Oyster and Blue Cheese Pie …Amazing Paired with a Maconnais Chardonnay

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Pairing:  Oyster and Blue Cheese Pie Paired with 2017 Vignerons des Terres Secretes Bourgogne Chardonnay “Les Preludes” 

Food: It is not hyperbole to say that oysters are among our very favorite shellfish. We spend part of every year on Prince Edward Island, home to arguably the very best oysters in the world.   Colville Bay, South Lake, Raspberry Point … all iconic names of these PEI treasures. Truth be told, however, we most enjoy eating oysters raw and unadorned. On occasion, we come across a delectable dish in which the oysters are cooked. We recently fell in love with a recipe (from the New York Times Cooking website) enticingly called Oyster and Blue Cheese Pie. It calls for the assembly of oysters, blue cheese, fennel bulb, fennel fronds, leeks, and apple. An utterly divine combination of flavors. And served with broccoli and brussel sprouts … too good! Mail ordered Island Creek oysters directly from the source in Duxbury, Massachusetts. When we can’t get PEI oysters, Island Creeks are the next best thing. Delicious!

 

Wine: The Maconnais is the wine region located in the southern end of the renowned Burgundy region of eastern France.  This white burgundy is made by a winemaking cooperative from Chardonnay grapes selected from a number of vineyards that are interspersed among other crops in this diverse agricultural land. Many wine lovers believe the best value in white burgundies is found in this part of Burgundy. Indeed the white burgundies from the Côte d’Or just to the north of Maconnais are some of the most expensive white wines in the world, some costing hundreds of dollar. Whereas, the particular Chardonnay here in this pairing is … $12. The low cost and excellent flavor make this wine the perfect “gateway” white burgundy.

Macon-Village

Tasting Notes:  A lovely pale gold color. An extraordinary aroma of apples stored in a root cellar combined with the grassy scent of freshly cut hay. Divine! The flavor is of a slightly tart, red heirloom apple with a little pear and melon and a bit of lemon zest on the finish. As you sip this delightful wine, one can easily conjure up the tastes and scents of an orchard at harvest time. The pairing of this exquisite wine and the complex flavors of this oyster pie couldn’t be better.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Oysters and Blue Cheese:  White Bordeaux (France), Sancerre (Loire Valley), Soave Classico (Italy), Sparkling Wine (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Maconnais Chardonnay:  Goat Cheese, Calamari, Charcuterie, White Fish (Poached or Sautéed)

Maps and Views of the Beautiful Maconnais:  Maconnais Wine Region

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smorrebrod, A Scandinavian Tradition … Served with a Nova Scotia Rose

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Pairing: Smørrebrød Paired with a 2016 Avondale Sky ‘Lady Slipper’ Rosé 

Food: The ‘Dog Days of Summer” are upon us. And, Smørrebrød, a traditional Scandinavian, open-face sandwich is the perfect light, refreshing meal for a hot summer day. Usually constructed from a slice of dense, dark bread, spread with butter, then layered with meat or fish, garnishes, and cheese. We make ours using a dense rye bread spread with whipped cream cheese, then piled high with cold turkey, spinach leaves, ripe tomato slices, and hard-boiled egg. Add a generous shake of salt and pepper. Serve it with a cool, refreshing cucumber salad. We like the one found in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook, widely hailed when it came out in the 1970’s.

The salad is made with thinly sliced cucumber, white wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and dill.

Turkey Smorrebrot with Rose

 

Wine:  Nova Scotia is becoming more and more the place to enjoy fabulous wines while exploring a bucolic landscape in Atlantic Canada. Numerous wineries now dot prime agricultural land located mostly in the Annapolis Valley and Gaspereau Valley. The Avondale Sky Winery lies on the Avon Peninsula a few miles to the east. In operation since 2009 (though many of its vineyards are much older), it has quickly established itself as one of the premier wineries in all of Nova Scotia, indeed of all the Maritime Provinces.   Their ‘Lady Slipper’ Rosé is one of their most awarded wines, and made from Leon Millot and Marquette grapes, both cold climate grapes.

