Wine Peeps » Challenging Wine Pairing

Challenging Wine Pairing: German Chocolate Pie

LaGayle — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:02 +0000

This month I decided to do something a little different with our challenging wine pairing. Rather than do the usual pairing with a meal, we decided to do a pairing with a dessert. German chocolate pie is something that I’ve used many times as the dessert with our tasting dinners. On most occasions, I have prepared it in individual ramekins, but, for this occasion, I made it as a pie and topped each serving with whipped topping and chocolate shavings. It is not only a very delicious dessert, but it also has a pretty presentation. The main ingredients in this recipe are German chocolate and pecans.

We decided to pair the pie with a Tawny Port and a Muscat, specifically the Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Porto and the 2008 Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. Both of these wines were excellent! However, we all thought that the Tawny Port paired best with the German chocolate pie.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this dessert. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Porto (Douro Valley, Portugal): Deep garnet color. Nice nose with black plum, caramel, and toffee aromas. Black plum, toffee, caramel, honey, and raisin come through on the palate. Medium sweet and medium to full-bodied. Well-balanced with good complexity and a long, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $28.99; Available elsewhere, $21 to $30

2008 Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC, France): Pale to medium, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with honeysuckle, potpourri, and apricot on the nose. More apricot and floral notes come through on the palate. Sweet and medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $17.99 [375ml]; Available elsewhere, $14 to $15

Challenging Wine Pairing: German Chocolate Pie was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Peppered Beef Brisket

LaGayle — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:00:33 +0000

Beef brisket is usually associated with barbeque; however, at this time of year, cooking outside is not always feasible or enjoyable. Having been in the cattle business in Texas for many years, I’m especially partial to the Texas Beef Council whose website offers some great recipes. For this month’s challenging wine pairing, we had two wines that we wanted to include in one of our pairing challenges—both of which were Mourvedre. So, rather than having the usual two different varieties to compare with the meal, we tasted the same variety to determine which particular wine paired best with the brisket.

I found a brisket recipe on the beef council website that is baked in the oven rather than prepared with the more common outside cooking method. Once the main entrée was set as peppered beef brisket, I decided to round out my entire menu from recipes found on the site, including Texas caviar (made with black-eyed peas and corn), garlic flan, and kickin’ slaw (made with Napa cabbage). As you might expect from a group of Texans, we thought the meal was fabulous.

The two Mourvedres that we paired with the meal were the 2009 Rasa Vineyards Vox Populi Mourvedre and the 2008 Hollywood Hill Vineyards Mourvedre. Both wines were excellent, and we went back and forth trying to determine which we believed paired best with the peppered beef brisket. The final tally had the Vox Populi in front by a 3 to 1 margin. Really, though, you can’t go wrong with either of these wines.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Rasa Vineyards Vox Populi Mourvedre (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Mourvedre. Deep purple in color. Very aromatic with plum, game, leather, and earth on the nose. Pepper, spice, black cherry, and plum come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish. Gets even better with food.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $45; Available elsewhere, $45

2008 Hollywood Hill Vineyards Mourvedre (Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): 90% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah. Deep, purplish red. Nice nose with a lot of red fruit and floral aromas. Fruit-forward with black cherry and spice on the palate. Medium-bodied and smooth with medium to high, drying tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $34; Available elsewhere, $34

Challenging Wine Pairing: Peppered Beef Brisket was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Greek Moussaka

LaGayle — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:14 +0000

While I generally prefer flavorful but simple-to-prepare recipes, I decided to make Greek moussaka for this month’s challenging wine pairing meal. Although there are short-cut versions, I wanted to follow the standard recipe. Moussaka is a little like lasagna in that there are layers—potatoes, eggplant, cheese, ground lamb (although beef can also be used) with tomatoes and spices and topped with a béchamel sauce which is an egg custard. It is then baked until golden brown. I have to say that the dish was delicious; however, it was way too time consuming to prepare. The basic preparation required the eggplant to be sliced and salted and then allowed to set before rinsing and dredging in egg whites and breadcrumbs and baked. The potatoes had to be cooked and the lamb browned. Once everything was ready, the layering was done. Then the béchamel sauce took a while to prepare and thicken before pouring over the layers. And, finally, it had to be baked 45 to 55 minutes. Again, it was very good, so if you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, this is a dish to consider. The full menu for the dinner included a Greek salad, the moussaka, and Greek-style green beans.

