Category Archives: Wine Pairings

Wild Mushroom Ravioli Recipe and a French Wine Pairing

Mushroom Ravioli Recipe and Wine Pairings

The enormous range of French wine types can make choosing a wine for Tuesday night dinner an overwhelming task. Burgundy or Bordeaux? Alsace or Loire Valley? To get you started, we’ve chosen some of our favorite French wines to pair with fall recipes from Edible Rhody magazine. Scroll down for a great recipe for Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Broccoli Rabe, and to read about a luxurious Côtes du Rhone along with a vibrant Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. Cheers!

J.L. Chave Cotes du Rhone food pairing
2011 J.L. Chave ‘Mon Coeur’ Cotes du Rhone, Rhone Valley
While many Côtes du Rhone are a blend, this is all Syrah.  Rich and deep color and with loads of dark fruit and black pepper flavors.  A great wine to pair with dishes with lots of earthy flavors.

Pepiere 'La Pepie' Cabernet Franc food pairing

2012 Pepiere ‘La Pepie’ Cabernet Franc, Loire Valley
A medium bodied beauty with vibrant red fruit and flower flavors with haunting earthy flavors that pair seamlessly with mushrooms and white truffle oil.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Shaved Baby Turnips and Broccoli Rabe
Allison Vanderburg, sous-chef, Cav, Providence
At Cav we make our own ravioli with a duxelles of wild mushrooms and black truffles. To simplify things, you can substitute mushroom ravioli from local purveyors like Puerini’s or Venda. The topping can change with the seasons too—in springtime we use asparagus or fiddleheads with melted leeks. Enjoy!
Juice of 2 lemons, seeded
¼ cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons white truffle oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
32 wild mushroom raviolis
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 bunch baby turnips, washed, trimmed and sliced thin
1 bunch broccoli rabe, washed and chopped
Add lemon juice to blender with sage; blend and add truffle oil in a slow drizzle. If too thick, add more lemon juice; if too thin, add more oil. (Olive oil is fine at this point but we generally use more truffle oil.) Season to taste and set aside.

Boil a pot of salted water and add raviolis. Cook until al dente, which should take no longer than 6–8 minutes.

In the meantime, heat a large saucepan and add butter and garlic. Do not allow either to brown. After about 2 minutes, add turnips and rabe, tossing them in the butter. Cook until softened but bright and not soggy. Season to taste. Add vinaigrette, stirring, so it emulsifies with the butter and makes a sauce. Add raviolis and toss so they absorb some of the sauce. 

To serve, divide raviolis among 4 warm large, shallow bowls. Arrange them like a crown around rim with the vegetables in the center, reserving the sauce so you can pour it equally over each serving. Serves 4 as main course or 6 as a first course. 


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Cheers!

Visit our wine store to shop a great selection of French wines.
We’re located in Providence, Rhode Island.

French Food & Wine Pairing: Striped Bass and Corn Pudding

Striped Bass and Corn Pudding Recipe and Wine Pairing Idea

No other country can boast as many different styles of wines than France.  While it can be daunting to make sense of the names and places, we have picked some our favorite French wines to pair with delicious recipes from Edible Rhody magazine. Enjoy Hugel Pinot Blanc and Bichot Macon Village with this fantastic Striped Bass and Corn Pudding recipe. We invite you to try something novel and delicious this fall season!

Bichot Macon Villages food pairing

2011 Albert Bichot Macon Village, Burgundy

Not an oaky/buttery Chardonnay!  Still rich and full bodied, but with more ripe apple and pear flavors.  A great wine to pair with meals with lots of veggies and butter.

Hugel Pinot Blanc Food Pairing
 

2009 Hugel ‘Cuvee les Amore’ Pinot Blanc, Alsace
More savory than fruity, Pinot Blanc makes a great pairing with fall foods.  Look for flavors and aromas of roasted nuts and sweet hay with nice full body and a smooth and luxurious finish.  Nice lighter style that won’t overpower the delicate flavors of the bass, but with enough brightness to compliment the other flavors in the dish.

Grilled Striped Bass with Sweet Corn Pudding and Peach Relish
Jonathan Cambra, executive chef, Boat House Waterfront Dining, Tiverton

September is time for those last peaches, some late-season corn (perfect for corn pudding) along with fresh striper. Together they make a perfect end-of-summer dish. Make sure you use corn that has been picked the same day so the sugars haven’t had time to convert to starch. 

