Wine With Lisa

Spring time (for me) means warm days, cool breezy nights and simple yet elegant evening dinners to pair with the warm weather ahead. Cold weather recipes are replaced by lighter warm weather meals that are quick and easy to assemble so I can spend extra time outdoors rather than more time in the kitchen.

I also keep my wine rack well-stocked with versatile,food-friendly wines that pair with a variety of dishes that I like to cook whether it’s for two or friends that may drop in for dinner and wine on short-notice.

You know its springtime in Texas when the brilliantly colored Bluebonnets blanket the roadsides!

Crispy pan roasted salmon pairs well with Mezzacorona Pinot Noir. Roasted, char-grilled or delicately smoked, salmon is a versatile fish for a variety of warm weather recipes. This salmon dish pairs well with this medium-bodied, intensely flavored Pinot Noir from the foot of the beautiful Dolomite Mountains of the Trentino Alto-Adige of Northern Italy. Fresh dark and red berries dominate the aromas and flavor of this wine with a hint of spice from a brief touch of oak. Mezzacorona Pinot Noir is pleasing from the first sip to the last drop! The Italian terroir in this area of Italy is perfect for the purest expression of 100% Pinot Noir lending to its refreshing yet balanced acidity and retention of fresh fruit flavors with elegant silky tannins. Pinot Noir from Italy is richer and a touch riper than a Pinot Noir from Burgundy in France. This area of Italy produces a variety of aromatic, luscious food-friendly and crowd pleasing wines. This is a great versatile bottle of wine for under $10 so you can keep several bottles to pair with your grilled steaks,shish kebabs and chicken recipes for summertime enjoyment!

Check out the Mezzacorona website to learn more about the area and their wines! Click on www.mezzacorona.com to find out where Mezzacorona wines are available in your area.

Read how Mezzacorona Wines are produced with GREEN MANAGEMENT using techniques to reduce the impact on the local environment.

Find Mezzacorona, Wines of the Dolomites on Facebook  and “LIKE!” They have a great FB page!

HAPPY SPRING!

CHEERS!

You’ll FALL in love with this pairing!

Warm and pleasant days and cool nights in The Texas Hill Country indicate that Fall has arrived and we have found that outdoor dining on The Ranch is particularly wonderful! No bugs,cool breezes and big Live Oak trees is the perfect place to sit down for a light evening meal while enjoying the magnificent sunset.

Moscato wines are beautiful and aromatic slightly sweet wines with essences of honeysuckle,tropical fruits and ripe apricots. Mezzacorona Moscato 2010 from the Dolomite region of Italy fills your mouth with luscious, balanced tropical,delicate acidity and honeysuckle essence that is “just right” for pairing with an amazing salad filled with fall-accented flavors.
Fresh,luscious mission figs,creamy Gorgonzola,crunchy toasted Hazelnuts tossed with a dressing composed of white balsamic vinegar,hazelnut oil and a touch of honey was another amazing pairing. The Mezzacorona Moscato’s delicate sweetness, fruit and acidity were a perfect match for this rustic Italian Salad.

Our days at The Ranch have been busy and sometimes hectic! As “they” say: “The work’s not done ’til the paperwork is finished!” Between moving halfway across the country,finishing paperwork for driver’s licenses,plates and getting ready for school,I have barely had a chance to cook!

I have loved spicy Mexican-style chorizo sausage for many years and can remember-many years ago-that I tried to make it from a recipe that I had found since it was not readily available in Tennessee then.

Having access to an abundance of fresh chorizo in the local stores, I couldn’t resist this recipe that was inspired by Michael Symon’s recipe that he prepared on his current TV Show, The Chew. I saw this just before I moved and KNEW that I would be preparing this as soon as I made it to Austin.

I added my special touches including grilled slices of creamy avocado. The cool avocado and fresh black bean and corn relish contrast the intense flavor of the chorizo and crispy skin of the seared,then roasted boneless chicken breasts.
And,of course! I wouldn’t set the table without first choosing a wine to complement this great week night meal.

Primus 2009 THE BLEND Veramonte  from Colchagua Valley,Chile: A Rich and intense blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 29%,Syrah 28%,Carmenere 25%,Merlot 18%
$15

I know what you are thinking:chicken? Red wine pairing?

