Turmeric-Kissed Salmon, Coconut Rice, and a Pinot Noir from Victoria #WorldWineTravel

This month, the World Wine Travel group is looking at red wines from Victoria, Australia. Jeff of Food Wine Click! is leading the discussion.

If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join our live chat on Twitter: Saturday, April 23rd at 8am Pacific. Follow the hashtag #WorldWineTravel and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here are the articles and pairings from the group...

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm writes An Australian Farm to Table Dinner.
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares Celebrating Rutherglen Red Wines with Bobbie Burns and a Stovie.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla writes Turmeric-Kissed Salmon, Coconut Rice, and a Pinot Noir from Victoria.
• Susannah at Avvinare shares Finding Value in Victoria, Australia.
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass writes Can Low-Priced Shiraz Really be a Good Value?
• Terri at Our Good Life shares Bone-in Grilled Pork Chops Paired with The Butterfly Effect Shiraz.
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! writes You Say Shiraz and I Say Syrah....

A Pinot Noir from Victoria

Within the Victoria wine region of Australia, the Yarra Valley lies along the Margaret River, a rural area with a cool maritime climate. With its long growing season, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay do well in the region.

Winemaker Kate Goodman moved to Yarra in 2000 and she has been crafting wines from the region for the past two decades. She has worked with Dalwhinnie, Seppelts and Wirra Wirra wineries; she even started her own eponymous label. In addition to Goodman Wines, she produces Nikkal.

I have definitely been known to buy wine for its label and this one was one of those. I would love to have this artwork on my wall! Then I did some reading as to who or what Nikkal is and I was doubly entranced. Nikkal is the Phoenician goddess of fruits and harvest, the Phoenician Demeter if you will! And she is the perfect representation of this wine that celebrates the fruitful generosity of the Yarra Valley vineyards!

The grapes for this wine were sourced from three Yarra vineyards: Upper Ngumby, Steels Creek; Gist, Christmas Hills; and Willowlake, Gladysdale. Each vineyard's grapes are fermented separately and matured for between six months to a year. Then Goodman blends the three to create this delicious, succulent Pinot Noir.

This wine pours a light ruby color with an almost rose gold rim. On the nose, the wine is full of ripe red fruits - think cherries, berries, and a tight note of rhubarb. Unlike its light shade, the wine it richly flavored with a silky mouthfeel that mirrors the fruits with the addition of cinnamon and herbs as intriguing layers. This wine is lively and balanced, but it did not match well with my first pairing attempt. I had tried an Australian pickled fish dish that was just plain off-putting. 

I still went with seafood and opted for a roasted salmon topped with some pickled turmeric-kissed veggies. A coconut rice tempered the acid in the food and charred broccolini added an earthiness that rounded out our plates.

Turmeric-Kissed Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets
• salt (I used a Maldon smoked sea salt)
• pepper
• turmeric balsamic vinegar
• olive oil (I used a co-milled lemon olive oil)
• piccalilli for serving
• Also needed: baking sheet, parchment paper

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with vinegar and oil. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet.

Remove from oven and top with piccalilli. Serve immediately.

This pairing was much better balanced than my first! And this is a wrap on the #WorldWineTravel group's April event. We'll be back next month with the same region, but Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is pointing us to the white wines this time. Stay tuned.