Pairing: Egg Fu Yung (with Shrimp) Paired with a 2017 “Wild Thing” Viognier (Damiano Vineyard, Placer County)

Food:  Egg Fu Yung (Egg Foo Young) is a popular, ridiculously easy, Asian omelette made with ingredients one often uses in a basic stir fry. This version combines chopped celery, mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallion, ground fresh ginger, and small, chopped shrimp. Gently beat some eggs (two per person) and set aside. Put a little peanut oil in a hot wok or pan. Quickly stir fry the vegetables, aromatics and shrimp. Then, gently pour in the lightly beaten eggs. Without stirring, cook until lightly browned and carefully turn over long enough so that both sides are golden brown. Serve with some wilted spinach and topped with a light sauce composed of oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Interestingly enough, some people enjoy putting brown gravy on it instead.

Wine:  We most often associate Viognier with the “South of France,” the area that encompasses the extensive Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. There, Viognier is frequently blended with Roussanne and Marsanne in the making of an excellent and versatile white wine. The standard for single varietal Viognier is undoubtably Condrieu from the northern Rhone region.

With that background, let’s travel 6,000 miles west to California. Placer County is located in the heart of the Sierra Foothills wine region, one of the largest wine regions area-wise in the entire United States at 2.6 million acres. The dry, rocky, mostly infertile soils there force the roots of the grape vines to dig deep to find water and nutrients. This, in turn, produces wines of great intensity. Viognier, once near extinction with only 35 acres worldwide, today thrives in these conditions as it does in the northern Rhone Valley in southern France and now elsewhere throughout the world.

Tasting Notes: The color of 14 carat gold. A complex nose of mixed tropical fruits and white flowers (notably mock orange). On the palate, one can detect mango, pineapple, and white peach. An enchanting wine by itself, and a beautiful complement to the Egg Fu Yung.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Egg Fu Yung (with Shrimp): Pinot Grigio (Italy), Verdelho (Portugal), White Burgundy (France), Riesling (Alsace)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Viognier:  Curries, White Fish, Scallops, Crab, Lobster, Dishes with Cream or Butter Sauces

View the Sierra Foothills Wine Region:  Sierra Foothills

A Source:  www. klwines.com