Part of enjoying wine is learning about wine.   No matter how much one learns, there is always the possibility to learn more.  When one discovers a delicious new wine grape varietal, it is almost like stumbling across a hidden treasure.

Earlier this year I discovered Pinotage.   While it was my first acquaintance with the grape, Pinotage has actually been made since 1925 and made in Napa Valley by Steltzner Vineyards easily since the 1970’s.   Pinotage’s origins are unique in that the grape hails from South Africa (as opposed to France), where pinot noir vines were bred with vines of cinsault.  To date, the grape is still best grown in South Africa (and is grown extensively there) but it is grown in California (although not widely).  

Steltzner Vineyards (“Steltzner”), located in the Stag’s Leap District in Napa Valley, is known for producing an excellent Pinotage each year and is one of the few local wineries to do so.   A quality Pinotage is recognized for being medium-bodied and subtly flavored.   Steltzner’s 2005 Pinotage accomplishes both of these elements.   The 2005 Pinotage presents a nose which has an ever-so-slight floral note of lavender, warm allspice, cherry and an essence of smoke.   In the mouth, the wine is a medium-bodied red wine with a smooth feel.   The tannins are not overwhelming (nor should they be), which allows the fruit flavors found in the wine to burst forth.   Soft notes of cherry (which is characteristic of grapes from the Stags Leap District), spice and a tiny dash of white pepper dance across the palate.   Red wine lovers should readily embrace this Pinotage and wine aficionados who typically wrestle with the overly bold, tannic red wines of Napa Valley should love this wine, too.   If the wine’s mere accessibility is not enough, given the characteristics of both the nose and the mouth, it is readily apparent that this Pinotage will pair beautifully with a wide range of foods.   In short, the discovery of Pinotage is a giant “win” due to its versatility.

Since spice, cherry fruit, smoke and a slight floral aroma accompany this wine, this week’s food pairing attempts to creatively capture these elements:

1)      Honey Lavender Barbequed Chicken; and

2)     Oven-Roasted Potatoes Au Gratin.

Each week of spring in Napa Valley seems to burst forth with something new in bloom.   In a culinary sense, it is almost like having waited for hours alongside a long red carpet with baited anticipation to see what will come into season next.   Asparagus, rhubarb, blueberries and spring lettuces have all leapt to the culinary stage in the last month, but this week, lavender came into bloom with a vengeance.

For fans of herbes of provence, many also know that lavender is wonderful to cook with.  It adds a unique floral scent but an indescribable spicy taste.   Just as lavender will sometimes pair well with certain Pinot Noirs, it is equally well-suited to Pinotage.   Given that this Pinotage is dominated by cherry flavors and warm spices, it will go alongside milder barbeque sauces.    Thus, the sauce created to pair with this wine is a mild spiced red barbeque sauce which contains honey and fresh lavender petals harvested from the garden.   To enhance the smoke aroma found in the wine, the chicken breasts are grilled atop a charcoal grill.

To pair with the Honey Lavender Barbequed Chicken, a side dish must be created which will not detract from the spices and flavors of the barbeque sauce.   This by no means indicates that the potatoes au gratin created should be lackluster in flavor.   Instead a medley of red, Yukon gold, and purple potatoes are selected for their respective sweet, buttery flavors and their soft texture.   Rather than make a traditional au gratin dish where the potatoes bake in the oven slathered by a heavy cheese sauce, instead, the potatoes are sliced and cubed (again for texture and dimension), tossed in a bit of olive oil, roasted garlic and fresh ground pepper, then roasted in the oven on a baking tray.    To add the traditional onion element, a Hawaiian sweet onion is thinly sliced and sautéed until caramelized.   The cheese sauce uses a grated creamy cow’s milk cheese (which has a slightly nutty flavor and black pepper), milk, flour and butter.   Since the potatoes are already roasted, they can be assembled on a plate with the sautéed Hawaiian onions tossed throughout and the cheese sauce drizzled across the top.   In short, this is au gratin potatoes for grown-ups.

Taking the food together with the wine is a balanced meal loaded with harmonious flavors and textures.   The chicken is slightly perfumed such that it offers a pleasant aroma of spring.   The lavender, while offering that slight perfume, also brings a unique spice to the red barbeque sauce.  The sauce itself seduces the senses with smoke, charred wood, floral notes, the sweet smoothness of honey and that unique spice flavor attributable to lavender.   As a result, it coaxes more depth out of an already solidly structured Pinotage.    

While the potatoes au gratin are not intended to be spicy, they are intended to compliment the barbecued chicken and the wine.   Recalling that the wine is very smooth, the consistency of the potatoes with the cheese sauce is also soft and smooth.  Sweetened by roasted garlic, caramelized Hawaiian onions and a creamy cow’s milk cheese, the Roasted Potatoes Au Gratin is comfort food personified and presentable in a fashionable way to merit a place at any gourmet meal.

This spring as you are out wine tasting, explore Pinotage.   It is a great red wine that most people can enjoy and if served at a gathering, it is a great conversation piece as most will learn something new.  And as I always say, “enjoying wine is easy; so is learning how to enjoy it.”   Cheers!