Pair Up with La Sommelierre - July 2011
Summer Picnic
Picnicking is an inexpensive warm-weather getaway. Fill your basket with fresh produce and a couple of crisp wines to pair with the food and you will experience the height of summer fun.
Caprese salad made with ripe tomatoes is a vibrant way to start this mobile feast. Choose a wine with med-high acid to counter balance the natural acidity found in tomatoes. A rosé will provide acidity and a pretty pink color to complement the red tomato. Look for rosés from colder regions of the world as they will be naturally higher in acid. Northern Italy, southern France and US wine regions that are close to the ocean are all good sources.
Next, chicken is a picnic-friendly protein that can be served hot, cold or at room temperature. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be health conscious and reduce waste. A citrus-based marinade will echo similar flavors in the rosé wine opened with the salad. Or, if you have enough people to warrant opening another wine, how about a chenin blanc? This crisp white wine offers a fresh floral note that will pick-up on the herbs in the marinade. As a bonus, the Lemon Dressed Cole Slaw recipe is one of my favorite pairings with chenin blanc.
Cherry-Apricot Crumble is a brilliant ending to your meal. Stash a small bottle of German trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) riesling deep at the bottom of the ice chest. The designation, TBA, can be better understood by breaking down the word into its three components: trocken = dry, beeren = berry, auslese = select harvest. Made from the selected harvest of dried berries, it is one of the most intensely flavored wines I have ever tasted. Look for flavors like apricot, papaya, and honey. Additionally, TBA is one of the few dessert wines with enough acidity to stand up to fruit desserts.
So, go on. Pair Up!
Find recipes online at www.lasommelierre.com
