Tag Archives: wine

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.


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Newport Vineyards Tour – Rhode Island Wineries

Rhode Island wine! Nick, the Bottles Wine Manager, paid a visit to Newport Vineyards in nearby Middletown, Rhode Island (we’re a wine store in Providence, RI). John Nunes gave Nick a tour of the vineyards and winery, followed by a visit to their tasting room to try their impressive selection of wines.

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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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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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Wine Pairings for Striped Bass Season in Rhode Island

food and wine pairing idea striped bass albarino

It’s striper season in Rhode Island! You might have read our previous posts featuring food and wine pairings as they come into season in little Rhody. This week, we’re all about this mouth-watering combination: Striped Bass paired with Albariño, a white wine from Spain.

In Season Now
June – September

Striped Bass is a classic Ocean State food, and the Rhode Island state fish! Now is the season for catching your striper in the Narragansett Bay. Not a fisherman, or just unlucky? Pick up a few filets from local  fishermen such as The Local Catch at your farmer’s market. The Local Catch also has a Community Supported Fishery (CSF) program, sign up today!

Mild and sweet, light and flaky, Striped Bass tastes great cooked right on the grill, or pan-seared (in filet form!). Just add your favorite fresh herbs, lemon, olive oil or butter, and season to taste for the perfect Rhody summertime dish.

Read Edible Rhody Magazine’s simple Grilled Striped Bass recipe or Striped Bass with Tomato Basil Relish and Sweet Corn Purée recipe.

Wine Pairing

Albariño is a native grape of the Ríaz Baixas (pronounced “ree-ass by-shuss”) region on the Galician Coast of Spain. White wines from this region are delicate, lively, and aromatic. Ríaz Baixas is also a region with an ancient, pre-Columbian history of fishing and seafood. If it grows together, it goes together, so enjoy this fantastic wine with striped bass this summer!

Recommended Wine: Santiago Ruiz

Photo: Santiago Ruiz
  • History of the label: Santiago Ruiz’s daughter, Isabel, was celebrating her wedding at the winery house, and drew a little map to help guests find their way. Santiago saw it, added his handwritten text, and chose it to be the label for his wine.
  • Upon retiring at the age of 70, Santiago Ruiz dedicated himself to his true vocation and followed in the winemaking tradition of his ancestors. His maternal grandfather was one of the first to produce and bottle wines in Galicia in 1898.
  • Read more about Santiago Ruiz at www.bodegasantiagoruiz.com
Visit our store to get this wine
 

Radishes & Wine: Seasonal Rhode Island Food Pairings

food wine pairing radish white wine "pinot gris"

Radishes are here in Rhode Island! As part of our series of blog posts featuring in-season foods paired with wine, this week we’re having Foris Pinot Gris with farm-fresh radishes. For more pairing ideas, visit our seasonal recipe page.

The other week, Darius Salko invited Nick, the Bottles Wine Director, to Allens Farms and The March Hare in nearby Westport, MA. Darius showed us around and gave us super-fresh greens to enjoy. Take a look at photos from our visit, here!

  • Allens Farms grows certified organic herbs, greens, vegetables and flowers in nearby Westport.

In Season Now
May – Mid-December

Radishes are a spicy root vegetable that grows best either in spring or early fall. Whether you prefer French Breakfast radishes or the familiar Cherry Belle radish (or both!), radishes are easy-to-grow and can be enjoyed fresh or cooked. Make an easy appetizer with a baguette, soft cheese, and chives, serve  them with artisanal butter and sea salt, or even braise them with shallots. A great way to enjoy the local harvest!

Wine Pairing

Pinot Gris is medium bodied white wine with notes of pears, apples, and stone fruit. Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris happen to be the same grape, but the former is grown in the northeastern region of Italy, and is generally paler and lighter in style. Foris Pinot Gris is delicious example of Pinot Gris from Oregon, with aromas of melon, pear, citrus blosson, and a hint of vanilla. A great summertime wine!

Recommended Wine: Foris Pinot Gris

  • Foris is a family owned and operated vineyard in southern Oregon’s remote Rogue Valley.
  • Pinot Gris grows well in cooler climates such as Oregon, Washington, Alsace, and Northern Italy.
  • Read more about Foris Pinot Gris at www.foriswine.com
Visit our store to get this wine
 

A Visit to Allens Farms in Westport with Darius

Know your local farmer! Wine and food are natural partners, and so what better way to enjoy the best of both by choosing local, fresh, and seasonal foods?