When researching what wines might be served with moussaka, it was no surprise that Greek wines were recommended. However, I wanted to pair this meal with Washington State wines, so I looked in both What to Drink with What You Eat and The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to see what other wines are recommended with moussaka or Greek cuisine. I decided to pair the meal with a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Rosé so we selected the 2008 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Chinook Cabernet Franc Rosé. Both wines were very good; however, the rosé was the unanimous choice as the best pairing.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2010 Chinook Cabernet Franc Rosé (Yakima Valley, Washington): Pale, pinkish salmon in color. Aromatic with strawberry, raspberry, and floral notes on the nose. Watermelon and raspberry come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.99

2008 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, purplish red. Nice nose with black cherry and leather aromas. More black cherry as well as spice and oak come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $19.99; Available elsewhere, $17 to $30

Challenging Wine Pairing: Greek Moussaka was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi

LaGayle — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:00:23 +0000

Each month when I post about one of our challenging wine pairing meals, I ask for suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future. On several occasions, we have received requests to try Korean cuisine. While I had never prepared any Korean dishes, I decided to give it a try.

While researching Korean food and what wines to pair with it, I learned that it is often difficult to find wines that will pair well with these dishes. Korean dishes are usually high in acid, which can pose a challenge when trying to find wines that will work with them. As I started looking for wines that would go with Korean foods, I learned that most often white wines are chosen. However, since I decided to prepare a beef dish, I really wanted to find some red wines to pair with it.

Beef bulgogi is basically a marinated barbecued beef. Bulgogi means “fire meat” in Korean because it is cooked over an open flame. I marinated the meat and then cooked it on the grill. The meat and white rice were wrapped in a red leaf lettuce and served with a side dish of kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of fermented napa cabbage, radishes, green onions, and sometimes cucumbers. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor of the kimchi; it was very good and spicy.

One of the guidelines for food and wine pairing is to go for a match. Since Korean cuisine is high in acid, we decided to pair the beef bulgogi and kimchi with red wines that were also high in acid. The two acids cancel each other out and all of the other flavors come forward. We selected the 2009 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir from Oregon and the 2008 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti Le Orme Superiore from Italy. Both wines were excellent. Before we had any food, we especially enjoyed the Barbera; however, with the meal, the higher acidity in the Pinot Noir made it the consensus favorite as the best pairing.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir (Oregon): Medium-deep ruby red in color. Aromatic with red fruit, perfume, and floral notes on the nose. Sour cherry, strawberry, and floral notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with tart acidity and soft tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish. Great with food.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $23.29; Available elsewhere, $20 to $32

2008 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti Le Orme Superiore (Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Piedmont, Italy): Medium-deep ruby red in color. Nice nose with earth and red fruit aromas. Fruit-forward with ripe red fruit, especially cherry and raspberry, earth, and black licorice on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and medium, smooth tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.49; Available elsewhere, $12 to $14

Challenging Wine Pairing: Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Hot Dogs

LaGayle — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:00:47 +0000

It’s football season! So, time, again, to consider meals for watching our favorite teams on television or for tailgating before attending games. Of course, there is a wide choice of favorite foods for these events. However, hot dogs always seems to be a special favorite—easy to prepare, easy to eat, and quite enjoyable.

For this month’s challenging wine pairing, I decided to prepare hot dogs and some complementary side dishes beyond the usual choices of chips and baked beans. We enjoyed a meal of hot dogs with mustard and relish condiments, green bean salad, hominy salad, and almond crunch bars for dessert. It was delicious, if I may say so myself!

I truly believe that there is a wine to pair with every food, even hot dogs. And, my trusty guide for pairing food and wine, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, came through once again with recommendations. We selected the 2009 Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Blue Slate and the 2010 Conde de Valdemar Rosado. Both wines were very good; however, the Riesling was the consensus favorite both for sipping and with the meal. However, the rosé paired really well with the dessert; it really brought out the toasty and salty notes in the almond crunch bars. On a side note, if you like chili on your hot dogs, you might consider a red wine such as Zinfandel.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Blue Slate (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany): Pale to medium greenish yellow. Aromatic with minerality, pear, and white peach on the nose. White peach, Granny Smith apple, and mandarin orange come through on the palate. Off-dry to medium sweet and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with good mouthfeel and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $17.99; Available elsewhere, $15 to $25

2010 Bodegas Valdemar Conde de Valdemar Rosado (Rioja, Spain): 85% Garnacha and 15% Tempranillo. Hot pink in color. Nice nose with cherry, raspberry, and strawberry aromas. Reminds me of Ocean Spray cran-raspberry on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with lively acidity and a long finish. Gets better the longer its open.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $9.99; Available elsewhere, $5 to $13

Challenging Wine Pairing: Hot Dogs was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Seafood Crepes

LaGayle — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:00:07 +0000

Crepes, which originated in France, serve a variety of purposes. While many people may think of these thin pancakes for sweet dishes, they are just as popular for savory recipes.

