Argentina v Switzerland
Argentina: although Argentina has been making and drinking wine for centuries, its emergence as a wine-producing country of international importance is relatively recent. Throughout most of the twentieth century, its wine was cheap and for domestic consumption only, for which there was quite a demand - in the late 1970s, the average Argentinian drank 100 litres of wine a year (now down to around 30 litres). The late 1980s, as Argentina haltingly recovered from years of economic depression and military rule, saw a shift in the wine industry: production was lowered and quality raised to produce wine good - and expensive - enough to export. The success of this initative was led by the popularity of Malbec, at the time a relatively obscure French grape. In Argentina, it grows high up in the Andes, at altitudes of 1,000m or more, ideal for the grape as the cold nights and hot days allow a long ripening season which brings out the qualities not always evident in the more moderate French climate.Catena Alta Historic Rows Chardonnay 2011 (£18)
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Switzerland: it's rare to see Swiss wine; this rich, insular country had strict import laws to protect its industry until fairly recently, meaning that the wine industry existed to serve itself. It does produce quite a bit of wine, though most of the country is too high. Swiss wine is quite different from German or Austrian, as it has lower acidity and greater use of malolactic fermentation, resulting in much softer, creamier wines. Chasselas is a white grape which accounts for up to 60% of total wine production, while the main black grape is Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder).
Domaine Lupin Frangy Roussette de Savoie 2013 (c.£13)
As I didn't expect Switzerland to get this far into the tournament and to be featuring a Swiss wine, I didn't have time to get hold of one. This wine is made right on the Swiss border in the French area of Savoie; the grape is Roussette, also known as Altesse, the highest quality grape in the region. Although the grape is little grown in Switzerland, the nutty apple creaminess (from a little bit of MLF) of the wine gives an indication at least of what Swiss white wine tastes like at its best.wine result lean sophistication from the Argentinian Chardonnay against a fruity creaminess from the substitute wine. Argentina 2-1 Switzerland
actual result a defensive performance from Switzerland nearly paid off, but Argentina pulled off a very late victory thanks to the genius of Lionel Messi. Argentina 1-0 Switzerland (aet)
Belgium v USA
Belgium: Belgian beer is perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most inventive, beer in the world. Although Belgian beer, with its Trappist monastery breweries, may seem very traditional, it's only the last 150 years or so that styles with which we are now familiar have emerged. Having said which, whatever familiarity you feel with Belgian beer will always be upset by the first taste of a lambic or gueuze: these are complex, ageworthy beers to be appreciated in the same way, for instance, vintage Madeira should be.Saison Dupont (c.£2)
A "saison" is one of the many different styles of Belgian beer, in this case brewed in spring deliberately hoppy and seasoned with herbs in order to be drinkable throughout the long summer months for the workers in the fields. Dupont are the great traditional brewer of saison (although only established in the 1920s) and the standard against which any other saison should be judged: citrus fruits, a balanced bitter hoppiness, an appealing funkiness on the nose, refreshingly dry, delicate yet complex. Particularly recommended with goat's cheese.USA: the first time I visited the US as an adult, I was in dread of what I would drink while I was there: Coors Light, Miller Draft (sic), Budweiser (sic), and other local variants of some of the worst beer (sic) in the world. The first few hours at a bowling alley confirmed all my worst fears: the only beer available was Budweiser, admittedly in a really cool pin-shaped bottle. Never has it taken so long for me to finish a drink. That still remains the only truly bad beer I've had in the US in the many times I've visited. As I discovered on that same trip thirteen years ago, the US is home to a fantastic, diverse range of microbreweries, which expand year on out and which have been influencing fledging UK breweries for some time. There are now not just American breweries making very dry, hoppy IPAs, for which the country has become known, but ones confident, and good, enough to make beers in the style of whacky, highly imaginative, seemingly inimitable Belgian oak-aged, yeast-affected, funky ales.
Stillwater Stateside Saison (c.£4)
Stillwater are a North Carolina brewery producing really interesting, distinctive Belgian-style beers - I say "Belgian style", but the beers, in their use of yeasts, carbonation, and hops, seem very particular to the brewer. Having said which, this saison (or farmhouse ale, as it's sometimes called in the US) lacked something, a bit of funkiness perhaps. Extremely drinkable, quite hoppy with bready citrus fruits, but missing the complexity I was hoping from it - though I had no goat's cheese at hand.beer result very interesting to compare two beers of the same style from a traditional and a new brewer - in this case, tradition won. Belgium 2-1 USA
actual result Belgium, a re-emerging football nation full of young players, struggled to exploit the open play of the US but just about came through due to strength in depth. Belgium 2-1 USA (aet)
The World Cup of Wine quarter-finals feature just one game, but what a contest: France v Germany
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