Peach Relish:
2 ripened peaches, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 jalapeño, roasted, peeled, seeded and minced
6 chives, minced
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Corn Pudding:
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 sweet onions (about 2½ cups), julienned
2 tablespoons garlic (about 4 cloves), minced
12 ears whole sweet corn, freshly roasted (or steamed), kernels removed
½ cup fresh herbs (tarragon, basil, parsley), washed, dried, stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Splash of lime juice

Striped Bass:
Cooking oil spray
4 pieces (6 ounces each) boneless, trimmed striped bass, skin removed
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To prepare the relish, combine the peaches, lime juice, jalapeño and chives in a mixing bowl. If you want a more spicy relish, add some of the jalapeño seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the pudding, heat canola oil in a saucepan, add onions and garlic and cover. Sweat the onions and garlic over low to medium heat until translucent. Add roasted corn kernels and cook for 8–10 minutes. Add contents of saucepan to blender and purée until very smooth. Return to saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until it reaches a thick consistency. Add the mixed herbs, butter and season with salt, pepper and lime juice.

To prepare the fish, preheat grill on high for 15–20 minutes or prepare coals. Spray grill with cooking oil. Season fish liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Place fish on grill, top side down first. Grill for 7–10 minutes on each side. Remove from grill. 

Serve fish atop corn pudding and garnish with a small spoonful of peach relish. Serves 4 as a main course.

 


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Cheers!
Visit our wine store to shop a great selection of French wines.
We’re located in Providence, Rhode Island.

Point Judith Calamari Wine Pairing!

 

Who knew that Rhode Island is the squid capital of the world? Point Judith squid is not only important to the economy here (bringing in 7 million pounds a year!), but is also used in the most popular appetizer of the state, calamari. This spicy, fried, and uniquely Rhode Island dish deserves an equally flavorful, action-packed wine pairing: Domaine de Martinolles ‘Le Berceau’, a sparkling wine made in Languedoc, France.

Bubbly + Seafood = Delicious.

In Season Now: Point Judith Calamari
While calamari is not yet the official state appetizer, there is talk of trying to make it the Rhode Island official appetizer. Here in little Rhody, calamari is typically served Sicilian-style, with banana peppers and marinara sauce, giving it that perfect mixture of crunchy, spicy, and sweet.

  • Here is a recipe by Jasper White in The Summer Shack Cookbook for authentic Rhode Island Spicy & Greasy Calamari.
  • Our friends at Edible Rhody Magazine have a wonderful recipe that combines calamari with other local seafood, mussles and steamers.
  • Our local Whole Foods has a few recipes for calamari on their blog.
  • For the freshest calamari, visit your local farmers market or go straight to the fishermen such as The Local Catch, located right in Point Judith. They even have a CSF, which is a great Community Supported Fishery program.

Wine Pairing
Domaine de Martinolles is located in the Lioux wine region, which is the western most part of Languedoc, France, and is known for Mediterranean weather of both hot and dry conditions. This sparkling wine is made from the traditional Mauzac grape found in this region. The grape is picked later in the season, so wines made from it typically display flavors of green apple, with good acidity. The refreshing acidity, dryness and sweet flavors of fruit are a perfect pairing with the spicy calamari, while the wine’s crispness will cut any greasiness.

 

Photo Credit: Cellar Tracker
– Deliciously dry and crisp, with notes of green apple, pear, yeast, & some vanilla, giving it great depth of flavor.
-‘Le Berceau’ is made from the Mauzac grape, traditional to the Lioux region, and is produced in the traditional champagne method.
– ‘Le Berceau’ translates to cradle, a reference to the birthplace of sparkling wine.
– The Vergnes family has owned Domaine de Martinolles since 1926.

Visit our store to get this wine

See what else is in season! Click here >

Kosher Wines for Rosh Hashanah

 

Greet the Jewish New Year with our wonderful selection of sweet AND dry Kosher wines from all over the world! We have some exciting new finds to share with family and friends for Rosh Hashanah this year, in addition to our already plentiful section of Kosher wines. Stop by the shop to see for yourself!

