Pairing: Pan-Seared Scallops with Penne, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Garlic served with Fiddlehead Greens, Paired with a 2013 Walpole New Hampshire Mountain View Winery Frontenac Gris

Food: Jasper White is widely regarded as a leading authority on traditional and contemporary New England food (notably seafood). For our dish we used White’s recipe for Cape Scallops Sautéed with Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes, from Jasper White’s Cooking from New England., one of our most dog-eared volumes on our cook bookshelf. The major addition we made to the recipe was to toss the scallop mixture into cooked penne. And … the penne we used was made entirely from red lentil flour. Amazing!! Delicious!! And serving the scallops and penne with fresh fiddlehead greens was (modestly) inspiring. There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe this wonderful meal paired with a very nice local wine.

Wine: Frontenac is a cold weather tolerant wine grape, developed in 1978 at the University of Minnesota; a cross between Landot Noir and a wild grape variety found in Minnesota and also known for its cold tolerance. Frontenac Gris is a mutation of Frontenac. Frontenac Gris is considered to be the white version of Frontenac (a red wine), though its color is more accurately described as amber or peach. It is grown in many northern U.S. states, including Michigan, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and in some Canadian provinces, notably Quebec. Quebec is where another grape mutation was recently discovered, namely, Frontenac Blanc.

Tasting Notes:  The color of the Walpole Mountain View Frontenac Gris is decidedly amber. It possesses a lovely fragrance of honey (maybe Sourwood?) and toasted hazelnut. On the palate one can readily taste caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, and peach-apricot jam. The food and the wine make for a beautiful visual pairing. The flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes and the hazelnut element of the wine make for a terrific combination. And, the apricot flavor really shows up on the finish. A very nice pairing.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Scallops and Sun-dried Tomatoes: Chenin Blanc (South Africa), Sauvignon Blanc (California), Gruner Veltliner (Austria), Gewurstraminer (Alsace, France)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Frontenac Gris:  Lobster Rolls, Chicken Salad, Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Leftover Turkey (Cold)

More About the New Hampshire Wineries: New Hampshire Wineries

A Source: liquor and wine outlets