We  love enjoying seasonally appropriate wines (rosé sangria in summer! big reds in the winter!), and so eating seasonally makes a lot of sense, too. Your food will taste fresher, be full of flavor, and you will be supporting your local farmer. Buy produce directly from local farms if they have a Community Supported Agriculture service, go to farmer’s markets, or look for local producers in grocery stores. CSA programs allow you buy a share of a nearby farm, where you receive regular baskets of super-fresh produce.

With this sentiment in mind, we’ve decided to start featuring local farmers, and thus our visit to Allens Farms and The March Hare with Darius Salko. Only a short drive down I-195 will bring you to idyllic Westport, MA, where you will find a plethora of farms, breweries, and vineyards just across the bay. This is where Debra Barrett started her 50-acre, certified organic farm in 1987.  You can find their potted herbs, vegetables, flowers, and other farm-fresh produce at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and their CSA program.

If you start following this blog, you’ll be in touch with our regular feature of wine pairings with foods that are coming into season. Thank-you Darius for the fantastic radishes, arugula and pea greens!

( Keep scrolling for our photo journey! )
allens farm westport ma
Darius and Nick (the Bottles Wine Director) checking out some seedlings.
Darius Salko
Darius showing us around the farm!
rhode island massachusetts organic farms
Baby lettuce & greens.
Nick enjoying the intoxicating smell of green garlic.
Pea greens in the field; eat them as a salad, or make a pesto!
Green garlic tops!
Darius, Deb, & Danielle in front of a greenhouse full of mustard and kale plants in seed.

Seasonal Rhode Island Food & Wine Pairings: Asparagus & Grüner Veltliner

Trying to match food and wine can sometimes grow into a complicated, out-of-control beast. Let’s pare it down. An easy way to start is to choose an ingredient that is in season, and then pick a complementary wine. As a wine store located in Providence, we tend to share Rhode Island farm (and ocean!) fresh foods as they come into season, and then give you our vote for the best wine pairing. Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a handy online resource for fresh, local foods.

In Season Now
April – June

Asparagus is one of the earliest native vegetables to look forward to in Rhode Island. A type of young green shoot, asparagus is a versatile early spring to summer side-dish and ingredient. Roast it in a pan, throw it on the grill with olive oil and salt and pepper, or use it in soups, omelets, or chopped up fresh in a salad!

Wine Pairing

Grüner Veltliner is crisp, dry, and Austria’s #1 white wine. Where most white wines fail when matched with green vegetables, Grüner always wins. There is most likely an in-depth scientific reason for why Grüner Veltliner tastes so good with bitter vegetables like asparagus, but all we know is that it’s a fantastic combination of mineral flavors mingled with the taste of pure springtime.

Recommended Wine:
Gobelsburger Grüner Veltliner

  • The Gobelsburger vineyards and winemaking have been tended to by monks since 1171.
  • A high quality Grüner Veltliner at an affordable price!
  • More about this wine at www.gobelsburg.at

Visit our store to get this wine!

 

Greenvale Vineyards in Rhode Island

Bottles supports local wineries! Watch our video about Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth, RI, which is not far from our wine store in Providence, Rhode Island. Nick, our Wine Manager, got a behind-the-scenes tour of the beautiful coastal vineyards and the wines with Nancy Parker Wilson, the 6th generation to own and operate Greenvale Farm. Learn more information about Skipping Stone White, Pinot Gris, and Cabernet Franc in addition to Greenvale’s history.

Greenvale Vineyards is a small-grower winery next to the Sakonnet River, and near Newport.

bottles wine store greenvale vineyards

Greenvale has regular tastings and tours, so pay them a visit if you’re in the area! The location is beautiful, and you won’t be disappointed in the quality and range of wines offered at the tasting room.

greenvale vineyards rhode island

Skipping Stone White is a popular seller, and a wine unique to Greenvale with its combination of two grape varietals: 90% Cayuga and 10% Vidal Blanc.

skipping stone white wine greenvale vineyards

Greenvale was first a farm, and has been in the same family since 1863. Only recently in the 1980’s were grapes planted for wine-making.

historic coast rhode island greenvale
Greenvale’s Vidal Blanc is a lovely aromatic wine and a French/American varietal hybrid. Enjoy this fruit-forward wine with rich cheeses or your favorite spicy dish.
greenvale wine rhode island vidal blanc
greenvale winery rhode island store