Steamed Mussels with a Citrus Drizzle + Punt Road Pinot Gris 2019 #WorldWineTravel

This month, the World Wine Travel bloggers are traveling to Victoria, Australia and looking at white wine from the region. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting.

If you are reading this early enough, we are changing it up from our usual Twitter chat and opting for a Zoom chat. This should be lively though a wee bit early for us Left Coasters. I'll be the one with the messy bun, coffee in hand, and probably still in pajamas! 

Join through this link on Saturday, May 28th at 8am Pacific. Here's the list of articles that the writers are sharing...

• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm paired Peach Chicken and a Chardonnay from Fowles Farm. 
• Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Steamed Mussels with a Citrus Drizzle + Punt Road Pinot Gris 2019.
• Terri of Our Good Life is enjoying Summertime Charcuterie with Whipped Feta + Butterfly Effect Rose Grenache.
• Jeff of Food Wine Click! serves up Frisk Prickly Riesling with Hoisin Pork.
• Deanna of Wineivore is talking about Mango + Tahblik Old Vine Marsanne
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator says Say Hey to Summer with Victoria’s Fowles Wines “Ginger Prince” Sparkling Rosé Paired with Smoked Egg Salad
• Nicole of Somm's Table shares Oakridge Chardonnay from Yarra Valley and an Orzo Salad Transformation

Punt Road Pinot Gris 2019

Last month we explored the red wines of Victoria, Australia. For that I shared Turmeric-Kissed Salmon, Coconut Rice, and a Pinot Noir from Victoria. That wine was also from the Yarra Valley. To recap: Victoria is the second smallest Australian state but has more regions and individual wineries than any other state! Small, but mighty, you might say. In the late 19th century, Victoria was the most prolific wine-producing state before the phylloxera outbreak stymied production. Then, it started making a comeback in the1970s.

Punt Road is a family-owned and operated vineyard and winery led by winemaker Tim Shand. Many of their vines are decades old. All their grapes are hand-picked and wines often fermented with wild yeasts. The grapes for this wine came from two blocks of Pinot Gris - one at the Napoleone Vineyard and one at the Old Beenak Road Vineyard. Fermented with Alsatian isolate yeast, one-third of the wine was fermented in oak while the remainder was fermented in tanks.

Pinot Gris is one of my favorite grape varieties. It can be light and airy as well as round and meaty. You can read about the Two Shepherds' Skin Fermented 2019 Pinot Gris Ramato or Donkey & Goat's 2016 Ramato. Those both fall in the meatier side of the wines...it's the perfect expression of the grape for dedicated red wine drinkers.

In contrast, Punt Road's 2019 is a decidedly delicate expression of this variety. It's a gossamer web of citrus, stone fruits, and subtle floral aromas. On the palate, it shows more character with rich fruits and bright acidity.

But it was the opening citrus notes that informed my pairing for this event.

Steamed Mussels with a Citrus Drizzle

Ingredients

• 1 lamb sausage, cooked and diced
• 1/2 onion, peeled and diced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• toast for serving

Procedure

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Cook onions and garlic until the onions are translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add the sausage, stirring occasionally, until sausage begins to brown and crisp, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the zest and ground sumac, stirring until fragrant, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

Add mussels. Cover and steam, stirring occasionally, until mussels open, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any mussels that don't open. Stir in fresh parsley for serving. Drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice.

Ladle into individual bowls. Serve with toasted bread.

That's a wrap on the white wines of Victoria for me. I'll be hosting the group next month with a look at the red wines of New South Wales. Stay tuned.