Do you know what I love about the second Saturday of the month? It's our #winePW - Wine Pairing Weekend - reveal. I love it. The bloggers who participate love food and love wine. It's a great event from which I always make a wine shopping list. The theme for this month is: celebrating summer's bounty. Here's David's August #winePW invite.
I recently finished an article for Edible Monterey Bay about some local (fairly local-to-me) vineyards. And one of the wines we tasted was a favorite for both of us and we went home with a bottle. Let me introduce you to DeRose Vineyards' Négrette...
In the Glass...
Have you ever had a Négrette? Before my assignment, I'd never even heard of a Négrette. DeRose Vineyards has a handful of unique wines from old-vine grapes, but I was instantly enamored by the exotic, century-old Négrette, whose name - very unpolitically correct - means ‘little black b----.’ Not a nice name, for certain. Before 1997 it was called Pinot St. George. Legend has it that the Négrette, a direct descendent of Mavro rootstock, was transported to France by Knights Templar who were returning from the Crusades; they picked up this vine in Cyprus. DeRose’s Négrette is inky and aromatic with stone fruit bursting out of the glass and some spicy nuance. I thought it would be the perfect pairing with a spicy food from our summer's bounty.
In the Middle of the Plate...
Padròns are one of our favorite deliciously seasonal treats. They have a subtle heat where the smaller ones are less hot with a grassy sweetness. We love 'em! Whenever I get them, I cook them the same way. Why fix what is amazing, right?
Ingredients
- padròn peppers
- olive oil
- fleur de sel
Procedure
Be sure to check out what my fellow bloggers have come up with for the August Wine Pairing Weekend!
Pull That Cork shared "Wine for Summer’s Bounty. Will Garnacha Do the Trick?"
Meal Diva paired "Summer Vegetable Red Sauce with Amarone"
Vino Travels -- An Italian Wine Blog shared "Tomato, toe-mah-toe: Summer's bounty with Sicilian wine Donnafugata"
Grape Experiences paired "Cecchi Chianti Classico 2010 and Vegetable Lasagna"
Curious Cuisiniere shared "Chipotle Garden Salsa with Wild Hare Petite Sirah"
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog posted "Grilled Paiche with a White Greek Blend"
Take a Bite Out of Boca shared "Quinoa-Crusted Eggplant and Heirloom Tomato Stacks paired with Monrosso Chianti"
foodwineclick shared "Summers' Bounty or Attack of the Killer Turnips?"
Confessions of a Culinary Diva blogged about "Lobster Paella and Albarino"
Tasting Pour shared "Summertime and the Cooking is Easy"
Cooking Chat paired "Linguine with Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes and a Sauvignon Blanc"
Join the #winePW conversation:
Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you're getting this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme "Wines for Summer's Bounty" on Saturday, August 9th, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time.
Rinse and dry your peppers. Heat a splash of oil in a skillet. Add the peppers and sear until they begin to blister. Remove from heat and season with a sprinkling of salt.
Wine Pairing Weekend #3 BloggersBe sure to check out what my fellow bloggers have come up with for the August Wine Pairing Weekend!
Pull That Cork shared "Wine for Summer’s Bounty. Will Garnacha Do the Trick?"
Meal Diva paired "Summer Vegetable Red Sauce with Amarone"
Vino Travels -- An Italian Wine Blog shared "Tomato, toe-mah-toe: Summer's bounty with Sicilian wine Donnafugata"
Grape Experiences paired "Cecchi Chianti Classico 2010 and Vegetable Lasagna"
Curious Cuisiniere shared "Chipotle Garden Salsa with Wild Hare Petite Sirah"
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog posted "Grilled Paiche with a White Greek Blend"
Take a Bite Out of Boca shared "Quinoa-Crusted Eggplant and Heirloom Tomato Stacks paired with Monrosso Chianti"
foodwineclick shared "Summers' Bounty or Attack of the Killer Turnips?"
Confessions of a Culinary Diva blogged about "Lobster Paella and Albarino"
Tasting Pour shared "Summertime and the Cooking is Easy"
Cooking Chat paired "Linguine with Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes and a Sauvignon Blanc"
Join the #winePW conversation:
Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you're getting this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme "Wines for Summer's Bounty" on Saturday, August 9th, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time.
And that's a Wrap...
...on our August #winePW event. My Pan-Seared Padròns + DeRose Vineyards' Négrette pairing was fabulous! I'll pin this recipe and other posts on my #winePW pinterest board. David, our host, also has a Wine Pairing Weekend pinterest board. Stay tuned for the September Wine Pairing Weekend.
If you can't find DeRose Vineyards' Négrette, swap out for Rhône style red wine. I really like, out of Paso Robles, Opolo Vineyards' Maestro, Rhône-style blend of Grenache,
Mourvedre, Syrah and Counoise.
And if you try this pairing - or just the wine - I would love to hear what you think. Comment below or tweet to me at @Culinary_Cam.
Love how simple this dish is but packed with flavor!! Thanks for sharing the information about the wine you chose.
ReplyDeleteSous Chef would love the peppers - I'll have to give this a try. I've not heard of the Derose Vineyards, will put them on a list for our next trip up the coast. Great information!
ReplyDeleteFun and informative post. I will look for padròn peppers in our Farmers' Market. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteWhen I visited Spain last year Padron peppers were a staple. I actually did them at home a couple of months ago too! And I've actually had Negrette before. Kenneth Volk makes one. Delicious stuff and I can s
ReplyDeleteI get these peppers in my CSA and prepare them this way. So glad to have wine pairing idea and such an interesting one at that. Love your description!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delightful!
ReplyDelete