 

Avondale Sky Lady Slipper Rose.JPG

Tasting Notes: A pretty bluish-red color, it almost looks like a blueberry wine, but it is not. The nose provides fragrant aromas of fresh strawberry, cranberry, wild cherry, and blueberry. On the palate one can taste sweet strawberry, clean crisp wild cranberry, and lingonberry. It’s like a basket full of ripe, fresh, local (to the Maritimes) berries. A gentle, mellow hint of honey rounds it all out, but one would be incorrect in thinking this is a sweet wine. It gets even better over time as it opens up. The pairing is extremely good with the “wild fruit” complementing the layers of flavor of the Smørrebrød.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Smørrebrød: Riesling – Kabinett (Germany), Gewürztraminer (Alsace, France), Soave (Italy), Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Rosé: Salade Niçoise, Provençal Pizza, Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Chicken Salad.

View the Beautiful Wine Country of Nova Scotia: Wine Country Nova Scotia

A Source: Avondale Sky Winery

 

 

 

Pissaladiere (Provencal “Pizza”)…Perfect with a Bandol Rouge from Provence

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Pairing: Pissaladière Paired with a 2011 Château de Pibarnon Bandol

Food: Pissaladière is a classic pizza-like dish that originated in the city of Nice in the region of Provence in Southeastern France. We make ours with our normal pizza dough, though it can be made with a puff pastry as well. The topping is a generous helping of caramelized onions, anchovies, and black Niçoise olives. Sometimes we’ll add fresh rosemary or thyme to the topping. View different versions of Pissaladière here.

Pissaladiere with Bandol

Wine:  Bandol is seen by many as the premiere red wine of Provence. We count ourselves in that mindset. Bandol is a blended wine composed primarily (at least 50%) of the dark, full bodied Mourvèdre. The remaining is part Grenache and Cinsaut. This combination of grapes produces a rich, full-bodied, satisfying wine that pairs nicely with richly flavored foods. Chateau de Pibarnon is a well-regarded producer of Bandol, not only for the excellence of their reds, but also their whites and rosés.

Bandol - Chateau de Pibarnon

Tasting Notes: A deep garnet hue, almost black. A complex nose with distinguishing elements of blueberry, violet, cinnamon, and plowed earth. Delicious layers of blueberry, blackberry, wild cherry, and earth emerge on the palate, and extend into the finish. This wine is an exemplar of an earthy, old world wine with just enough fruit to keep it balanced. The wine is made mostly from Mourvèdre which can be dark, brooding wine, but this terrific Bandol has a lightness to it that makes it highly drinkable. The pairing with the Pissaladière is inspired, even brilliant (he says modestly). The sweet, caramelized onions and salty olives and anchovies really bring out the great earthiness of the wine.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Pissaladière: Chablis (France), Semillon (Australia), Super Tuscan (Italy), Tempranillo (Spain)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Bandol: Grilled Sausage, Wild Boar or Venison, Calf’s Liver, Pizza

View the Stunning Mediterranean Site of the Chateau de Pibarnon winery: https://www.pibarnon.com/en/

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

 

Cullin Skink (!?) … Absolutely Delicious with an Alsatian Riesling

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Pairing: Cullin Skink Paired with 2008 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Emile Riesling

Food:  ‘Cullin Skink is an absolutely fabulous tasting thick Scottish soup traditionally made with finnan haddie (smoked haddock), potatoes, onion, bay leaf, and milk or cream. “Cullen” is a fishing village located on the Moray Firth, a popular hangout for haddock. “Skink” comes from the German word for shin. Go figure.  Anyway … we are fortunate that we can make fairly regular runs to the NH seacoast (yes, we have a seacoast … all 18 miles of it) to our favorite fish market, Sanders, where we can buy frozen finnan haddie. An excellent online source is www.stonintonseafood.com. Our dish is served with green asparagus and parsley. Pretty and delicious.

Cullin Skink with RieslingJPG

 

Wine:  Alsatian Riesling is a sometimes overlooked wine, playing second fiddle to the more widely known German Rieslings. Alsace is located in the breathtakingly beautiful northeast corner of France, just across the border with Germany, not too far from the region where the great German Rieslings originate. Riesling has been grown in this area at least since the 9th Century, and the Trimbach family has been producing fine wine there since 1626. Almost 400 years … Remarkable!

