In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2007 Tapteil Syrah Spilya Vineyard
The Food
Hunter got back out of the kitchen for this one. In the chef's words:
getting the most from our pantry and cellar
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Paired Up: Syrah and Double Plum Chicken
The Food
Monday, January 30, 2012
Paired Up: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chunky Chicken Chili
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2007 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon
We got this bottle of Januik Cabernet Sauvignon back in April during our visit to the winery. It's been laying in our wine rack since then, just waiting for the right moment. We chose it for this meal because, well, why not? We really just wanted to drink a Cab; this Cab was lying there. Yes, sometimes it really is that simple! It decanted for an hour or so before we tasted it.
The Food
Hunter stayed out of the ki... wait, no. This was Hunter's creation. In the chef's words:
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Paired Up: Sangiovese and a Smorgasbord
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2008 Yellow Hawk Cellar Sangiovese (Columbia Valley)
On the final day of our first trip to Walla Walla, we stopped in at Yellow Hawk Cellars. Sadly, that would be our one and only visit as they have since closed up shop. At that visit, though, the wines were good and the prices were great, so we grabbed a couple bottles. When we got home, the 2007 Sangiovese became an early favorite of the trip of ours, and we bought several more bottles at Metropolitan Market. It was also one of the first wines that sent us out looking for online wine reviews and wine blogs. Washington Wine Report has selected a couple of the older vintages of this wine as recommended Thanksgiving wines, and we have generally found that Sangiovese is a food-friendly wine that goes with most anything. We put that to the test here.
This bottle was bought shortly before Thanksgiving last year and has been in the wine rack in our living room since then. It decanted for as long as it took us to heat everything up, so about 15-20 minutes. That was sufficient for this wine, and popping and pouring probably wouldn't be bad either.
The Food
After working out, we needed something quick, and we needed to use up leftovers. So, we put together this smorgasbord!
The Wine
2008 Yellow Hawk Cellar Sangiovese (Columbia Valley)
On the final day of our first trip to Walla Walla, we stopped in at Yellow Hawk Cellars. Sadly, that would be our one and only visit as they have since closed up shop. At that visit, though, the wines were good and the prices were great, so we grabbed a couple bottles. When we got home, the 2007 Sangiovese became an early favorite of the trip of ours, and we bought several more bottles at Metropolitan Market. It was also one of the first wines that sent us out looking for online wine reviews and wine blogs. Washington Wine Report has selected a couple of the older vintages of this wine as recommended Thanksgiving wines, and we have generally found that Sangiovese is a food-friendly wine that goes with most anything. We put that to the test here.
This bottle was bought shortly before Thanksgiving last year and has been in the wine rack in our living room since then. It decanted for as long as it took us to heat everything up, so about 15-20 minutes. That was sufficient for this wine, and popping and pouring probably wouldn't be bad either.
The Food
After working out, we needed something quick, and we needed to use up leftovers. So, we put together this smorgasbord!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Paired Up: Malbec and Chicken Fajitas
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2007 Hightower Cellars Malbec Red Wine Estate Grown (Red Mountain)
Malbec got its start as a component in Bordeaux blends, but found its way to being a stand-out stand-alone varietal via South America. It has since begun to rise as a solid grape for Washington. As with our Pinot Noir and salmon pairing, we tried to mesh together some semblance of climactic familiarity between the wine and dishes on this one. The (very!) spicy fajitas we assembled come with southwest flavor suited to a dry, hot climate. This wine comes from the estate fruit of Hightower Cellars, grown in one of Washington's warmest AVAs - Red Mountain, whose southwest exposure makes for long days of hot sun.
We bought the wine at Fred Meyer the day we made the dinner and decanted it for only about 15-20 minutes while veggies were cut. It definitely got better as it aired out, so a longer decant would help it smooth the edges.
The Food
Fajitas are a relatively easy and fool-proof meal to make, so many people have their own versions of how it's done. That is certainly the case for us, so we paired up our cooking skills to make a truly collaborative dinner. Katy had an idea that she wanted to try for the chicken, so she took that on while Hunter brought the heat with the veggies. Being a meal borne of teamwork, and Katy ever being a fan of creating a shorthand word, this dish has been given the name "Aqueminitas".
The Wine
2007 Hightower Cellars Malbec Red Wine Estate Grown (Red Mountain)
Malbec got its start as a component in Bordeaux blends, but found its way to being a stand-out stand-alone varietal via South America. It has since begun to rise as a solid grape for Washington. As with our Pinot Noir and salmon pairing, we tried to mesh together some semblance of climactic familiarity between the wine and dishes on this one. The (very!) spicy fajitas we assembled come with southwest flavor suited to a dry, hot climate. This wine comes from the estate fruit of Hightower Cellars, grown in one of Washington's warmest AVAs - Red Mountain, whose southwest exposure makes for long days of hot sun.
We bought the wine at Fred Meyer the day we made the dinner and decanted it for only about 15-20 minutes while veggies were cut. It definitely got better as it aired out, so a longer decant would help it smooth the edges.
The Food
Fajitas are a relatively easy and fool-proof meal to make, so many people have their own versions of how it's done. That is certainly the case for us, so we paired up our cooking skills to make a truly collaborative dinner. Katy had an idea that she wanted to try for the chicken, so she took that on while Hunter brought the heat with the veggies. Being a meal borne of teamwork, and Katy ever being a fan of creating a shorthand word, this dish has been given the name "Aqueminitas".
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Paired Up: Syrah and Chicken Cordon Bleu
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2007 Walter Dacon C'est Syrah Beaux (Columbia Valley)
When we cook, we usually set the menu and then try to pick out a wine to complement it. This time, we flipped it around, picking out this Syrah from Walter Dacon Wines in Shelton, WA. We happened upon Walter Dacon on our way home from the coast last summer, and spent a lovely afternoon on their patio sipping on a couple of their Syrahs after tasting through their lineup of mostly Rhône-intensive wines.
The wines that we purchased at the winery that day, along with a bottle we picked up at a wine shop on the coast, inspired us to get a little serious about it and order a wine fridge. After a few days, we got the wine fridge in and running, so this bottle has been resting there for a little over half a year. In a nice change from our norm, we got a proper 2-hour decant in before tasting this one.
The Food
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of our successful-though-somewhat-unexpected pairing of pork and Cabernet Franc, we bypassed the surefire dishes of lamb or beef and made Chicken Cordon Bleu with green beans on the side. Katy handled the main course while Hunter prepared the beans.
The Wine
2007 Walter Dacon C'est Syrah Beaux (Columbia Valley)
When we cook, we usually set the menu and then try to pick out a wine to complement it. This time, we flipped it around, picking out this Syrah from Walter Dacon Wines in Shelton, WA. We happened upon Walter Dacon on our way home from the coast last summer, and spent a lovely afternoon on their patio sipping on a couple of their Syrahs after tasting through their lineup of mostly Rhône-intensive wines.
The wines that we purchased at the winery that day, along with a bottle we picked up at a wine shop on the coast, inspired us to get a little serious about it and order a wine fridge. After a few days, we got the wine fridge in and running, so this bottle has been resting there for a little over half a year. In a nice change from our norm, we got a proper 2-hour decant in before tasting this one.
The Food
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of our successful-though-somewhat-unexpected pairing of pork and Cabernet Franc, we bypassed the surefire dishes of lamb or beef and made Chicken Cordon Bleu with green beans on the side. Katy handled the main course while Hunter prepared the beans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)