Wine of the New World F18

Menu: Broiled Salmon with Bearnaise sauce, w/ Pommes Natures and Sauteed Zucchini

Description: A melt in your mouth Salmon filet paired with a bearnaise sauce, where the sauce adds flavor components such as lemon and butter that ties in well with the tenderness of the salmon. Adding the pommes natures gives the dish a bit of a crispy texture and salt as well as the sauteed zucchini.

Three Wines:

Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon blend from Bordeaux, France 2015

Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley,North America 2015

Riesling from Central Otago, New Zealand 2015

The Riesling from Central Otago, New Zealand 2015 is a well balanced white wine with high acidly. On the palate it gives a clean crisp apple note with a hit of a lime zest, this will help balance with the lightness of the salmon and the lemon profile of the Bearnaise sauce. Also the slight sweetness that comes from the apple balance out the salt components from the potatoes and zucchini. Overall this wine enhance the lightness of the dish without out over-powering it.

In New Zealand, the cool climate is tailored made for white wines. Consisting of two island North and South which are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean with maritime climate, long hours daylight, temperature variation from day to night, warm daytime for grape ripening, and cooler temperatures at night for acid retention. Especially in the southern island the soil is less fertile with good drainage and the primary topographic in the south island is the Southern Alps that runs through the island.

In the South Island Central Otago is considered the southern most wine region in the world. The cool temperature of the island allows harvest to start late April. The vinification of Riesling is a complex one because in Central Otago the aromatic features are important. In some wineries such as Chard Farm the grapes are hand-picked and whole bunched pressed, which sometimes could be usually 9 hours long. The juice is extracted very slowly and gently meaning we don’t have to use anything to aid the clarifying and settling of the juice. Then small batches of Riesling are fermented with natural yeast while the others are inoculated with selected yeast. Once all components are have fermented and are balanced it is cooled to stop. Finally the lots are left on yeast lees till the end of the year to pick up texture and length, before blending and bottling for the following year.

Kolpan, S, Smith, B. H, Weiss(2010). The Culinary Institue of America. Exploring Wine. John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Society of Wine Educators(2017). Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide

http://www.chardfarm.co.nz

Baked Fish Filet with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

A tender and flakey filet of baked Hake is served atop a bed of sautéed mushrooms, shallots, tomatoes, and a fluffy rice pilaf. The dish is perfectly seasoned and topped with a drizzle of olive oil. The freshness and acidity of the tomatoes is a perfect match for the earthy and wholesome mushrooms.

Grape Varieties to Pair

Sauvignon Blanc  A rich, dry, acidic wine would pair well with the acidity of the tomatoes and the meatiness of the Hake.  Light bodied, high acid wines will express a more pronounced flavor alongside the tomatoes, compared to a Chardonnay that might lose any forward flavors and come off as flat. (Henderson, 2014)

Chardonnay A silky-rich, full bodied, barrel-aged wine would pair well with sautéed mushrooms.  A Chardonnay from a warm climate, such as California or Washington State, could also present notes of minerality similar to the earthiness we are familiar with in mushrooms.

Viognier Similar in body to Chardonnay, yet lower in acidity, a Viognier would add a nice balance to the dish.  The delicate floral notes of a Viognier, compared to that of a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, would work well with the slightly fruity, less acidic cooked tomatoes. (Wine Folly, 2016)

2014 Conundrum “25th Anniversary” California White Blend

In search for a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, I came across a bottle of 2014 Conundrum “25th Anniversary” California White Blend, a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, and Viognier, all sourced from Napa Valley, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Benito, and Tulare Counties in California (Conundrum Wines, 2018).  In color, it is more of a pale yellow than golden yellow, and its medium-plus viscosity indicates a higher alcohol content.  Aromas of jasmine and lemon hit the nose, while prominent flavors of citrus, pear, and apricot appear in tasting.  A touch of oak adds a hint of spice, and a light acidity and minerality are noted, as well.  I tasted this alongside sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, and I was pleasantly surprised at the harmonious balance of all the flavors and aromas. Along side a baked Hake, rice pilaf, and the sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, this wine would shine.

With its abundant sunshine, low humidity, mild winters, and Mediterranean climate, California has ideal conditions for viticulture. The North Coast region where this wine originates has winegrowing regions surrounded by mountains, which normally protects it from the cool air coming off the Pacific.  However, because of its geography, variations in distance from the ocean and elevation in the mountain ranges, the Mediterranean climate does vary within the valleys, creating a wide variety of grapes. (Nickles, 2017)

Sources

Conundrum Wines. (2018). The Wines. Retrieved from http://www.conundrumwines.com/wines/

Henderson, J. (2014, August 13). 5 Ways to Pair Wine with Summer’s Fresh Tomatoes. Retrieved from https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pair-wine-with-summers-fresh-tomatoes-wine-for-all-206793

Nickles, J. (2017). 2017 Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide. Society of Wine Educators.

Wine Folly. (2016, January 06). Viognier (“Vee-own-yay”) Wine Guide. Retrieved from https://winefolly.com/review/viognier-vee-own-yay-wine-guide/

Menu: Braised beef jardiniere and duchess potatoes is a rich and hearty dish. It can be compared to a beef stew with the kind of style that it use. The duchess potatoes can be compared to mashed potatoes but much lighter and airy feel to it.

Wine: Red wines would pair well with this dish. Three wines that might go well with this dish are Finca El origen malbec from argentina, Pascual Toso malbec from argentina and 14 Hands winery cabernet sauvignon from columbia valley.

Description: 14 Hands winery cabernet sauvignon is 2015 vintage. This wine from from Washington state from Columbia Valley. This wine has different wines that they blend together, 89% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot, 2% syrah and 2% of other varieties. Some of the wine tasting notes are the appearance is clean, it has a rudy color to it, it has a hint of coffee, cherries and black current notes to it.

Columbia Valley is the biggest wine region is Washington state. This states receives about 300 days of sunshine compare to Napa Valley, which only gets 260 day in a year. Columbia Valley AVA was establish is 1984 and also is located on the eastern side of Washington state and small part of Oregon. This region contain 50,316 acres of vineyard representing 99% of Washington wine country. The annual rainfall is about 6-8 inches, that means that the soil is a dry soil.

Menu Item: Broiled Salmon with Béarnaise Sauce, Pommes Natures and Sautéed Zucchini.

Description: The salmon cut into filets so when broiled skin would become crispy and the other side would be very soft to almost melt in your mouth. Paired with potatoes and sautéed zucchini the salty and seasoned well squash. Accompanied by the béarnaise sauce gives the salmon the lemon flavor to complete the whole dish.

The three wines that would go with this dish would be Pinot Gri, Moscato and Riesling.

The Pinot Gri from Oregon would pair well with this salmon dish greatly. It has white peach and apple notes which would go great with the salmon. It is a light not too light or a really sweet wine. It’s just enough to compliment every aspect of the dish. The taste lingers but not in an overpowering way. The vintage is 2014 producer is Firesteed. It is a clean medium intense wine,, medium alcohol no herbal or spice notes. It lingered in taste afterwards that I believe could push the flavors of the dish out more. It has no oak notes as well as no earthy notes. This wine has a good body its balanced and the finish is good. To me I would enjoy this wine to be great with this type of salmon dish. The region is Willamette Valley, Umpqua Valley as well.