What wine goes best with a dish is asked by people who are not really into the pairing of wine and food, especially when they have to entertain.
Anders-Lane Artisan Wines of California has made choosing easier with its Ceviche and Bucatini wines.
The Ceviche Sauvignon Blanc won the gold medal for its 2007 vintage during the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
As the hand-painted fish on the bottle and the name of the wine suggest, it goes best with fish and seafood, cooked and raw. It is fantastic with sushi and, of course, Ceviche and even with our very own kilawin.
The wine is clean and crisp. Going by its tasting notes: “Floral, accented with lemon, citrus and melon. 93.5-percent sauvignon blanc, 6.5-percent balanced by soft herbal flavors.” So refreshing, especially when chilled to perfection.
A nice Salmon Ceviche recipe for your bottle of Ceviche:
350 g fresh salmon fillet, diced ½ inch or any fresh white fish (lapu-lapu, maya-maya)
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lime or 3-4 kalamansi will give you a different twist
Zest of 1 lemon, chopped
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
6-8 shallots, finely diced
4 tbsp olive oil
3 cilantros, coarsely chopped with stems
1 bunch chives or green onions
Thai chili, seeded and minced to taste
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
2 ripe sweet mangoes, diced ½ inch or 1 large ripe but firm avocado
Combine citrus juices, vinegar, zest and olive oil.
Put fish, shallots and herbs in a nonreactive dish/ceramic, Pyrex.
Pour citrus mixture over and mix lightly. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Allow to sit a few hours in the refrigerator for flavors to blend. Mix until the fish turns opaque.
Before serving, add mangoes or avocados. Season to taste.
Serve garnished with cilantro sprigs and chilies.
Play around with your citrus combination; doing so creates different flavors. Adding the zest, adds a different dimension. Adjust citrus juice/tartness to your liking.
This recipe works well with fresh scallops, too.
Bucatini Red
The Bucatini Red wine bottle is pretty, with hand-painted Bucatini pasta twirled on a fork. The wine’s tagline—“pasta musta”—stresses how the wine is perfect for pasta and pizza. It is 71-percent Zinfandel, 20-percent Merlot and 9-percent Syrah.
Like the Ceviche, it is an easy drink, a spiced-red, that is easy to pair. The tasting notes: “A perfect match from Fettuccine Alfredo to Bucatini alla Carbonara.”
According to Kathy Santos of Happy Living, the wine’s local distributor, “it is the intention of the winery to come up with a wine that is easy to drink and to understand; these two wines are blends to make it more approachable.”
Try this Bucatini alla Carbonara with Mushrooms with your bottle of Bucatini. Bon Appetit!
2 tbsp butter
250 g pancetta, tyrolian or slab bacon, diced large (Santis)
2 tsp garlic paste (garlic, pounded to a paste in a mortar)
1 medium-sized Portobello or 4 medium shiitakes, sliced
5-6 large organic egg yolks
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup pecorino cheese
250 g bucatini
Salt and black pepper to taste
Bring water to a boil in a pot big enough to accommodate your pasta.
When boiling, add salt and immediately put in the pasta. Cook according to instructions on the box.
While pasta is cooking, put pecorino and parmesan cheeses together, mix. The mixture of parmesan and pecorino gives the pasta a nice depth of flavor.
In a large bowl, whisk yolks and ½ cup of cheese mixture.
Heat butter in a pan and add bacon. Cook until bacon has browned.
Add garlic and cook slightly without browning. Toss in mushrooms.
When pasta is al dente, drain. Do not wash.
Immediately put hot cooked noodles on the hot pan with bacon, mix well.
Transfer pasta from the pan to the egg mixture and toss to coat. If pasta is too dry, add pasta water just enough to leave the noodles moist.
Slowly toss in the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange on a serving platter and top with the last fourth cup of cheese.
Truffle oil is also a nice addition, drizzled before serving.
Garnish with sprig of flat leaf parsley, if you wish.
Call Happy Living for the Ceviche and Bucatini Wines at 8956507 to 08.