This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the January #WinePW event.
Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.
This month, the Wine Pairing Weekend crew was focused on wines from Argentina. Several of us received wines from the event sponsor - Winesellers, Ltd. - to open, taste, and pair.* I received six bottles of wine. Since my official event post features only one, I will write about the remaining wines separately. Keep an eye out for those pairings. But this is the first I wanted to share.
In My Glass
Torrontés, a completely new-to-me grape varietal, is an aromatic white wine that smells sweeter than it tastes. And, for my household's palate, that is a very good thing. This bottle comes from the high elevation vineyards in Salta, Argentina and is made by Familia Zuccardi.*
With a bright, clear color that leans to the yellow with flecks of silver, the nose is simultaneously delicate and intense. I was intrigued the moment I opened up the bottle. I smelled intense jasmine and honeysuckle with notes of orange peel. On the palate, however, the predominant tastes I got were fresh herbs such as oregano.
This is definitely not a fade-into-the-wallpaper white wine. This Torrontés was hearty and delicious. And it paired beautifully with some locally-caught swordfish I had.
On My Plate
When I saw that our CSF (community-supported fishery) share from Real Good Fish this week was swordfish, I put the bottle of Zuccardi Serie A Torrontés on the chill for dinner. Poaching fish—gently cooking in a liquid over low heat—is a classic French technique. Usually, the poaching liquid is water, wine, or a broth; but I love poaching in olive oil. The fish comes out of its olive oil bath with an incredibly silky texture that’s difficult to achieve with any other cooking method.
Ingredients
- swordfish fillets (serving sizes vary, but I usually go for 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person)
- olive oil as needed
- 5 to 6 shallots, peeled and minced
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh oregano
- freshly ground salt
- freshly ground pepper
- homemade vinaigrette, for serving
Procedure
Select a large enough pot that the swordfish fillets can sit flat without touching each other. I did this in two different pans for the amount of fish I was poaching.
Pour olive oil into the pot so that it’s about ½” deep. Add shallots and oregano. Bring the olive oil to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the swordfish fillets into the warm oil. Poach for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the fillets and poach for another 5 to 6 minutes. If using immediately, serve warm.
I opted to serve the poached fish with a healthy drizzle of an herb vinaigrette, roasted carrots, and a green salad. Felicidades!
Winesellers, Ltd. on the web, Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram
Familia Zuccardi on the web, on Twitter, on YouTube
*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.
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