Trimbach Riesling

Tasting Notes:  A deep golden color. Lovely aromas of ripe peach and melon. The smoked haddock really seems to bring out the delicious melon flavors in the wine. One could make the case that the flavor is akin to the taste of a French Charentais Melon. And lest we forget, the peach flavor is also there. The Alsatian Riesling is a lot like its German cousin, but a bit drier and with a hint of acidity. The smoked fish and the clean, slightly sweet wine are a perfect match (IMHO).

Other Wines That Pair Well with Cullin Skink:  Gewürztraminer (France), Vouvray (Loire Valley), Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Alsatian Riesling: Choucroute, Crab, Scallops, Salads or Other Dishes Made with Peaches or Melon

View the Striking Landscapes and Architecture of Alsace:  Alsace

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Springtime Salad … Paired Beautifully with a Vin de Savoie

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Pairing: Springtime Salad Paired with 2013 Veronique Anne Perret Vin de Savoie Apremont

Food:  Maybe it’s just me, but the tug of war between winter and spring seems to be lasting far longer than normal here in New Hampshire. But now at the end of April, spring seems to be gaining a foothold despite winter’s soldiers making a last stand in small bunkers of snow north of the barn and hidden among the hemlocks deep in the woods.  The calendar proclaimed spring six weeks ago, so by golly we’re going to call it spring and celebrate! Here’s a wonderful springtime salad, invented by my wife, composed of a medley of flavors that herald the beginning of warmer days to come.

Start with a base of mixed spring greens. Toss with a dressing made with mayonnaise, hot chili sauce, a bit of granulated garlic and some lemon juice. Play around with your own proportions. Compose the salad with cooked asparagus cut into one-inch pieces, some cooked cold water shrimp, cubed mangos, clementine sections, and sliced hard-boiled eggs. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle additional dressing over the top. This will help you forget that winter ever happened!

Springtime Salad with Vin de Savoie

Wine:  The Savoie wine region lies in the far eastern part of France in the French Alps south of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. Apremont, just north of the skiing paradise of Grenoble, is regarded as among the finest cru in the Savoie region. The white grape, Jacquere, dominates the wine production in this region and is rarely found outside of this tucked-away corner of France. Veronique Anne Perret’s Apremont wine is 100% Jacquere, an excellent example of this delightfully refreshing, clean-tasting wine, and an absolute steal at $8.

Vin de Savoie Apremont

Tasting Notes:  A pretty pale gold color (12 Karat says my geologist wife!). You can just smell the fresh, clean alpine air along with fragrant honeysuckle and maybe a hint of green melon. Just lovely. On the palate the tastes of white clover and melon persist then linger on the finish. Fairs beautifully with the myriad tastes and textures of the salad.

Other Wines That Pair Well with this Shrimp, Asparagus, Mango, and Citrus Salad:  White Bordeaux (France), Chenin Blanc (South Africa), Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), Pinot Grigio (Italy)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Vin de Savoie Apremont: Cheese Fondue, Welsh Rarebit, Oysters, White Fish (delicately prepared), Raclette

View the Beautiful Apremont Region of Savoie:  apremont savoie

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

Popovers with Ham & Asparagus … Nicely Paired with a California Red

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Pairing: Popovers Stuffed with Ham and Asparagus Paired with NV Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red

Food:  There is always a bit of ham and asparagus left from our special Easter dinner. But never any leftover popovers of which every crumb and morsel is gobbled up before anyone gets up from the table. Well … guess we’re going to have make some more … what a hardship! We like to make them jumbo-sized using a larger muffin tin to bake them in. Easy to make … thoroughly beat up 3 eggs and a cup of milk until light and frothy, add a cup of sifted flour and 1/2 tsp salt, then beat them some more (vigorously!). Then let stand on the counter for at least an hour. Generously butter each cup of the muffin tin you plan to use, putting water in any cups you plan not to put any batter in. Heat up the muffin tin in a 400F oven. Remove from the oven, pour the batter into the hot tin and bake at 400F for about 25 minutes until brown and puffed up. While the popovers are baking, mix up a béchamel sauce with some cheese and add some ham and asparagus pieces. Open up the popovers, ladle some of the mixture into the popovers and dig in. We served ours with potatoes dauphinoise. Good stuff!

Popovers
Huge Popovers! Fresh Out of the Oven
Popovers with Ham & Asparagus Cream Sauce
Filled with Ham/Asparagus Cream Sauce

Wine:  One of our favorite wines to serve with ham is Zinfandel. The Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red is predominantly Zinfandel, but blended with Petite Sirah, Syrah, Barbera and Montepulciano (your classic “everything but the kitchen sink” blend). Marietta Cellars uses grapes harvested from vineyards scattered throughout Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Multiple generations at Marietta Cellars have perfected the art of making great blended red wines. And at an amazing price … about $12.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red

Tasting Notes:  A beautiful shade of garnet. A nose of rich earth and black currant. A wonderful complex palate with layers of black and red raspberries, black currant, leather, black pepper and other spices. With each sip, a new flavor moves to the front. But the myriad of tastes does not overwhelm the food. The wine makes an excellent companion.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Popovers and Ham/ Asparagus Cream Sauce:  Pinot Noir (Oregon), Chardonnay (California), Syrah (Washington), White Burgundy (France)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Zinfandel-based Blends:  Grilled Chicken or Pork, Baked Ham, Hamburgers or Hot Dogs Cooked Over an Open Fire

Read About:  https://www.winemag.com/2017/06/06/how-generational-change-is-driving-marietta-cellars/

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

A Lord of the Rings Celebration (2.0) … Sam’s Rabbit Stew … served with Farmer Maggot’s Mushrooms

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Note:  A year ago (March 2017) I posted the original “Lord of the Rings Celebration … Sam’s Rabbit Stew”. It proved to be, hands-down, the most widely read posting in the two-year run of PetersPicksBlog.com. Since our family celebrates March 25 every year, we thought we would post a new version of the LOTR meal and paired with a different wine. The changes and additions made to the original version are printed in purple italics.

Pairing:  Samwise Gamgee’s Rabbit Stew served with Farmer Maggot’s Mushrooms paired with a 2014 Albert Boxler Chasselas

Background:  March 25 is a day of very special significance in the history of Middle Earth. It is the day the One Ring is destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom as told by J.R.R. Tolkien in his epic literary masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). This is a special book to our entire family … we’ve each read it multiple times, individually and together as a family.  So, we celebrate the book every year on this most important day in Middle Earth, March 25. We celebrate it by creating a meal composed of foods described in various parts of the story.

Lord of the Rings Books

Food:  This is a meal that Samwise Gamgee made for his master, Frodo Baggins, in Ithilien on the border of the Dark Lord’s fortress lands of Mordor. Their guide (and sympathetic villain), Gollum, has brought Sam a couple of freshly killed “conies” and Sam asks if he might go find him some “taters” for the stew. “What’s taters, Precious?” is Gollum’s response. Sam never gets his taters, but we’ve added them to our stewing rabbit, along with some simple seasoning (salt, pepper, crushed herbs). Sam would be pleased. Sam and Frodo carried dried fruit and elvish honey cakes called “lembas” on their perilous journey to Mordor, so we’ve added them to the meal. Our version of lembas is a recipe for Lebkuchen that we make at Christmastime. We save out some of the cookies, unglazed, then freeze for eating at our LOTR meal.

The mushroom casserole is our invention based on the most welcome gift of a basket of mushrooms Farmer Maggot and his wife gave to Frodo and Sam following their frightening first encounter with the Black Riders, servants of the Dark Lord.

LOTR w: Fire

Wine:  Sam and Frodo did have occasion to drink what was referred to as “the golden wine of Gondor”. In the book, parts of the story take place around the Anduin River. Since the map of Middle Earth looks suspiciously like a map of Europe (I know, it’s a stretch), we’ve imagined that the Anduin might be the Rhone River. And … here’s the connection … Chasselas is a widely grown wine grape throughout the Rhone Valley. Since the Anduin flows through parts of Gondor, the “golden wine of Gondor” must be … drum roll … Chasselas! Ta da!! Clever, eh?

