Sweet Potato Risotto + J. Moss 2018 Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley #WinePW

This month, Nicole of Somm's Table picked the topic of Celebrating BIPOC Winemakers & Winery Owners for our February Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group. In case you are unfamiliar, as I was, the acronym BIPOC refers to "black, indigenous, and people of color." I will be sharing a different recipe for the actual event. But this was a pairing that we loved, so I'm sharing it as a bonus post for the #WinePW theme. I'll start with a little bit about the wine.

In the Glass

James Moss hails from Dallas, Texas. But his work for a wine distributor brought him to the Napa Valley. And he decided to move to California in 1998 to pursue his own winemaking dreams. He started off by helping a friend, then, in 2011, James, his wife Janet, and their son, Westley, opened their own winery in South Napa. J. Moss is one of just a handful of black-owned wineries in the Napa Valley.

This beautiful salmon-hued wine is a single varietal - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was sourced from the lower hills of Napa Valley, bordering both the Carneros and Atlas Peak AVAs. Each block of grapes was hand-picked and hand-sorted. After pressing the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Moss used the saignée method which means he "bled off" liquid from the tank of juice for the red wine and used that siphoned off juice for his rosé. Saignée Rosés are bolder and darker than others. The wine was then aged and fermented in stainless steel.

In the Bowl

With the wine's silky mouthfeel and bright acidity, I knew that I wanted to pair this with a creamy risotto. And the color made me think of sweet potatoes and carrots.

Ingredients

2 cups cubed sweet potato, peeled
1 cup white onion, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups arborio rice
8 to 10 cups liquid (I used homemade stock, water, and white wine)
2 sprigs fresh thyme, destemmed + more for garnish
freshly ground salt, as needed
freshly ground pepper, as needed
carrots ribbons for garnish, optional
parmesan cheese for serving

Procedure

Bring liquid to a boil in a sauce pan, then reduce to a simmer.

Melt butter in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Stir in the onions and sweet potato. Cook until the sweet potato is fork tender and the onions are translucent, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the arborio rice and toast for 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the garlic, then ladle by ladle, add in the stock until it's absorbed. Keep stirring. Repeat until the rice is cooked.

Stir in the fresh thyme leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.