Wine and Food Pairing- Let Us Make The Menu For You

 

You like wine, you like food, but you have no idea what food goes with which wine. There are several ‘rules of thumb’ when it comes to pairing wine and food, but overall some basic pointers (and recipes) can help guide you to an overall epic wine and dine experience. This blog will provide you with delicious food recipes to pair with your Veramar Vineyard wines.

White wine with fish, red wine with meat is an easy to remember ‘rule of thumb’. But this is not written in stone. 

Let’s start with our beloved white wines and pair them with seafood style meals. White wines such as Chardonnay and Riesling are light, crisp and often carry flavors of citrus. This is why they pair well with seafood, which embodies similar characteristics.

Veramar Vineyards Riesling with Pan Seared Thai Chili Scallops

We chose this pairing for the light texture of the scallops but decided to throw in spicy to balance with the sweetness of the Riesling.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp butter
1 lb scallops, defrosted, patted dry
1 tsp salt, celtic sea salt
1 tsp pepper, freshly cracked
2 tbsp garlic, diced
1/4 cup thai basil, diced
1 tsp chili paste, add more as desired
1/2 lemon, sliced into half-wedges

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat butter in pan on high heat until melted and lightly foaming.
Pat scallops dry with paper towel and generously season scallops with salt and pepper.
Add scallops into pan, with space in between so they can crisp.
After about 4 minutes on one side, flip scallops. They should have a golden crust on the side that was face-down. (If not, increase heat, and let sear a bit more.)
Add garlic and thai basil and stir quickly, let lightly brown and become fragrant, do not let burn (about 2-3 minutes).
Add lemon slices, chili paste, and stir.
When scallops are still springy to the touch, but bright white and opaque and browned on both sides, serve and top with sauce.

For the detailed recipe click HERE to visit sweetcsdesigns.com

Veramar Vineyards Chardonnay with Creamy Lobster Pasta

Our Chardonnay is light and buttery. Sipping it along side of a creamy, light soft textured lobster dish will leave you with a satisfied palate.

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces pasta of choice (I used linguini)
1 lobster, cooked
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup evaporated milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Set a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat and cook your pasta of choice according to the package.

While the pasta is cooking, separate the lobster meat from the shell, reserving the shell. Roughly chop the meat and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the evaporated milk and add the shells, to flavor the sauce. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the cold water. Pour into the sauce and simmer until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down and add the lobster and warm gently.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately add to the pan with the sauce. Toss everything together, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and enjoy immediately.

For the detailed recipe click HERE to visit iamafoodblog.com 

Let’s move onto Reds! Reds and Meats you can’t beat!

Red wines are a ton of fun to pair with a savory meat meal. Red wine typically pairs well with red meat due to higher tannins in the wine. While on their own, tannins can feel drying, they’re a good complement to the rich fattiness that can be found in red meat.

Veramar Vineyards Rooster Red and Spice-Marinated and Grilled Lamb Chops

Rooster Red  is full of life, “Rooster” is a blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot and Malbec. After an aromatic nose of black pepper and lavender, you’ll notice peppery sensations along with plum and chili pepper on the palate. Pairing this wine with a bold meat that holds flavor with the spice marinate like this recipe will not only be delicious but adventurous as well.

INGREDIENTS
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 serrano chile, finely grated
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mustard oil (optional)
1 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchoor; optional)
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grill
12 lamb rib chops (about 2¼ pounds total), frenched
Kosher salt
Mint leaves, cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lemon wedges (for serving)
Special Equipment
A spice mill or mortar and pestle

RECIPE PREPARATION
Toast fennel seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, shaking pan often, until fragrant, about 45 seconds; let cool. Finely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle. Transfer to a large bowl; add in chile, ginger, garlic, crème fraîche, lime juice, mustard oil (if using), mango powder (if using), fenugreek leaves, pepper, nutmeg, 1 tsp. chili powder, and 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil and mix well. Season lamb chops with salt and add to marinade; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Let lamb chops sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling.

Prepare a grill for medium heat; oil grate. Grill lamb to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a platter; let rest 5–10 minutes.

Top lamb with mint and cilantro and dust with more chili powder. Serve with lemon wedges.

Do Ahead: Lamb can be marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

For the detailed recipe click HERE to visit bonappetit.com

Veramar Vineyards The Founder and Filet Mignon With Porcini Mushroom Compound Butter

In this wine ‘The Founder‘ we have used all five of the Bordeaux wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is used for power. Merlot is used for rich fruit flavors and as a smoothing agent. Cabernet Franc is used for smoothing texture and adding earthiness. Malbec is used for dark rich color. Petit Verdot is used for structure and body. This collection of assemblage makes a wine that has dense purple color, with classic notes of cedar, lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of black currants, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. Steak might just be the perfect complement to red Bordeaux. The boldness of Bordeaux compliments meat and the wine’s grippy tannins are smoothed out by the dish’s fat content. In fact, Bordeaux wine will taste sweet and fruity against this rich meaty backdrop.

