• For our entrée, baked fish filet with tomatoes and mushrooms, we intend to create a white blended wine that is medium bodied, fruit forward and high in acidity. In order to create a wine with such qualities, these grapes should be grown in a cooler climate such as a maritime climate found on the North Fork of Long Island. The vintage should be relatively young such as 2014/2015 to give the wine clean flavors. Also, the blended grape varieties should have a well-balanced ratio in order to create a well-balanced profile. Our wine will pair well with fish, tomatoes and mushrooms. Our grapes will preferably be pressed for juices and in order to make our wine predominantly fruit forward and clean. In addition, we would like our wine to be fermented in stainless steel tanks. Finally, we will be filtering the wine utilizing bentonite clay that will naturally clarify the wine to produce clean and crisp final product.

• The server for our wine should know that our wine is grown in a cool, maritime climate which gives the wine a beautiful acidity and a crisp texture. Also, the fact that our wine is blended contributes to a unique mix of flavors that can be easily detected in different areas of the mouth which will enhance the flavors of the baked fish filet dish. At Red Hook Winery, all grapes come from the North Fork of Long Island or the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. Because of this, the grapes have an extended ripening season which creates unique and richer tasting wines.

Entrée: Baked Fish Filet with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Optimal characteristics of our wine pairing: A medium bodied, dry white wine that is fruit forward as well as floral. Preferably a white blend to pair well with the different flavors of the dish. The wine should be clean, balanced and assertive with a lingering finish. The wine should be high in acidity and lower in alcohol content. Pairing with fish, the wine should be crisp, refreshing and low in tannins.

Wine Example 1:  2014 Bridge Lane White Blend

Grape Varieties: 35% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Blanc, 20% Riesling, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% White Pinot Noir

AVA: North Fork Long Island, New York State

Vintage / Winemaking Notes -2014 saw a near perfect summer and fall with relatively warm, sunny and dry conditions. Yields were higher than average but fruit quality and concentration was extremely high. Fermented in stainless steel.

Color: Pale Straw

Tasting Notes – Medium-bodied, dry white wine with juicy acidity and lemon, tangerine and apricot notes.

Viticulture/Vinification practices:

Wine Example 2: Taste White 2015, Bedell Cellers

Grape Varieties: 64% Albariño, 18% Chardonnay,10% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Viognier

AVA: North Fork Long Island, New York State

Vintage / Winemaking Notes: The 2015 vintage was unique and exceptional. All grapes are sustainably farmed, estate grown fruit and fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Color: Pale Straw

Tasting Notes: Taste White is an intriguing blend, a terrific wine with very good depth, richness, and lots of flavor. This year’s blend works!

Wine Example 3: 2015 Coalescence, Shinn Estate

Grape Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling

AVA: North Fork Long Island, New York State

Vintage/ Winemaking: 2015, Biodynamic farming.

Tasting Notes: This tangy refreshing wine has clean vibrant citrus notes adding complexity to the fresh and juicy finish with a zing of acidity.

Viticulture/Vinification practices that effect the taste of wines:

• Harvesting– harvesting late in the season will produce a wine with higher residual sugar in the end product.
• Pressing– Pressing grapes rather than crushing grapes extracts the juices leaving the stems and grape must left in the press and giving the juice a richer, fruitier flavor profile.
• Aging– Aging wine in stainless steel tanks rather than French or American Oak will give the wine a lighter body with a crisp, clean style and additional aromatic and fruit forward flavors. Most blended wine is meant to be consumed within a year of being released. However, some blended wines can continue to develop as they age.
• Clarification- This will separate proteins within the wine which if not done could produce unwanted flavors after a certain period of time. This is an important aspect of vinification.
• Temperature– When aging white wine, the juice should be kept at temperatures between 44-52 degrees Fahrenheit. This keeps the wine healthy and keeps the flavor profile consistent.
• Botrytis– In order to prevent botrytis growing on the grapes, one has to use drying agents. In maritime climates, botrytis is very common and can affect all grape varieties.(Steve Koplan, 2010).

References

Steve Koplan, B. H. (2010). Exploring Wines. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley.