Mar 10 2010

Easy Breezy Pinot Grigio

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Generally I reserve warmer temperatures or seasons for drinking most white wines.   For me, I personally prefer a mid-70 degree day, the sunshine on my shoulders and a comfortable lounge chair as I sit back and sip a tropical-nosed white wine.   Sometimes, however, when a white wine has that certain proper kick of acidity, it can transcend seasons and easily become a wine suitable for winter or early spring.    One such wine can be a crisp, light, dry Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Grigio, as discussed last summer, is a white wine grape from the Pinot family.   Depending on the wine’s regional origin, it can either be referred to as Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio.    If it is made in the style typical of Northern Italy, it is referred to as Pinot Grigio and should be clean, light and crisp.  Laird Family Estate (“Laird”) currently has a limited production Napa Valley Pinot Grigio which is light, dry and crisp.   Its nose is delightful with tropical hints of pineapple, guava and banana.   In the mouth, the wine does not disappoint as it is clean, smooth and dry.   Its flavoring is predominantly pear with soft notes of melon but at the back of the palate there seemingly is a twist of lime.   This bit of lime on a snappy short finish is best attributed to the light acidity that dances across the palate.   There is no “mouth puckering” involved with this wine.  Laird’s Napa Valley Pinot Grigio is carefree and pleasantly characterized with relaxed simplicity.   While this may indeed be the perfect summer wine, it is also an ideal wine for light seafood pairings throughout the year.

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If it were a warm June evening, I would be tempted to take Laird’s Napa Valley Pinot Grigio and create a white wine sangria for cocktails with friends on the back patio.    However, as our temperatures in Napa Valley are still a distance off from warm summer evenings, there is nothing better than creating a light meal or appetizer with seafood for casual entertaining.   This week’s pairing is simply:

·         Scallop Ceviche With a Salsa Cruda Over Avocado

Using miniature bay scallops for ceviche helps maintain the fish’s natural tenderness as there is less handling of the scallop itself.   Allowing the scallops to marinate in a combination of lime, garlic and minced shallot helps the fish cook while being refrigerated, which is ideal for the making of ceviche.   Scallops naturally pair well with light crisp white wines given their own light flavoring.   If paired with a white wine with an oak influence, the scallop’s natural flavor would be overpowered by the wine.   But pairing with a white wine such as Pinot Grigio is ideal.    Similarly, adding the prepared scallops to a salsa cruda (involving minced jalapeno, white onion, finely chopped cilantro, lime juice and chopped tomatoes) will continue to pair well with the Pinot Grigio.    Since the wine is characterized by acidity, the tomatoes and lime match well and yet the cilantro manages to simultaneously cut through that same acidity.   Finally serving the scallop ceviche with salsa cruda over half of an avocado tames any remaining overt acidity into an idyllic balance due to the buttery nature of the avocado.

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Enjoying this simple fresh seafood dish with a glass of Laird’s Pinot Grigio is relatively guiltless and transports one back in time to days when no one was in a hurry to be anywhere.   And to me, that style of casual entertaining sounds welcomingly carefree and easily enjoyable no matter the season.

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