Last week I made a feigned attempt to resist featuring a sparkling wine under the excuse that I had commenced the month of July with some bubbles.   This week, however, commences a new month that is destined to be filled with adventure, fun and coastal excursions.  With much scheduled ahead in my monthly calendar, it is only fitting to raise a glass of these giddy chilled bubbles that readily wait.

Napa Valley sparkling wine has been often featured in my articles over the past two years,  yet no bottling is created equally and for those bubbly enthusiasts, touring about the valley will offer a unique focused opportunity to learn the art of wine blending when sampling among various vintners.   Sparkling wine in California can be made from a single varietal, a blend of two or a creative combination of several different varietals.   Depending on the sugar added to the blend, the wine will lend itself to a wide interpretative spectrum from extremely dry to slightly sweet.

While I generally prefer to focus on smaller family-owned wineries, this week I wanted to select something that is easily accessible to anyone.   When you look to feature something readily and affordably accessible to everyone, you find yourself quickly picking up a bottle of a sparkling wine made by a large corporate-owned winery.  In this case, I decided to feature Mumm Winery (“Mumm”).   Mumm has been in the sparkling business for over twenty-five years and if any winery is to persist in the ever-changing and challenging landscape of vintning, regardless of ownership or size, there is a resident reliable degree of quality.

Selecting a bottle of Mumm’s Napa Valley Brut Prestige, it comes readily recommended by those in the industry, including the Wine Enthusiast who awarded it 92 points.   Just as any sparkling wine is unique, this bottle of bubbles is a combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and yet in the mouth, its light, crisp carefree feel in the mouth will cause the palate to do a double-taste as an often expected heavy mouth feel is absent.   Its nose is gentle with aromas of toast and white flower blossoms coyly flit past.   On the palate, there is a distinct dry nature reflecting a crisp refined structure with flavors of mild stone fruit, fig, pronounced citrus and a lingering kiss of vanilla.   Add in a notable balanced acidity and it is immediately apparent why this wine will pair well with a variety of culinary dishes.

Given the distinct acidity of this sparkling wine, it will also pair well with concoctions involving buttery or buttery-like textures or even the classic mousse.   There is always something festive about sparkling wine and I have been longing to do something with California’s darling, the avocado, and this presented the perfect opportunity for this week’s menu to assertively host:

• Phyllo-Wrapped Avocado With Spiced Raspberry-Basil Sauce.

Two years ago, I created a phyllo-wrapped salmon for an article on the site and to pair with chardonnay.   When recounting the recipe and the merits of the pairing with a chef in Napa Valley, said chef said dreamily, “Anything tastes good wrapped in phyllo.”    Generally not a big fan of butter myself, I could see the merits of the view as phyllo has a certain lighter texture and if used with the proper butter (or butter substitute), it can be absurdly decadent without the heavy taste and texture of puff pastry.   Thus, if you are pairing a light acidic, crisp elegant sparkling wine, phyllo dough becomes necessary over puff pastry.

And what about the quintessential California avocado?   As summer warms, these delights ripen slowly and naturally on trees throughout Central and Southern California waiting to enamor the recipient with a buttery texture for which only this fruit is recognized.   Avocados are known for their fat content (no matter how “healthy” they are for you, they still are fat) and to combine them with phyllo dough is a sinful, once in a blue moon, delight.

People have often complained to me about working with phyllo dough.   Phyllo dough is paper thin and incredibly delicate.   Perhaps it is the near manical focus that is required to perfectly lift a sheet off and transfer it to your working space and the near surgeon precise touch that is required to brush melted butter upon the dough without ripping it that can allow me to lose myself in this methodical focused culinary procedure.   Just as with any dough, the less you handle it, the lighter it will texturally fare in cooking and with gentle precision it is neatly folded to an approximate size before precisely sliced pieces of avocado are laid atop.   Adding minced carrots, a sprinkle of sea salt and a dollop of cream cheese, the phyllo dough is folded and rolled to snugly encapsulate California’s finest fruit.   Next it is placed in heated canola oil to gently cook for a minute or two and the result emerges with a lovely golden brown crisped phyllo dough outer layer.   

Prior to working with the dough, a spiced raspberry-basil sauce is created for drizzling and dipping.   Raspberries are known for their lower sugar content but more widely known for their acidity.  Add shallots, ginger, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, Meyer lemon, white wine vinegar and minced basil to create a sauce that is uniquely spiced and yet has a kiss of that raspberry fruit flavor.   When drizzled over the phyllo-wrapped avocado, the result adds a certain liveliness to the pairing that is well-intended to ferret out the citrus acidity found in Mumm’s sparkling wine.

This is by no means a guilt-free appetizer.  Nevertheless it is creative and will slow down even the most hurried guest at your table.   Admittedly, this pairing is for those fans that have reached out over the past two years or opened lanes at the local grocery store for me on sight, who refer to themselves as “The Casual Gluttons”.   Every once in a while something decadent and sinful is a well-merited, deliberate delicious moment.