Pairing Wine and Soup

Gazpacho …Enjoyed with a Maori-Made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

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Pairing: Gazpacho Paired with a 2016 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc (Single Vineyard)

Food:  In his 1980 cookbook, Craig Claiborne’s Gourmet Diet, the author and late food writer for the New York Times, puts a low sodium, low cholesterol twist on the classic cold soup from Spain. Gazpacho is a perfect dish to help cool you off on a hot summer day. It can be chunky or smooth, with or without croutons, even sometimes containing a hard cooked egg. Claiborne’s recipe (created in partnership with his long-time collaborator, Pierre Franey) calls for a blend of raw, chopped tomatoes, onion, and cucumber, minced garlic, a little olive oil, black pepper, cayenne, red wine vinegar, and a base of unsalted tomato juice. Add some halved green grapes for an absolutely delicious flavor kick.

Gazpacho w: Sauvignon Blanc

Wine:  Tohu Wines is the world’s first Mãori-owned winery; the Mãori being the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. Though it is a commercial enterprise, Tohu winemaking is infused with Mãori culture and spiritual beliefs. The company comprises more than 4,000 owner-families in the northern region of the South Island of New Zealand. New Zealand is widely regarded for its Sauvignon Blanc, and this Marlborough wine region of South Island produces some of the very best in the world.

Tohu Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting Notes:  Pale gold color with some greenish tint. On the nose, the sensation is of clean, fresh mown grass; plus the smell of Charentais melon and a hint of green apple. The melon and apple carry over into the palate; lush and sweet combines nicely with clean and crisp. The finish follows with the lingering flavor of Granny Smiths. The pairing with the gazpacho is lovely … the clean, cool fruit of the wine balances beautifully with the spicy, pleasantly vinegary taste of the soup.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Gazpacho: Soave Classico (Italy), Riesling Kabinett (Germany), Pouilly-Fumé (France),  Fume Blanc (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Sauvignon Blanc: Goat Cheese, Fried Chicken, Oysters, Composed Salad

Maps and views of the Beautiful Marlborough NZ Wine Region:  marlborough new zealand wine region photos

A Source:  www. klwines.com

 

 

 

 

Thai Shrimp Soup … with an Australian “White Bordeaux”(!?)

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Pairing:  Thai Shrimp and Noodle Soup Paired with a 2014 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon (White Bordeaux-Style Blend)

Food:  This soup is my wife’s creation, having adapted parts of it from a few different recipes. It is made with 2 oz of rice vermicelli, 4 chopped scallions, 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 T fish sauce, 2 T fresh lime juice, 2 tsp sugar, 6 oz raw shrimp coarsely chopped, 4 oz grated carrot, 2 cups raw spinach (coarsely chopped), and 2 tsp Green Curry Paste. Serves two generously. Spicy, complex, healthy!

Thai Soup

Wine:  For this meal, we return to one of my favorite wine regions, Western Australia, for another of their terrific wines … this time we’ll try a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc (55%) and Semillon (45%). Some refer to this wine as a “White Bordeaux-style” or SSB wine because its composition mimics the legendary white wine of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The Cape Mentelle winery was one of the first to be established in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, and is widely regarded as one of the best.

Cape Mentelle

Tasting Notes:  A lovely color of pale straw with a hint of green. Clean and fresh aromas of linen drying in a spring breeze, along with green melon and white flowers. The palate continues the tastes of green melon, along with clover and honeysuckle. Absolutely delicious! The cool, clean, crisp qualities of the wine complement beautifully the warm flavor of the Green Curry Paste and the cool, fresh spiciness of the lime juice and fish sauce in the soup. Yet another great example of pairing something spicy with a clean, fresh-tasting wine. Bravo!

Other Wines That Pair Well with Thai Shrimp Soup:  Gewürztraminer (Alsace), Riesling (Germany), Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Other Food That Pairs Well with a White Bordeaux-style Wine:  Grilled White Fish, Scallops, Lobster, Goat Cheese, Oysters, Crab Cakes

Read About:  http://www.capementelle.com.au

A Source:  www.wine.com