Here in Seattle, the weather has not been as warm as it usually is at this time of year. Nevertheless, it is summertime so I wanted to have a summer menu for this month’s challenging wine pairing, no matter the temperature. We enjoyed a marinated beet salad, seafood crepes, and steamed mixed vegetables. The seafood crepes were filled with crabmeat, baby shrimp, light cream, cream cheese, green chilies, green onions, white wine, and soy sauce. When served, they were garnished with additional green onions and avocado slices. The seafood crepes were a hit with our family! If you like seafood, I highly recommend them.

After referring to my favorite guide for pairing food and wine, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, we decided to go with an Alsatian Pinot Blanc and a New Zealand Pinot Noir. We selected the 2008 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France, and the 2008 Nautilus Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand. We enjoyed both wines very much; however, the consensus favorite prior to the meal and paired with the food was the Pinot Blanc.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2008 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Blanc (Alsace, France): Medium yellow-gold. Aromatic with pear, honey, and mineral notes on the nose. Pear, lemon, tart apple, and minerality come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. A wonderful food wine.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: The Olde Wine Store (Mercer Island, Washington), $22; Available elsewhere, $17 to $26

2008 Nautilus Pinot Noir (Marlborough, New Zealand): Medium-deep ruby red. Nice nose with strawberry, raspberry, and earthy aromas. More strawberry and raspberry as well as smoke and dust come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $24.99; Available elsewhere, $20 to $25

Challenging Wine Pairing: Seafood Crepes was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Jerked Chicken

LaGayle — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00:39 +0000

This month’s challenging wine pairing was a special treat. Our friends Darren and Mardee invited us over for jerked chicken, and we did our challenging pairing with their fabulous meal. What a beautiful evening in Seattle, out on their deck, eating delicious food, drinking great wine, and spending time with wonderful friends!

Jerk is a Jamaican cooking style where the meats are either dry rubbed or wet marinated with a number of ingredients including a mixture of spices such as allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon (just to name a few), garlic, and hot peppers. Today, the usual process is to prepare a hot spicy rub and cook the meat on the grill.

The full menu for this meal included the jerked chicken topped with sour cream and roasted raspberry chipotle sauce, tri-color cheese tortellini salad, pineapple beach bread, and key lime pie for dessert.

After referring to my favorite guide for pairing food and wine, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, we decided to go with a rosé and a sparkling wine. We enjoyed the 2010 Trust Cellars Cabernet Franc Rosé from the Columbia Valley in Washington State and the 2007 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Both wines were excellent; however, the rosé was the consensus favorite with the meal while the sparkling wine was the favorite prior to having it with the food.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2010 Trust Cellars Cabernet Franc Rosé (Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium salmon-pink in color. Very aromatic with cherry, strawberry, and raspberry on the nose. More cherry as well as watermelon and pear come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced and very refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $15.99; Available elsewhere, $17

2007 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (Willamette Valley, Oregon): 63% Chardonnay and 37% Pinot Noir. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Nice nose with banana and apple aromas. Apple, pear, and a hint of pineapple come through on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied and crisp. Well-balanced with a long finish. An excellent bubbly.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $21.99; Available elsewhere, $19 to $29

Challenging Wine Pairing: Jerked Chicken was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Grilled Rockfish with Zydeco Sauce

LaGayle — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:00:03 +0000

Recently, I had a meal with blackened rockfish and enjoyed it very much. So I decided to plan a challenging wine pairing with this fish. If you are not familiar with rockfish, here are the descriptions of halibut, cod, and rockfish for comparison. Halibut has a firm-fleshed texture and mild flavor, cod has a flakey texture and a sweet, mild flavor, and rockfish is lean, delicate meat with a medium to firm texture and a sweet, nutty flavor.