Yes,but if you think of roasted,herbed chicken then YES I would more likely be pairing it up up with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or buttery California Chardonnay (both would work great-by the way-especially if you are roasting it with butter,olive oil and lemon.)

One of the considerations of wine pairing with your dishes is NOT JUST the base food you are cooking but HOW you cook it and WHAT you season it with.

Spicy Mexican Chorizo is a mixture of ground pork,copious quantities of bold chili powders,garlic and vinegar. The bold seasonings on the chicken as well as the preparation method of pan-searing then oven roasting allows for a bold wine pairing with great results!

Primus is a bold red wine from very fertile Chile. Chile is well-known for amazing quality wines at a great value.
The blend of the big varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon,Syrah,Carmenere and Merlot each lend to the sturdy and balanced wine. Carmenere alone is one of my favorite Chilean wines. Big and bold with detectible pepper and spices. Merlot lends soft and plummy fruit and a good tannin background as well as the king of red wine,Cabernet Sauvignon.
Intense and concentrated flavors and aromas of dark,juicy blackberries are balanced with a touch of white pepper,smoke and silky tannins attributed to to months in American and French oak.

Enjoy this bold and spicy wine and food pairing this week!

CHEERS!

With the first sip, you will discover this is no ordinary Chardonnay!

What flavors come to mind when I say “Chardonnay?” Buttery? Oaky?

Mezzacorona 100% Chardonnay VIGNETI DELLE DOLOMITI IGT 2011 is a fresh,aromatic and virtually un-oaked Chardonnay vinified and cultivated from the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains in Italy.

Chardonnay is a grape grown and vinified all over the world and Italy is no exception.

Fresh fruit flavors and aromas of lemon and lime are front and center with this refreshing,youthful and food-friendly wine; no  heavy flavors and aromas of oak masking the true character of this Italian grown grape. The crisp acidity reflects the terroir from the calcium and magnesium-rich Dolomites which makes it a perfect pairing for dishes of fish and shellfish. It’s just right for a light summertime meal.

Crisp and fruity white wines usually pair perfectly with seafood and shellfish. This cool seafood salad is no exception. Any time I have a chance to create a dish with mussels,clams and shrimp is a good time!

Recently,my friends gathered at my house for a delightful meal filled with a bounty of homemade Italian dishes. The seafood and shellfish were marinated with plenty of fresh lemon and olive oil dressing infused with herbs and garlic and paired with Mezzacorona Chardonnay.

Bellissimo! That’s Italian for Beautiful Pairing!

Enjoy a glass of Merlot from the Italian Dolomites with dinner from the grill.

A French grape with an Italian Accent!

Merlot? Italy? Yes!

Think Italian when pouring the next glass of Merlot.

Mezzacorona MERLOT VIGNETI DELLE DOLOMITI IGT 2010 100% Merlot

Like me, you might think of Merlot only as one of the traditional blending grapes of Bordeaux or one of the fruit-forward crowd-pleasing wines of California. Yet,with the first glass, I was transported to glorious foothills of the Italian Dolomite Mountains. Tempestuous breezes from the mountain lakes and glaciers circulate over the vineyards coaxing them to produce fresh and crisp single varietal wines and the centuries old Dolomites provide the mouthwatering minerality that defines the wines from this region.

This lush wine fills your mouth with soft ripe plum and rich,dark berries along with a hint of freshly ground black pepper. Round tannins,a touch of smoke from oak-ageing and earthiness from the calcium and magnesium-rich terroir create a perfect pairing with the steak kebabs that are marinated in a rich,savory blend of mild sweetness and tanginess from aged balsamic vinegar,salty and savory soy sauce and the earthiness of dried herbs.

Enjoy this fuss-free and crowd-pleasing recipe! This has been a great go-to recipe for many years especially during grilling season.

Mezzacorona produces a luscious bounty of terroir-driven wines. Please go to their website to see all of the wines they bring to us.
“Mezzacorona only vinifies Merlot grapes of its own production cultivated in vineyards at the food of the Dolomites.”

CIAO!