Back to the wine … Chasselas is one of those widely produced wines that few people outside of Middle or Eastern Europe have ever heard of, much less drink. Yet, it’s been grown for at least 500 years in Switzerland, France, Germany, and even parts of North Africa. Today, it is most often used as a blending wine . The wine for this meal comes from Domaine Albert Boxler a highly regarded winery in Niedermorschwihr in the Alsace wine region of eastern France. This family has been making wine here since their ancestors moved here from Switzerland in 1673.

Chasselas

 

Tasting Notes: This pale golden wine is decidedly floral in both its nose and palate. A clean, fresh fragrance of clover, green grass and a bit of honeysuckle. Very delicate, gentle taste of flowers and apricot. This is a simple tasting wine, with the promise of a nutty, more complex flavor as it matures beyond these four years from the 2014 vintage date. The wine goes particularly well with the honey cakes and dried fruit accompanying the meal.

Other Foods That Pair Well with This Chasselas:  Cheese Fondue (with Swiss Cheese), Mushroom Risotto, Mushroom Pastry, Spicy Noodle Soup, Crayfish Laksa

Other Wines That Pair Well with Rabbit Stew and Mushroom Casserole:  Barbaresco, Bandol, Pinot Grig (Alsace) Chateauneuf-du-Pape (white or red), Pinot Noir

Read About Chasselas:  http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-100-chasselas

A Source:  www.klwines.com

Roasted Salmon and Winter Vegetables … Lovely with a Pinot Noir

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Pairing: Roasted Salmon and Winter Vegetables Paired with a 2012 Greywacke Pinot Noir from New Zealand

Food:  Simple, seasonal and low in calories … what could be better? Oh, yeah … it’s delicious, too. For this dish, fry up a little bacon then remove and chop. Toss some cubed carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes in the hot bacon fat. Place vegetables in a roasting pan and roast in a 450F oven for ten minutes. Make some room in the pan for the salmon filets, and reduce temp to 400F for 5-10 minutes until done. Plate up and sprinkle generously with chopped bacon and grated Parmesan cheese. To see more details and nutritional values of this meal, go to fastingme.com. A great site.

Salmon Roasted with VegetablesJPG

Wine:  Marlborough, located in the northeastern part of the South Island of New Zealand, is by far the country’s largest wine producer. The region is best known for its Sauvignon Blanc which is the grape that put New Zealand on the wine map. Indeed New Zealand has become famous for making among the best SB in the world. But, the country’s Pinot Noir (most notably Marlborough and Central Otago) is rapidly earning a gold star reputation competing favorably with some of the world’s finest wines. Kevin Judd, founder of the Greywacke winery, earned his stripes with his wonderful Sauvignon Blanc, and now is rightfully gaining a loyal following for his Pinot Noir. For those interested, Greywacke is the geological name of the rock type of the river stones that are in abundance in the soils of the vineyards.

Greywacke Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes:  Lovely garnet color. The nose evokes earth and leather, but most apparent is the aroma of hedgerow jam heating on the stove. Wonderful wild cherry and vibrant, sweet tannins are most present on the palate. The sweet char on the roasted vegetables bring out the full flavor profile of the wine. The crumbled bacon and grated cheese on the salmon do their magic to complement the wine. A great pairing.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Roasted Salmon:  Chardonnay (California), Savenniéres (Loire Valley), Pinot Grig (Oregon), Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Pinot Noir:  Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Roast Duck, Mushrooms, Grilled Tuna, Rabbit   … and many, MANY other foods

View the Stunning Marlborough NZ Region:  marlborough new zealand

A Source:  www.wine.com

Roast Leg of Lamb … Perfection with a Saint Julien

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Pairing: Roast Leg of Lamb Paired with a 2000 Château Lagrange Saint Julien Bordeaux

Food:  We don’t eat that much meat. Seafood and chicken are the more common  proteins we consume. However, when we do eat meat, lamb is our absolute favorite. And we are most fortunate to be able to buy our lamb from a farmer with a small flock just down the road from us.  The flavor and texture of grass-fed lamb can’t be beat. We remove the meat from the bone in one piece, flatten it out, generously spread a  mixture of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and roll and tie up the meat. Then rub more of the oil and herb mixture onto the outside of the trussed meat. Brown the rolled meat thoroughly on all sides in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the cooktop. Place on a rack in a pan and roast in the oven at 325° F until the interior temperature reaches about 135° F for medium rare meat (about 45 minutes for a 3 lb roast). Baste every 15 minutes. Let stand for about 15 more minutes while you finish the vegetables (roast potatoes and beans) and gravy. Serve. My … that is extraordinary.