Ingredients
2 1½ ” thick Filet Mignon steaks about 5-6 ounces each, at room temperature
1-2 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced
10 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Porcini butter recipe below

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Season the steaks generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Season more than you think you’ll need as much of it comes off during the cooking process.
Heat a cast iron pan on the stovetop over high heat. Melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the steaks and cook each side of the steaks including the top, bottom and sides for about 4 minutes on each side or until browned.
Remove from heat and add the garlic slices and thyme and cook in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 140-145 degrees F for medium rare.
Meanwhile, remove the Porcini Butter Compound from the refrigerator and slice into ½ inch pats.
Remove from the oven, spoon cooked juices over the steak and serve with a pat of Porcini butter over the Filets and garlic. Garnish with more fresh thyme if desired.

Porcini Compound Butter
Ingredients
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms divided
1/2 cup 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
Place about 10 whole porcini mushrooms in small bowl. Cover with enough boiling water just to top mushrooms. Cover and set aside 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms have reconstituted and are soft. Drain mushrooms (save mushroom water for soups or gravy), squeeze out excess water. Thinly slice mushrooms and set aside.
Place remaining porcini mushrooms in clean coffee grinder and grind to fine powder to make 2 tablespoons.
Place butter in food processor fitted with metal blade. Add 2 tablespoons porcini powder, half of sliced porcini mushrooms, and salt to butter. Blend until well mixed and butter is smooth.
Using rubber spatula, scrape butter onto sheet of plastic wrap. Roll into log shape. Place reserved porcini slices on top of butter and wrap tightly. Twist ends of plastic closed. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until just firm enough to slice.

For the detailed recipe HERE to visit foodiecrush.com

Don’t forget the Rosé. Now it’s time to get sweet!

Our Pink Chicken Rosé is light but fruity wine has a deep strawberry color, with flavors of sweet grapefruit & strawberries, finishing on the palate with notes of pomegranate and berry fruits. Pairing it with a sweet, fruity dessert seems like a refreshing yet rewarding idea. The wine is light, the mousse is light…. the pair is perfect.

Veramar Vineyards Pink Chicken Rosé and Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

Ingredients

Mousse
15 oz (3.5 cups) fresh raspberries
2 tsp gelatin powder
3 Tbsp (45ml) cold water
1 1/2 cups (355ml) heavy cream
12 oz (340g) cream cheese, softened
2 1/4 cups (260g) powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red food coloring, optional

Crust
1 cup (120g) graham cracker crumbs (8 full sheets)
2 Tbsp (26g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
Topping (optional)
3/4 cup (175ml) heavy cream
2 Tbsp (26g) granulated sugar
10 – 20 fresh raspberries
Mint leaves
Instructions
For the mousse: Pulse raspberries in a food processor until well pureed. Force puree through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds (you should have 1 1/3 cups puree). Set aside.

Pour 3 Tbsp water into a small microwave safe bowl, sprinkle gelatin evenly over water then let rest 5 minutes.
Heat gelatin mixture in microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Remove and whisk for 1 minute, let cool 4 minutes until just warm (don’t let it cool completely or it may start to set).
Between stages of gelatin resting prepare whipped cream and cream cheese mixture as listed here – In a medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
Add in 1/4 cup powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (just shake excess from beater blades, no need to wash for next step).
In a separate large mixing bowl using hand mixer, blend cream cheese and 2 cups powdered sugar until combined. Add in vanilla and red food coloring if using (I think I used about 14 drops liquid coloring) and mix until combined.

Increase to high speed and whip until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Mix in strained raspberry puree and add in lukewarm gelatin/water mixture and mix until well combined.
Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture, then add remaining and fold just until combined. Transfer to refrigerator while preparing crust layer (don’t chill longer than 30 minutes you don’t want it to set).
For the crust: In a medium mixing bowl stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Pour in butter and using a fork, stir until evenly moistened. Divide mixture among 10 dessert cups and lightly press into an even layer.

Working in batches add mousse to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe over crust layer in cups. Repeat with remaining mousse. Cover cups with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 3 hours until set.

Optional toppings: In a medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, add in sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip then pipe cream over mousse. Add 1 – 2 raspberries to each then garnish with mint leaves.

For the detailed recipe click HERE to visit cookingclassy.com

We hope you enjoyed this food pairing guide and hope it will inspire you to drink more wine (oh, and make some great meals). Click on the images below to order your Veramar Vineyard wines online or join us in the tasting room. We are open daily at 12:00 pm. 905 Quarry Rd, Berryville, VA 22611. We love being your VIRGINIA’S PREMIER WINERY & VINEYARD.

CHEERS!