Wine of the New World F18

Basque Style Chicken w/ Creamy Polenta

Description: Prepared in the style of the Basque region in Spain’s, which is seared on all side until golden brown then simmered in a hot pan with onions, pepper, tomatoes and severed with creamy polenta to soak up taste but also helps cut the spice of the chicken.

Three Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Oaked Chardonnay

The Sauvignon Blanc would go good with this dish because it is a crisp and aromatic wine that I think would pair well with a dish that mildly spicy. The word Sauvignon Blanc means “Wild White” and it became popular because of winemakers in The Lorie Valley and Bordeaux in France, its herbaceous and green flavors made it nothing like Chardonnay or any other white wine. New World Sauvignon Blanc tends to be fuller-bodied, herbaceous, higher in alcohol content, less flinty/earthy with more fruit driven notes. Old World Sauvignon is lower in alcohol, earthier, mineral and rustic.

New World region that make Sauvignon Blanc is the USA, mainly Sonoma and Napa Valley California with 40,000 acres, Chile with about 31,000 arcs, South Africa with 23,500 and Australia with 17,500. New Zealand is the largest producer in the New World with about 50,000 acres of Sauvignon Blanc, Even though they produce 1% of the world wine. Fruits flavor you would get from a Sauvignon Blanc are Lime, grapefruit, passion fruit and kiwi and aromas of tarragon, gooseberry, lemongrass, bell pepper, jalapeño and fresh cut grass. New Zealand has 7 regions that create Sauvignon Blanc and those 7 regions are split between the North Island and The South Island. In the North Island the climate is warmer with milder growing conditions, so in the region of Gisborne their wines may have the aroma of a ripe pineapple and a citrus aroma of Lemon lime. In the South Island the climate is cooler, so in the region of Marlborough which is the main growing area in New Zealand there wine are stronger and vibrant in flavor with high acidic.

Menu item: Basque Style Chicken with Creamy Polenta

Description: Chicken pan seared till golden brown and cooked in a rich sauce along with a creamy polenta to add a soft texture and umami factor.

Three Wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay from California would be a good fit for this dish because of its light fruit taste of both apple, pear, and pineapples that comes clean on both the nose and palate, as well as its refreshing and dry taste which acts as a palate cleanser. The Chardonnay should have a nice vanilla and nutty smell as well as taste due to its fermentation in oak. The wine has a vinous taste making it unique because it is a young wine at two years old, it has light white pepper that is short on the palate and present also on the nose. This Chardonnay is well balanced and has a short finish. The wine is a nice light canary yellow and is day bright.

California as a wine region benefits by being surrounded by mountains. The mountains protect the vines from extreme weather as well as provide an air conditioning type of coolness for the grapes when the temperature increases, certain areas in California are affected by dinural temperatures due to the mountains ranges, this helps stress the vines making them stronger and allowing them to produce great grapes which makes great wines. California also has something called a Marine Layer. The marine layer is a thick fog that rolls around in the morning and sits above the vines, the layer provides moisture as well as a cooling source for the grapes at high temperatures. California is also home to many different soils, each soil contributes something different to each vine such a rich wine or a more aromatic and light wine. All these great things contribute to why California is not only a great wine growing region, but also the region that produces the most wine.(81-88% of all wines produced comes from California)