Portuguese winery Aveleda, the Orthodox Union, and members of the Belmonte community have come together to create a Kosher Vinho Verde. Grinalda Vinho Verde is delightfully light and refreshing, and a great choice for main entrée chicken dishes, all the way through to dessert.

Another new arrival at Bottles is Don Mendoza Malbec, which is a perfect complement to red meat. This wine’s subtle spice and plum notes makes it a winner in our book!

Visit us, and please, if you have any questions or need help with your wine selections, the staff at Bottles are here to help. www.bottlesfinewine.com

Cheers!

 

 

Corn is in Season! Pair it with Marsanne

White wine that pairs with corn
 
 

When it comes to summer barbecues, corn is quintessential. This classic vegetable is currently in season in Rhode Island, and will be through October. Usually, one never thinks about what wine pairs well with corn, which is not often the centerpiece of a meal. However, when it comes to corn being a major component, what do you do then? We have cut out all the guesswork, tasted a bunch of wines, and discovered that Paul Mas Marsanne goes very well with corn.

In Season Now: Corn

July – October

Sweet, juicy and versatile, corn is not only a staple of summer meals, but also of fall-time. When it gets cool enough to enjoy that bowl of corn chowder, try making some southern dishes as well, such as succotash or Johnny Cakes. Corn has many incarnations: on the cob, kernels, cereals and cornmeal.

 

Wine Pairing

Marsanne is a commonly found grape varietal in Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Côte du Rhône wines. A full-bodied white wine from the Rhone Valley, Marsanne can be found in both dry and sweet styles. This wine lacks the fruit and perfume, and so many times it is mixed with more aromatic grapes. The high alcohol, low acidity, and flavors of pear, spice and melon make it a great wine to pair with seafood, cheese, and of course, corn. Or simply relax and enjoy it on the porch!

Recommended Wine: Paul Mas Marsanne

– Aromas of dried fruits, pear, and violet with hints of vanilla.

– A rich, fresh, and mellow palate with a long finish of toasted notes makes this wine pair well with the sweetness of corn.

– 25% of the Marsanne is aged in oak barrels, and the other 75% is aged in stainless steel tanks.

– The Mas family has been making wines in the Languedoc region since 1892.


Visit our store to get this wine!

Discover more food and wine pairings. Click here >

 

 

 

Watermelon Pairs with Rosé Wine: Le Caprice de Clémentine

watermelon and rosé wine pairing idea

When it’s hot as habaneros, you want something refreshing, cold, juicy, sweet…watermelon! Luckily, this bright red melon is newly in season here in Rhode Island. The next logical question is, what do you drink with it? We’ve tasted a slew of wines and found through our research that rosé wins for the best wine pairing. Keep reading for quirky recipe ideas and reasons why you need to try Le Caprice de Clémentine.

In Season Now: Watermelon
Mid-July – September

Watermelons are a quintessential summer treat. Whether they are served for breakfast, enjoyed cold after dinner, or combined with other ingredients to make salads, drinks, desserts, or cold soups, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more perfect summer ingredient.

Wine Pairing

What wine says summer? Rosé! Right between a red and white wine, rosés are dry, and not sweet like White Zinfandel or Blush wines. Rosé from the Côtes de Provence region in France are known for their gold standard quality and joie de vivre lifestyle. Their signature light, crisp, berry and citrusy flavors are a perfect complement to fresh, sweet watermelon. Serve them both refreshingly cold, and enjoy on a hot summer day!

Recommended Wine:
  • Aromas of watermelon! It’s like double watermelon. Trust us.
  • A light and delicate rosé with beautiful color and good acidity to preserve freshness.
  • Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Le Château Les Valentines is a wine growing estate in the south of France that is more than a century old.
  • In 1997, Les Valentines family decided to make their own wine, and built a modern winery called the Domain “Les Valentines.”
Find more food wine pairings! Click Here >

 

Grilled Swordfish Recipe Paired with Rosé Wine

swordish dish goes with rose wine

Grilled swordfish for dinner tonight? Don’t know what wine to choose? The answer to that is obvious: pair it with a bottle of rosé!

Rosé wine pairs with almost everything, are great housewarming gifts, and happen to be delicious all by themselves. Their lovely dry (not sweet!), berry, herbaceous character and their beautiful color make rosés supremely enjoyable. They have the light citrus flavors of a white wine, combined with strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors of a red wine. The best of both worlds.

