Sunday, September 7, 2008

Farmers’ Market Supper Episode—Wine Pairings

By: Kelly Magyarics

The dishes made in the Farmers’ Market Supper have a wide variety of aromas and flavors, and I selected some versatile, warmer weather wines to match. To pair with the bacon-wrapped shrimp, try a Pinot Noir from Oregon, or one from California’s Russian River Valley. The bright fruit (typically cranberry and raspberry) and low tannins will pair with the shrimp (and pretty much any other kind of seafood), while the wine’s touch of earthiness is a great partner for the smoky bacon. The paprika dusted pork chops, topped with a fresh and fragrant salsa of corn, mint, shallot and tomatoes, is a really full-flavored dish. The crispness in a Spanish Albariño will match the acidity in the tomato salsa, and cut through the richness and spicy heat of the chops. To enjoy with the summery dessert of vanilla ice cream with strawberries, the semi-sweet Italian sparkler Moscato d’Asti is a winner.

Kelly Magyarics is a wine educator and freelance writer in Northern Virginia. Her company, Kelly Magyarics Wine Consulting, conducts interactive, educational tastings for private and corporate events in the Metro DC area. Kelly’s articles appear in Wine Enthusiast, Imbibe, The Tasting Panel, Cheers and Modern Luxury DC. She can be reached through her website, www.trywine.net.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice suggestions... but what if we wanted to pair local wines with these dishes? Maybe a Virginia wine with the Virginia pork? (I'm assuming Oliver used Eco-Friendly's pork.)

Capital Cooking said...

Good idea!