Roast Lamb with Saint Julien.

Wine:  Even though  a number of wines pair nicely with roast lamb (see suggestions below), one could make the case that red Bordeaux was created with lamb in mind. Saint-Julien is one of four renowned wine villages that comprise the Medoc wine region of Bordeaux. It is located on the “left bank” of the Gironde River Estuary where the soils and proximity to both the estuary and the cool Atlantic breezes combine to create almost ideal conditions to produce the perfect wine. At least that’s what winemakers there would say, but given the price some of these wines command, others might share that same view. Château Lagrange is made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, but also contains Merlot and Petite Verdot.

This wine was a generous present a while back from my oenophile brother. He gave careful instructions to leave it in our cellar for several years to let it mature properly. Well, we drank it this weekend. What a gift! Thanks, Bro!

Saint Julien Bordeaux

Tasting Notes:  Medium purple hue (lighter and browner due its age -18 years old). Fragrant aroma of blueberry and leather. A very complex and layered flavor of black currant, blueberry and hedgerow (service berry, lingonberry, and cranberry), all structured with leather, smoke, and some tannin. Note: this wine benefited from decanting it 1 and 1/2 hours before dining. This allowed the strong tannins inherent to this wine to dissipate a bit and allow the complex fruits to be more present. We were still sipping it hours after the meal was over and the flavor was even better. An amazing wine and perfectly matched to the flavor of the lamb, garlic and rosemary.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Roast Lamb: Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile), Rioja (Spain), Hermitage (France), Zinfandel (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Red Bordeaux:  Roast Chicken or Duck, Steak, Pheasant, Venison, Blue Cheese

More About:  Guide to Saint Julien

A Source:  www.wine.com

 

 

 

 

Chicken Spaghetti … Paired with a Croatian Red

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Pairing: Chicken Spaghetti Paired with a 2010 Bibich Riserva 6 Red (from North Dalmatia in Croatia)

Food:  Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook, published in 1975 was a must-have resource to many of us cutting our culinary teeth during that time period. Not only is it filled with fabulous recipes, but also with wonderful stories and anecdotes. The recipe for Chicken Spaghetti comes from childhood memories growing up in rural Mississippi where his Dad raised chickens which they ate at most every dinner. This recipe for a non-turkey Thanksgiving dinner, simply called My Mother’s Chicken Spaghetti, which we adapted for this meal. You can see his recipe if you click on the link. A bit complex, but well worth the time. We shortened the time considerably using previously cooked stock, meat and mushrooms, but still important to have it sit 4 hours. Heavenly.

Chicken Spaghetti

Wine:  It’s so much fun and rewarding to sample wines from lesser known regions of the world … in this case from Croatia. The Bibich Winery is located in Skradin in the Northern Dalmatia region of the country. It is made from equal amounts of three grape varieties all indigenous to this part of Croatia, namely Babíc, Lasin, and Plavina. All of these grapes are genetically related to Zinfandel (Crljenak Kastelanski) which explains the familiarity in the flavor of the Riserva 6 being quite comparable to a California Zinfandel.

 

Dalmatian R6 Red

Tasting Notes:   A deep maroon color. Enticing nose of sweet black cherry and blackberry with fragrant whiffs of cinnamon in the background. A wonderful flavor of dark fruit jam (mostly cherry and blackberry, but hints of other dark berries) with lovely cinnamon and black pepper lingering on the finish. Goes beautifully with the chicken, pork, beef, and mushrooms in the dish. A splendid pairing wine in all respects, but also nice as a sipping wine.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Chicken Spaghetti:  Zinfandel (California), Pinot Noir (New Zealand), Côte du Rhône (France), Garnacha (Spain)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Croatian Red Wine: Roast Chicken, Roast Pork, Seared Tuna, Braised Rabbit

Views and Maps of the North Dalmatian Region:  north dalmatian wine region

A Source:   https://www.bluedanubewine.com