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 spicy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spicy. 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:
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Paired Up: Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend and Chipotle Steak
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2007 Fjellene Cellars The North Col Blend
We picked this bottle up at the winery during Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla. Our wine group had not been to Fjellene and wanted to check it out this time around. We all came away very impressed by the array of smooth, fruity wines on offer. We have found that we are suckers for Merlot-Cabernet Franc blends, so we grabbed a bottle of this 50-50 mix. Having had success with this type of blend paired with steak before, we selected this one to partner with a different style of steak. It was on our rack for a few weeks before we tabbed it for this meal. It decanted while the meal was prepared - so, not very long - but didn't show any tightness on the nose.
The Food
Hunter stayed out of the kitchen once again. In Katy's words:
The Wine
2007 Fjellene Cellars The North Col Blend
We picked this bottle up at the winery during Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla. Our wine group had not been to Fjellene and wanted to check it out this time around. We all came away very impressed by the array of smooth, fruity wines on offer. We have found that we are suckers for Merlot-Cabernet Franc blends, so we grabbed a bottle of this 50-50 mix. Having had success with this type of blend paired with steak before, we selected this one to partner with a different style of steak. It was on our rack for a few weeks before we tabbed it for this meal. It decanted while the meal was prepared - so, not very long - but didn't show any tightness on the nose.
The Food
Hunter stayed out of the kitchen once again. In Katy'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".
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Paired Up: Viognier and Spicy Seared Sole
In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.
The Wine
2009 Rulo Viognier (Walla Walla Valley)
We had this dish with tilapia in place of the sole a few weeks ago and paired it with a Gewürztraminer, which worked out pretty well. This time, we opted for a Viognier, hoping that it would complement the cayenne kick that we are on.
The bottle was purchased at Metropolitan Market in Lower Queen Anne. We found Rulo's 2007 Syrah outstanding and were looking forward to seeing what they could do with the other Northern Rhône grape. After purchase, the wine was stored in our wine fridge for about 3 weeks. We took it out, twisted off the cap and poured within minutes of our initial tasting.
The Food
After Hunter made a rare trip to the chef's table for our first blog go-round, Katy made her triumphant return to the kitchen. In the chef's words:
Once again, we went to Martha for the jumping off point of our meal. The recipe calls for a firm white fish fillet (skinless), beets and broccoli. We left the decision of the type of fish to our local Metropolitan Market fish selection, and as they were fresh out of tilapia, went for the nice looking (and cheaper than the halibut by a whole lot!) sole fillet. As for the beets, I fancy myself a bit of a plate artist, and enjoy adding as much color as possible, so I went for a purple and a golden.
The Wine
2009 Rulo Viognier (Walla Walla Valley)
The bottle was purchased at Metropolitan Market in Lower Queen Anne. We found Rulo's 2007 Syrah outstanding and were looking forward to seeing what they could do with the other Northern Rhône grape. After purchase, the wine was stored in our wine fridge for about 3 weeks. We took it out, twisted off the cap and poured within minutes of our initial tasting.
The Food
After Hunter made a rare trip to the chef's table for our first blog go-round, Katy made her triumphant return to the kitchen. In the chef's words:
Once again, we went to Martha for the jumping off point of our meal. The recipe calls for a firm white fish fillet (skinless), beets and broccoli. We left the decision of the type of fish to our local Metropolitan Market fish selection, and as they were fresh out of tilapia, went for the nice looking (and cheaper than the halibut by a whole lot!) sole fillet. As for the beets, I fancy myself a bit of a plate artist, and enjoy adding as much color as possible, so I went for a purple and a golden.
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