Foods from Around the World Paired with Pink Wines from Portugal #WinePW

This week the Wine Pairing Weekend Bloggers are looking at Vinho Verde. You can read the invitation that Cindy, of Grape Experiences, posted: here.

If you're reading this early enough, feel free to join our live Twitter chat on Saturday, August 8th at 8am Pacific time. Follow the hashtag #WinePW and be sure to add that to any of your own tweets so we can see it. In the meantime, these articles will go live between Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th...

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Foods from Around the World Paired with Pink Wines from Portugal. 
• Liz of What’s In That Bottle? is thrilled with Va Va Va Vinho Verde: the Portuguese White That Wows. 
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles answers What is Vinho Verde? 5 things I didn’t know about this perfect summer wine. 
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm savors Tomato Poached Cod with Vinho Verde Wine. 
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass realizes that Distinctively ‘Laurel' Vinho Verde Delivers with Seafood and Salad. 
• Nicole at Somm's Table is loving Vinho Verde and Simple Seafood Feast. 
• Payal at Keep the Peas is pairing Sem Igual Vinho Verde with Peixe Caldine. 
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator says Vinho Verde: A Green Wine That’s White from Portugal Paired with Tuna, Tomato, Basil, Orzo.
• Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is Pairing Maria Papoila Vinho Verde with Summer Pizza. 
• Susannah at Avvinare explains how Vinho Verde Meets Homemade Sushi. 
• Terri at Our Good Life savors Scallops, Smashed Peas and a Great Vinho Verde. 
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairing achieves A Successful Hunt Down of a Red Vinhao Escolha from Vinho Verde DOC. 
• Cindy at Grape Experiences has been reminiscing upon last fall’s work trip where she spent A Morning Visit to Quinta da Aveleda in Vinho Verde.

Pink Wines from Portugal

Since it's summer and Vinho Verde's price points are so attractive - all of them were less than $10! - I decided to do an exploration of a few bottles of Vinho Verde Rosé. Why focus on the pinks? I think I had Rosés on my brain after the #ItalianFWT look at Rosato wines last weekend; you read my post Italian Pinks, Sardinian Native Grapes, and Gamberi all'Aglio, if you're interested.

So, I just stuck with the theme. I found these pink wines from Portugal incredibly food friendly. And, in that vein, I decided to go completely off the rails and pair the pink Portuguese wines with food from around the world.

I paired with a Middle Eastern flatbread, fresh Spring rolls from Vietnam, potatoes from the Iberian peninsula, and a spicy soup from Korea. Okay, the third one is almost a 'what grows together, goes together' combo. Almost.

João Portugal Ramos Vinho Verde Rosé 2018 + 

Za'atar Manakeesh, A Middle Eastern Flatbread

You can read my recipe post for the Za'atar Manakeesh. 

The João Portugal Ramos Vinho Verde Rosé 2018 is a blend of three native Portuguese grapes - Touriga Nacional, Padeiro, and Espareidohas - that were sourced from the sub-regions of Lima and cavado within the Vinho Verde region. It has a light salmon color whose paleness belies its complex aromas.On the nose there were strong notes of strawberry and watermelon with soften notes of citrus. On the palate the wine was bright and acidic with a long finish. This was purchased on wine.com for less than $10.

Papas Bravas + 

Gazela Vinho Verde Rosé

You can read my recipe post for the Papas Bravas.

The Gazela Vinho Verde Rosé is a non-vintage blend comprised of 35% Borracal, 30% Espadeiro, 30% Amaral, and 5% Vinhao. I wasn't expecting this to be semi-sparkling, but that was a fantastic surprise that played well with the spice on the potatoes. A bright geranium in color, the wine has aromas of strawberries and something distinctly tropical I might say guava. On the tongue, that slight effervescence emphasizes the bouquet. And my overall impression is fresh and elegant. This was purchased on wine.com for less than $10.

Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce 
+ Orlana Vinho Verde Rosé

You can read my recipe post for the Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce.

I found this Orlana Vinho Verde Rosé at Whole Foods when I wasn't looking for any more Vinho Verde Rosé. But my eye was immediately drawn to the deeper salmon color. And at less than $10, I had to try it. And I'm glad I did. On the nose I got strawberry and watermelon. On the tongue there were both of those flavors with a little bit more tartness of green apple. This wine was a little bit more viscous and sweet than I anticipated, but the freshness and spiciness of the spring rolls were a great match for it.

Kimchi Dubu Jigae (Kimchi-Tofu Stew) 

+ Broadbent Vinho Verde Rosé

You can read my recipe post for the Kimchi Dubu Jigae (Kimchi-Tofu Stew) + Broadbent Vinho Verde Rosé.

The Broadbent Vinho Verde Rosé is another blended, non-vintage wine and also rings in at less than $10 per bottle. Comprised of 40% Borraçal, 30% Espadeiro, 20% Amaral, and 10% Vinhão, this wine has the expected aromas and flavors of strawberry with an added intrigue of citrus zest. It also has a pleasant level of fizz. This was also purchased on wine.com for less than $10.

Well, that's a wrap for my Vinho Verde exploration this month. All four of these pink Vinho Verdes were summery and affordable. And they paired beautifully with foods from all around the world. I found they complemented foods with a generous level of flavor such as the zing of the sumac on my Middle Eastern flatbread, the sweet heat of the fresh Spring rolls, the piquant bravas sauce on the Spanish potatoes, and the heat-heavy kimchi in the Korean soup. These were all great matches for these wines.

The Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers will be back next month with a dive into a harvest theme with Gwendolyn at Wine Predator at the lead. Stay tuned for more information about that.