Bottle talk

Jun. 30—details

Susan's Fine Wines and Spirits, 632 Agua Fria St. 505-984-1582; sfwineandspirits.com

Buckle up, tailgaters: This year's operatic lineup leaves little room for light chards and cheery rosés. But that also means that the wines that match this year's operatic selections will offer the chance to make some power-forward, juicy, and, yes, sassy selections from the wine rack. Pasatiempo paid a visit to Jim Stephens, certified sommelier and wine buyer for Susan's Fine Wine and Spirits, who provided pairings designed to enhance each opera's theme and spirit. (See "Know the Score," June 16, Pasatiempo, for a guide to this year's Santa Fe Opera season.)

Tosca

You need a fiery wine to match this opera's intense, emotional highs and lows. For that, Stephens took us to Sicily's Mount Etna, an active volcanic mountain that is home to ages-old vineyards.

Try: Calcaneus Nireddu Etna Rosso ($23) — The native grape here is nerello mascalese ("It's like if a Barbaresco and a red burgundy had a love child on a volcano," Stephens says.) The Mount Etna volcanic wines have a hip following, and, Stephens says, can reflect that in price — the higher you go up the mountain, the more specific the terroir is to certain lava outcroppings. But in general, these are versatile wines that pair well with whatever is on your tailgate.

Also try: Passopisciaro Contrada S ($87) — Made by an artisan producer whose wines are exceptional at all levels, this bottle is "perfect for a tempestuous opera based on fire," Stephens says.

The Flying Dutchman

Rather than going Dutch, the focus here is on the "flying" part of this Wagner-composed opera name. For that, Stephen opts for something a little closer to Deutsch: Austria's Domäne Wachau federspiels. Translated as "feather play," federspiels are a classification of wine: "It sounds a little kinky but really it's about alcohol content," Stephens says of these wines that clock in with no more than 12.5% alcohol content. This region is also known for its falconry — and its grüner veltliner grapes, which Stephens calls "the Swiss army knife of white wines" as they pair well with everything.

Try: Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen ($24) — Stephens swears it'll even pair with asparagus and other side dishes.

Also try: Prager Hinter Der Burg Grüner Veltliner Federspiel ($45) — "These wines have depth and richness and more layers of complexity," Stephens says.

Pelléas et Mélisande

This French-language opera is a slam dunk for a French wine — Stephens suggests the Savoie region on the eastern border between France and Switzerland, where magical things happen between the wines and the cheeses. Those Swiss western Alps produce a Camembert cheese that the French, snooty though they may be, offer their high approval of it.

Try: Blard & Fils Micraster Savoie Blanc ($22) — The grape here is the alpine white jacquère, which this producer ferments in stainless barrels to preserve the freshness. "I call jacquère the ultimate party wine," Stephens says. "It's not expensive, it's delicious, and it's great by itself."

Also try: Domaine Nicolas Gonin Persan ($31) — Persan is an ancient varietal, which only existed in the Isère and Savoie regions. Winemaker Gonin's mission is to save this French red grape, which presents with tart fruits, like red currant and cranberry. Stephens adds, "It's very Burgundian."

Rusalka

For a country that produces more than 20,000 types of wines in more than a dozen wine regions in a swath roughly the size of the state of Texas, France is the queen of options when it comes to pairing with just about any opera. So we'll stay here but travel to the Burgundy Wine Region, considered to be the benchmark when it comes to toasting a fairy tale story that has a bit of a twisted backstory.

Stephens notes that, like a capricious and sassy adolescent mermaid, you never know what kind of mood you're going to encounter with a burgundy. "Good producers always make good wines, but the style can change every year, just like how an opera at one house is different when it's performed at another house," he says. "It's based on what Mother Earth gives them."

Try: Maranges La Fussière Thierry et Pascale 1er Cru, 2017 ($47) — The label has a lot to unpack, but loosely translated, this wine is made from grapes from the village of Maranges, which Stephens says is one of the most undervalued areas among the burgundies. The "fussière" or "vineyard," is 1er cru, a designation that, again, loosely translated, is "the best of the village." So it's good — very good; Stephens says you'll pick up cherry and dried currant notes (and it's snappy and refreshing, just like a teenaged water nymph). Its chalky undertone is a reflection of the limestone soil that produces it.

Also try: Louis Latour Morey-St. Denis, 2015 ($95) — If you want something more brooding and less Alan Menken, train your corkscrew on this "village-level" blend (meaning it's from a blend of parcels in the village) from Morey-St. Denis. It comes from a famous family house of winemakers who are known for their wines with clean lines and soft transitions on the palate. "It's a poem," Stephens says with a far-away look in his eye. "It's power through grace." You'll like it, too.

Orfeo

The Greek legend of Orpheus and his descent into the underworld to retrieve his dead bride practically screams for a heavyweight Italian red. "Italy is such a playland," Stephens says. He hones in on the Campania region, located in what he describes as the boot-shaped country's anklebone. The grape he suggests for this operatic pairing is the aglianico, a black grape that is native to southern Italy.

Try: Terredora Dipaolo Aglianico ($18) — This wine has its roots in the multigenerational wine-making Mastroberardino family that, Stephens says, put the Campania region on the map and made the wines accessible to American wine drinkers. However, the two sons of recent generations couldn't agree on the approach, so the patriarch gave one son the family name and the other the vineyard. The latter got the better deal, Stephens says, and the resulting wines are approachable and good at all levels.

Also try: Feudi San Gregorio Taurasi Piano Montevergine Riserva, 2014 ($51) — This is a single vineyard wine from Taurasi in Campania that manages to hold its own in an area that is known for legendary wines. "In a place dominated by monstrous wines, this one has such an element of complexity," Stevens says. "The finish goes on for days."