Am I a sucker for advertising, or what? I freely admit that if the ad campaign works I will gleefully buy what I have been told to buy; not only because I am a trained American consumer, but I limit myself to sources that I trust. Lately, I have been enjoying my free issues of "Fresh", the advertising/recipe laden magazine you get gratis from Hannaford if you spend over 25.00. (Like I can ever get out of there without spending 200.00 with a family of four) This recent issue had a great recipe that I tried last week and had great success.
Garlic Lime Swordfish Kabobs. Sounds like a summer deck meal, doesn't it? First you create a strong marinade with olive oil, cilantro, garlic and lime juice...put it in ziploc bag and put in cubes of swordfish, pineapple and onion and let them marinate for three hours. Then the easy part...cook on the grill for 3 to 5 mins on each side. Done! Place on a bed of rice and serve with some veggie...I used asparagus. Based on the recipe suggestion, Hannaford paired Hogue Riesling so I purchased it out of curiousity (I was reading the recipe while I was in the store).
The sweet, light bodied Riesling balanced nicely with the sharp citrus marinade and the extra sweet Pineapple. The Hogue Riesling hails from Washington State. Riesling is a gift of the Germans to wine lovers, most of the very best of them come from the Saar and Mosel valleys. Some are very sweet, some are bone dry like slate, all are complex and pair well with lots of food. This domestic Riesling was simple, sweet, maybe a touch too soft, but easy to drink. Rhonda enjoyed hers and has liked other Washington Rieslings like Arbor Crest. For me, it was more of meal pairing. It worked well with dinner, but you won't catch me drinking Riesling otherwise. Hogue was ten dollars and well worth the money for an easy white. This wine would pair well with Chinese food also.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chilean Value
Chilean and Argentine wines are so hot right now, and that's a good thing. Not only are they priced right, but they offer so much wine for the money. Dollar for dollar, a chilean wine will knock your socks off when compared to a domestic wine of the same varietal. And in this economy, that's a double score! I would like to share with you a new find from Chile that is worthy of your attention.
Recently, I had dinner at my mother's house and her husband selected a delicious red wine called Veo Ultima Cabernet Sauvignon. Her husband is notorious for selecting wine based solely on price and most always at the cheapest price point he can find. However, this dinner being a special occaision for us, he had to break his long standing tradition. Dinner was a hearty affair, starting with grilled marinated shrimp with orange wasabi sauce followed by filet mignon and mashed potatoes. The bottle of Veo stood out to me, mostly because I was unfamiliar with it. Curious, I poured myself a glass and enjoyed the aroma: fruit and earth covered lightly with wisps of wooden age. The first sip was tight (this wine would have loved 20-30 minutes to open up)but it showed off its character right away; light body but with a roundness that made it pleasant, dark tart blackberry on the tongue followed by a dusty oaken finish. Not an overly complex wine at all, but one that deserved contemplation in the glass with each sip. And as for the food pairing, well, it lifted the grilled flavors in the filet and continued its finish long after the meat was swallowed. A real delight and it turns out that it was only 11.99 (still a 4 or 5 dollar improvement on my hosts' normal wine budget). The Ultima is a 2007 reserve drawn from three different vineyards owned by Veo in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. Most of the soil these cabernet grapes came from is gravel or rock strewn; hearty vines make hearty wines I guess. The key to this wine is that it has been aged 14 months in French Oak, so a little patience went a long way with this affordable beauty.
If you haven't tried Chilean wines yet, there are plenty of 7.99 - 9.99 choices to dip your foot in the pool, so to speak. but if your willing to spend a few more dollars, you can really enjoy some flavor and finish.
Recently, I had dinner at my mother's house and her husband selected a delicious red wine called Veo Ultima Cabernet Sauvignon. Her husband is notorious for selecting wine based solely on price and most always at the cheapest price point he can find. However, this dinner being a special occaision for us, he had to break his long standing tradition. Dinner was a hearty affair, starting with grilled marinated shrimp with orange wasabi sauce followed by filet mignon and mashed potatoes. The bottle of Veo stood out to me, mostly because I was unfamiliar with it. Curious, I poured myself a glass and enjoyed the aroma: fruit and earth covered lightly with wisps of wooden age. The first sip was tight (this wine would have loved 20-30 minutes to open up)but it showed off its character right away; light body but with a roundness that made it pleasant, dark tart blackberry on the tongue followed by a dusty oaken finish. Not an overly complex wine at all, but one that deserved contemplation in the glass with each sip. And as for the food pairing, well, it lifted the grilled flavors in the filet and continued its finish long after the meat was swallowed. A real delight and it turns out that it was only 11.99 (still a 4 or 5 dollar improvement on my hosts' normal wine budget). The Ultima is a 2007 reserve drawn from three different vineyards owned by Veo in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. Most of the soil these cabernet grapes came from is gravel or rock strewn; hearty vines make hearty wines I guess. The key to this wine is that it has been aged 14 months in French Oak, so a little patience went a long way with this affordable beauty.
If you haven't tried Chilean wines yet, there are plenty of 7.99 - 9.99 choices to dip your foot in the pool, so to speak. but if your willing to spend a few more dollars, you can really enjoy some flavor and finish.
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