While I love blackened fish of any kind, I wanted to try something different for this pairing. I grilled the fish, topped it with zydeco sauce, and then garnished it with crawfish tails and baby shrimp. Zydeco sauce is a creamy sauce made with mayonnaise, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire, dry mustard, Tabasco sauce, and red pepper flakes. It is spicy but can be prepared to your desired level of spiciness.

The full menu for this meal included a spinach salad with a white balsamic dressing, the rockfish with sauce and toppings, dirty rice, and steamed broccoli.

We decided to try the meal with a white and a red wine and selected a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir. We enjoyed the 2009 Adelsheim Pinot Gris and the 2008 Siduri Pinot Noir, both from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We enjoyed both wines very much; however, the consensus favorite prior to the meal and paired with the food was the Pinot Gris.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Adelsheim Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Pale, greenish yellow. Aromatic with green apple, pear, and a hint of lemon on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, and lime come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $13.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $21

2008 Siduri Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon): Medium-deep red. Moderately aromatic with cherry, earth, and bacon on both the nose and palate. Medium-bodied and lively with medium, soft tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $26.99; Available elsewhere, $24 to $30

Challenging Wine Pairing: Grilled Rockfish with Zydeco Sauce was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Thai Red Curry Beef

LaGayle — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:00:55 +0000

Thai food is so popular that I wanted to do another Thai dish for a challenging wine pairing. Since our family especially enjoys spicy dishes, I decided to try a red curry dish using strips of sirloin steak in this recipe. Delicious!

The menu for this pairing consisted of the Thai red curry beef dish, rice, sautéed snow peas, and fresh mango. As with most of our challenging wine pairing dinners, I consulted What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to determine what wines to pair with the meal.

While there are a number of wines that can be paired with this dish, we decided to go with a Zinfandel blend and a Merlot. We enjoyed the 2009 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel blend from California’s Sonoma County and a 2007 Watermill Merlot from the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. While both wines were excellent, three of the four of us preferred the Zinfandel blend with the meal.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Ridge Three Valleys (Sonoma County, California): 70% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 15% Carignane, 3% Grenache, and 2% Mataro. Deep, dark purplish red. Nice nose with red cherry, clove, and spice aromas. Flavors of red fruits, particularly strawberry, and spice. Medium to full-bodied with medium, soft tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $22.79; Available elsewhere, $18 to $29

2007 Watermill Merlot (Walla Walla Valley, Oregon): Deep, dark purple. Aromatic with black fruits, especially black cherry and black plum, and smoke on the nose. More black cherry, black plum, coffee, and baker’s chocolate come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $22

Challenging Wine Pairing: Thai Red Curry Beef was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Challenging Wine Pairing: Fried Chicken

LaGayle — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:00:36 +0000

A few weeks ago, Kori and Colby went out to dinner with some friends at a popular Seattle restaurant known for its southern cuisine. Several in the group ordered the fried chicken, one of the restaurant’s specialties, and then began discussing what wine they should order to go with it. As they talked, one person suggested that we feature fried chicken in one of our challenging wine pairing dinners. I love fried chicken; however, it’s a meal that I rarely have anymore, so I was delighted to pursue the suggestion! The fact that wine is not the first beverage that comes to mind for many when they think of fried chicken only added to my interest in trying this pairing.

The menu for this pairing consisted of a tomato/cucumber marinated salad, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and sautéed mustard greens. As with most of our challenging wine pairing dinners, I consulted What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to determine what wines to pair with the meal.

Since fried chicken is typically an inexpensive meal, I wanted to find wines that would be in the $10 or under price range. We decided on the 2010 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and the NV Lunetta Prosecco Brut sparkling wine from Italy. Both wines were very good; however, the unanimous choice for the better pairing was the Sauvignon Blanc. The acidity in the Sauvignon Blanc worked especially well with the acidity in the marinated salad and with the fat in the fried chicken.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what wine you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2010 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with grapefruit, pear, and grassy aromas. Grapefruit, grass, and lime come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with very tart acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Very crisp and refreshing.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $9.99; Available elsewhere, $9 to $15

NV Lunetta Prosecco Brut (Trentino, Italy): Italian sparkling wine. Very pale straw yellow. Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Aromatic with white peach and apple on the nose; more apple, white peach, and a hint of lemon on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $9.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $13

Challenging Wine Pairing: Fried Chicken was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.