Edible Rhody Magazine recently featured a great Swordfish with Tomato Salad & Baba Ghanouj recipe by Chef Peter Kielec of Plum Point Bistro in Saunderstown, RI.  Use heirloom tomatoes, fresh eggplant from the farmer’s market, and local swordfish for a winning summer dish. For a complete gastronomic experience, enjoy with a bottle of Château Pradeaux Rosé.

chateau pradeaux rosé wine pairing

2012 CHÂTEAU PRADEAUX ROSÉ
Côtes du Provence, France

Rosés from Provence, in the southeast of France, are light, dry, and perfect in the summer. Made from a blend of Grenache & Syrah varietals, they have a light copper, salmon color. Enjoy the aromatic explosion of watermelon and Herbs de Provence – rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram. The densely concentrated flavors of this wine match its aromas, making this rosé a perfect pairing with the meaty, rich and luxurious swordfish.

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grilled swordfish recipe wine pairing

GRILLED SWORDFISH with HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD & BABA GHANOUJ
Peter Kielec, Chef de Cuisine, Plum Point Bistro, Saunderstown

The baba ghanouj can and should be prepared ahead of time. I love it atop the swordfish but enjoy it as a snack with pita chips too! Great when there is a plethora of eggplants at the farmers’ market.

INGREDIENTS

Baba Ghanouj:
2 medium (2½ pounds) eggplants, washed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground back pepper
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
Juice of 2 lemons (remove seeds)
½ cup sesame tahini
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (washed, stemmed and roughly chopped)

Swordfish:
4 (8-ounce) swordfish steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 medium (2½ pounds) heirloom tomatoes, washed and cut in wedges
1 medium shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 sprigs basil, stemmed and leaves torn
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Pomegranate molasses*

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450°.

Rub whole eggplants with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Flesh will reduce and become soft inside the skin. Remove from oven and let rest 1 to 2 hours.

Slice eggplants in half, scoop out the flesh and place in a food processor, discarding the skins. Add garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, Tabasco, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 scant teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth. Remove to bowl. Fold in chopped parsley. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Heat grill and rub swordfish with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill fish approximately 7 minutes per side, being careful not to overcook.

Assemble salad by tossing together tomatoes, shallots, basil, 3 tablespoons olive oil and vinegar in a bowl. Season to taste. Divide salad among 4 dinner plates. Serve swordfish atop tomato salad and top fish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a dollop of baba ghanouj. Serves 4.

*Can be found in some markets and specialty ethnic shops. It’s terrific in marinades, over yogurt and more. Reducing pomegranate juice in a small saucepan on the stovetop will work as a substitute.

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Fava Beans Pair with Chablis (Chianti if you want, too…)

Have you eaten fresh fava beans recently? No? Well, you are missing out on a wonderfully sweet, tender, and versatile legume. Only the perfect bottle of wine can make a fava bean dish even better. In this case, we’re pairing Chablis with this newly in-season vegetable. Discover more food and wine pairings on our seasonal recipes page.

In Season Now: Fava Beans
June – September

While common sense tells us to avoid the culinary recommendations of cannibals, fava beans are actually a great summer ingredient! Fresh, earthy, creamy in texture, and sweet like peas, you can make a delicious risotto, sauce, or pilaf with fava beans. Split the pod, remove the beans, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes, and cool immediately in an ice bath. Drain, and now they’re ready for a killer salad. A simple way to serve fava beans is tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, salted to taste, and topped with pecorino cheese.

Wine Pairing

Chablis from Chablis, France are some of the best Chardonnays there are. The term ‘Chablis’ has been  misused to refer to generic white wine, which is not what we’re talking about in this case. You should give real Chablis a try! Dry, steely, fruity, and super refreshing, Chablis is not your grandma’s buttery Chardonnay. Enjoyed with your favorite fava bean dish!

Or, just grab a bottle of nice Chianti…

Recommended Wine:
  • Domaine d’Elise Chablis is a white burgundy (100% Chardonnay grapes).
  • Wine has been made in the village of Chablis in Burgundy, France since the ninth century!
  • The limestone soils of Chablis give this wine a great minerality that matches the flavor of fava beans.

