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".

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.

Paired Up: Cabernet Franc and Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.

The Wine

2008 Mount Baker Vineyards Cabernet Franc Proprietor's Limited Release (Yakima Valley)

Rather than stick with the rule of thumb and grab out a Chardonnay to pair with pork, we decided to test out a Cabernet Franc. Cab Franc is more delicate than its Sauvignon cousin, so the thought was that it wouldn't overpower the food.

We picked this bottle up a couple days ago from Market Cellar Winery, where Mount Baker Vineyards and Winery currently has a tasting room set up, which we visited Saturday. We decanted the wine (in our brand-new decanter!) for 30 minutes while cooking the meal.

The Food

As eluded to, we had pork. More specifically, we had honey-glazed pork chops and squash. The recipe came from Everyday Food.