wrong. But super tasty.

This one would probably be good with like u if you throw a little Coca-Cola into it. >> Are you drinking cherry cola or are you drinking wine? >> Wine number two is Grenolino from Pinante. Super light crisp. These are native grapes grown there.

This producer uh it's a four generations now. They've producing this wine. From what I was reading, what we were told is this grape has a lot of seeds.

So if you extract or press really hard, you're going to extract all those tannins. So, they do a very gentle pressing and a very gentle uh fermentation process to give you that crisp color, that lighter color. This is definitely a food wine.

I think it's great on our menu. It pairs well with everything from mapo tofu, cold sesame noodles to even any of our meteor dishes like our LA beef roll. And it is it is G.

Wow, that sucks. Uh so game 2023. So I guess game for one number two and got that wrong.

But G game is wine number three. Uh beautiful from Morgone. What's the producer?

I haven't drunk this one before. >> So do that pop yet from >> Yeah. Morgan in. Okay. >> Wow.

That's stunning. Really stunning little wine. Love it.

I said Nero de Aa. And this is uh definitely not that. It's bojlet. >> Yep.

It's a game. >> Oo game. Wine number three, game from Bojlet Corsellet. It's a 2023.

Minimally touched, call it more of a natural wine. They we won't call it full natty in the idea that it's oxidized or any of that, but they're just very low intervention throughout the whole entire process from uh where they're grown to how it's fermented and then how it's bottled. Game is a great food wine as well, especially as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

Every Thanksgiving meal should have a game o nuvo or an older style like this. Um I like them. Our whole team likes them. >> Well, I guess I'll have to try to win next time because Sam beat me this time. >> For Justin and Sam, we did our cold sesame noodles. [Music] Classic chewy, bouncy Chinese style noodles. sesame sauce, a little bit of chili oil with cucumber, radish, and a little bit of pickled peach mushrooms with some crispy shallots. >> Smells so good. >> Smells [ __ ] gross. >> Yeah.

I mean, just from the smell alone, I feel like the reasoning is going to be is going to probably go the best with it. Honestly, this third one might actually be uh Why are you using chopsticks like that? >> I don't know. I don't know.

This is like This is >> longevity. >> This is how we got taught in Australia. I think the third one actually might be the best. >> The the game. >> Yeah. [Music] This is my best Marco Pierre White impression. You know what?

This dish says a lot about your personality. It says that you like flavor. Anyway, this is really >> This is incredible. >> Still thinking about the flavors. >> Yeah, the reasoning is banging with it.

This is probably the best breakfast war I had in a long, long time. Wine number two could be pretty good cuz I think wine number two will start to bring out more of those kind of those aromatic notes. What it really comes down to is like what what do you really drink wine for, right?

Like the reason is great because I think it cuts through all the fat and it cuts through like all the flavors. You start getting a little more of like the peppery notes or any like the small like like sesame. I mean I think like if you're really in it for the wine and not the food, I think like for sure the second one is a little bit better because you actually get to start tasting a little more of like the actual fruit itself.

One number two brings out these aromatics which is like probably classic Italian where it's high acid definitely fruit. You need food with it. I don't know if you need food for the second one.

I said that the at the beginning. I think that the second one you can just drink by itself and I'd be really happy with it. I weirdly I'm going to say the third I like the best. >> I'm going to have a crack of that one.

Yeah. >> It gives me like a little bit of like uh cherry cola vibes. You love cherry cola, don't you? [Music] Honestly, this is the best cold noodle dish that I've had hands down anywhere. Like the noodles are just like perfectly cooked.

They got a good chew to them. >> That watermelon radish gives it a little bit of pepperiness, like a little bit of spice, but also a hint of sweetness, like >> cucumber. cucumber. You know what I mean? It hits it on every level for sure. >> It could always be better.

And we're always tweaking our recipe, but I've been making this cold sesame noodle dish in one variation or another since 2013, and it's just come a long way since then. Come check us out. Uh we're new.

We're one month in. Excited to be open in Denver, Colorado. >> I'm going to go with number three. I think that's my uh favorite pairing with it >> because I'm an absolute Reisling [ __ ] >> I'm going to say The Reasoning. >> Yeah, but the reasoning just cuts through all of it.

It's like an in excess song on a mixtape. You know what I mean? It's the one you choose cuz it's so good. >> That's what you choose. >> Yeah.

Yeah. Just cut through the rest. I am going to say the reasoning >> cuz I love raising. >> I'm going to go wine number three.

I think it's just a better balanced wine with the meal. >> Sam's wrong. I win this one. [Music] Come on. Come on.