Peas n’ Picpoul: A Summer Food & Wine Pairing

peas wine pairing

Peas have arrived! Forget about those frozen peas you have the rest of the year, and enjoy super fresh peas grown right here in little Rhody. This is the newest edition of our series of seasonal food and wine pairings. Today, we’re pairing peas and Picpoul de Pinet, a wonderful French white wine.

In Season Now: Peas
June – September

There’s nothing quite like freshly picked peas! Snack on them fresh, cook them as a vegetable side, or make a soup, purée or pesto with this light & lovely veggie. Pick your own peas at Rhode Island farms from summer to early fall, or visit your local farmer’s market if there’s no time for pea picking in your schedule. English peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas are some common varieties. Sweet, tender, and a characteristic green color, peas are best enjoyed young and right after they’ve been picked.

Wine Pairing

Picpoul de Pinet is a French white wine. Picpoul is the grape varietal, Pinet is a town near the Mediterranean Sea in France. Light and fresh, summery and lemony, Picpoul and peas are a great summer food and wine pairing. A staff favorite here at Bottles, St. Peyre’s Picpoul de Pinet is medium-bodied with flavors of melon, grapefruit, and lemon.

Recommended Wine: Saint-Peyre Picpoul de Pinet
  • In a region well-known for great red wines, Picpoul de Pinet is a curious, and delicious, exception to this association.
  • Pinet is actually a small fishing village, with vineyards extending all the way down to the sea shore.
  • Impress your friends with this relatively unknown but fantastic white wine!
Visit our store to get this wine!

 

Rosé Wine Pairing with Littleneck Clams


Littleneck clams are a classic Rhode Island dish. They’re even better with a bottle of crisp wine! Keep reading for a fantastic clam recipe from Edible Rhody and our pick for a rosé wine pairing.

Rosés make great partners with food because they are, in the way they’re made, right in between a red and white wine. Dry, not sweet, and full of light berry and citrus flavors, rosés are a lovely summertime wine.

Edible Rhody Magazine‘s summer issue includes a great Littleneck Clam recipe by Amy McCoy of poorgirlgourmet.com. She cooks Littlenecks with choriço sausage and vine-ripened tomatoes, which pairs perfectly with Ferraton ‘Samoren’ for a magical mingling of flavors.

2012 FERRATON ‘SAMOREN’
Côtes du Rhone, France

Rosés from the du Rhône region are rich and fruity without being cloyingly sweet. Composed of a blend Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, this rosé has a rich sherbet color. A wonderful mineral finish lends itself to seafood dishes such as littlenecks and the Grenache/Syrah power duo gives the wine weight to stand up to  warm flavors such as spicy tomatoes and garlic. 
Visit our store to get this wine. (Or, have it delivered to your door if you are located in Rhode Island!)
Photo by Amy McCoy
LITTLENECK CLAMS with
GRILLED CHORIÇO & TOMATOES
By Amy McCoy, author of Poor Girl Gourmet and founder/blogger PoorGirlGourmet.com
The lemon zest and lemon juice add bright acidity to this dish. For a heartier meal, serve the clams and broth atop linguine.

 

INGREDIENTS

½ pound mild choriço sausage, casing removed, sliced in half lengthwise
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes (Roma or other sauce tomatoes are ideal)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, trimmed and sliced lengthwise into ½-inch wedges
4 medium cloves garlic—2 minced, 2 left whole
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
24 Littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 thick slices good-quality crusty bakery bread
Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 4 lemon wedges for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the grill to medium heat or prepare coals.

Grill choriço until it is lightly charred; remove and cool slightly, then slice it crosswise into ¼-inch half-moons. Likewise, grill the tomatoes until they are lightly charred and their skins are peeling off; remove and allow to cool. Discard skins, core and coarsely chop, reserving any liquid.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and oregano and sauté 1 minute.

Pour in wine. Add tomato flesh and accumulated juices. Add the choriço and stir to combine.

Place the clams in pot, increase the heat to medium-high until the liquid begins to steam. Cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the clams have opened wide, 10–12 minutes. (Discard any unopened clams.) Season to taste.

Meanwhile, grill the slices of bread over medium heat until they are just toasted, 1–2 minutes per side. Rub one side of each slice with peeled garlic cloves.

Divide clams and broth among 4 large warm, shallow bowls. Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve with a slice of grilled bread and lemon wedges alongside. Serves 4.

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