Unexpected White Wine Pairings
I’m hosting this month’s #WinePW event on “Unexpected White Wine Pairings.” You would think that since I was hosting, I would have had an idea about my pairing. Nope! I have been racking my brain for a month or so now, trying to figure out a wine and a pairing that I don’t think is expected!
The writers at #WinePW (Wine Pairing Weekend) are tackling “Unexpected White Wine Pairings.” You will find links to my colleagues’ articles at the end of this post.
If you have a favorite, “Unexpected White Wine Pairing,” feel free to join us on Threads on Saturday, August 12th at 8 am, when we will be having a test of a live chat! You can find the chat on my thread at @crushedgrapechron and then find links to all the other writers!
Where to Begin?
I decided to look at what was in the cellar last week (Yes, only a week from when this needed to post!) I narrowed it down to Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, and Semillon. Then I turned to one of my favorite geeky books, “Taste Buds and Molecules” by François Chartier.
Out of the 3 wines I had narrowed my list down to, Sauvignon Blanc had, by far, the most references. So I dug in.
Finding Harmonious flavors and searching for something “Unexpected.”
Mint and Sauvignon Blanc was the first “aromatic track” that Chartier decided to explore in 2006 when he started working on “molecular harmony.
Chartier narrowed down Volatile Compounds and Aromas that were “Anise-Flavored.” This included things like fennel, mint, parsnips, some root vegetable (rhizomes), dill, caraway, and cumin, among other things.
These flavors go well with young dry, unoaked white wines with some anise-like notes.
Okay… “sciency,” but if you have been doing wine and food pairing, this is not “unexpected.”
I explored further and found a section on saffron and wines. The Cartenoids and Terpenes in Sauvignon Blanc lend themselves to pairing with saffron. Then looking for connections with saffron, I came upon lavender and walnuts.
I came across a link to cocoa somewhere in the book or on the site. Can’t find it now. Regardless, I put all these details together to find bridge flavors (those flavors in the food that tie to the wine and make the whole pairing work) and put together the following menu, which I found to have some unexpected bits!
Okay, here I felt like I was stretching a bit for 2 reasons.
- White wine and red meat, which are not a classic pairing.
- Lamb is a delicate meat, and Sauvignon Blanc is a bit in your face. Would the wine overpower the lamb?
Would it work?
So, you can see, I was about to cook away, not knowing if I would actually come up with an “Unexpected Pairing.” I mean, I could finish this, and it could taste like crap together!
Luckily, it didn’t take too long. Most of my time was spent setting up the camera to catch shots for an Instagram reel while cooking. This is Sunday the 6th when I am doing this. So worst case, I can go back to square 1 and figure out a different pairing to try on Monday night!
Our Sauvignon Blanc
We are members of the Carhartt Family Winery Wine Club in Santa Barbara, and I had a 2021 and 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from them in the wine fridge. I pulled out the 2021.
I’m just going to give them a bit of a shout-out for getting rid of the foil on the top of their bottles. It’s unnecessary. They saw it as wasteful and got rid of it! Their corks are stamped with their logo, and that’s plenty!
This wine comes from their Rancho Santa Ynez Estate and sits at 13% abv. It spends 6 months in barrel, so it is a bit softer than your typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This was only their 2nd entirely estate, Sauvignon Blanc, and they used oak, stainless steel, and concrete for fermenting. Each vessel does something a little different, adding to the complexity of the wine. Oak adds texture, stainless steel keeps that classical linear style in Sauvignon Blanc, and the concrete, Chase Carhartt, the winemaker, says, “brought in this new minerality.”
This wine has notes of green apple, melon, chamomile, and citrus with a richness and a bit of sea spray.
The Pairing
The beet, carrot, and mint salad complimented the wine with a bit of contrast from the beet’s earthiness. The wine seemed to highlight the sweetness in the roasted parsnip fennel mash. The lamb seemed to tone down the bright apple notes in the wine.
I found that the sear on the lamb with the cocoa stood up to the wine (the weight and dominance issue I had been concerned with). At first, the lavender in the rub seemed to disappear, but then I found it and enjoyed it with the wine.
The fat and cocoa gave the dish a richness that the acidity of the wine cut through nicely.
(Recipes are at the bottom!)
Wrap-up
Okay, perhaps this wasn’t very far out of the box as far as unexpected goes. Cocoa and Sauvignon Blanc seem to be the most outrageous part of this. But honestly, it had not occurred to me to pair lamb with Sauvignon Blanc before, so it was at least “unexpected” for me!
You’ll find a video of our recipe on Pinterest and short reels with each of the recipes on our Facebook and Instagram channels!
More “Unexpected White Wine Pairings” from the writers at #WinePW
Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “PBJ and Gewurtz? Say What?!!”
Cam of Culinary Cam shares “Pecorino Times Three: Two Cheeses and a Wine with a Lamb Burger”
Andrea of The Quirky Cork shares “Assyrtiko, Keftedes, and Salt”
David of Cooking Chat Shares “Grilled Filet Mignon with Mushrooms and White Wine”
Jane of Always Ravenous shares, “Lamb Curry paired with Viognier”
Gwendolyn Alley of Wine Predator shares“Yes, Sparkling Whites from Mendo’s Scharffenberger and Marche’s Mai Sentito Pair with Pizza!“
And Susannah with Avvinare shares “Pinot Grigio from Valadige and Shrimp with Green Sauce“
The Recipes
Golden beet, carrot, and mint salad with lemon juice and walnut oil
Refreshing yet earthy, this salad of julienned carrots and golden beets is tossed with lemon juice, walnut oil, and fresh mint.
Ingredients
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1 medium golden beet julienned
- ½ lemon juiced
- 3 sprigs of chopped mint
- 1 tbsp of walnut oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients and let sit for 30 min for the flavors to meld.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 86Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 324mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 1g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Roasted fennel and parsnip mash
This is the perfect rustic mash to pair with lamb chops! The flavor has so much more depth than if you boiled and pureed the fennel and parsnip.
Ingredients
- 1 large parsnip peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium bulb of fennel (tops reserved for garnish) chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup half-n-half
Instructions
- Mix all items except the half-n-half in a bowl.
- Spread on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Convection Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
- Cool slightly, then put in a blender (or use an immersion blender) with the half-n-half
and blend.
Lamb chops with a cocoa lavender rub
Lavender and cocoa combine to make a rich rub for lamb chops.
Ingredients
- 3 lamb chops
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lavender (crushed with a mortar and pestle)
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Make sure your lamb is at room temperature.
- Heat a rod iron skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil
- Mix the lavender and cocoa powder
- Drizzle the lamb chops with 1 tsp of olive oil, coating them
- Sprinkle with the lavender and cocoa mixture, patting it on to make it stick
- Place in the heated pan, and then add 1 tbsp of butter
- Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes and flip
- Add the other tbsp of butter, basting the chops as it melts.
- Cook another 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature on the chops is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve on the parsnip mash with the carrot and beet salad on the side.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 381Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 104mgSodium 649mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 24g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
10 Comments
Leave your reply.