Since posting my last article, where I threw out that the
next articles would feature food pairings with the unique wines that I had
picked up on my July sojourn to the vineyards of Loudoun County, I pondered
“what on earth were these pairing going to be?” Especially the Rkatsiteli. I
tend to skew towards the analytical side of the fence when faced with a dilemma.
Translation: I can easily over think, over research, over complicate things and
then be paralyzed by indecision.
Ponder, ponder, ponder …and weeks rolled by. Truly, it was Rkatsiteli
that had me really stumped. Finally, in an “I give up moment” it dawned on me
that Rkatsiteli reminded me of a spicier Sauv Blanc. Brilliant, the needed
light bulb moment and then nothing. Sigh, I
still was having an uncreative moment and was really not coming up with
ideas for the pairing. I chalked it up to being a long week at work and that I
would put it on the weekend to-do list and head home from work. Since it was
Thursday night, I figured I had a good buffer of 24 hours until the start of
the weekend and maybe my creative juices would flow.
Like many that work in DC, my main form of transportation for
my daily commute is the metro. Normally, I am on auto-pilot when I walk to the
metro in the evening… basically same path every day. On the occasion I change up my normal walking
route I usually stumbled across something cool or fun and this time was no
different. In an attempt to break out of my uncreative rut, I decided I would
walk a slightly altered route to the metro. I am glad I did because I came across the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.
I had forgotten about this framers market and what a delightful gem to stumble
across. An afternoon framers market on the way home from the office is
something that my inner slacker could really embrace.
I love farmers markets, especially the one that is about
twenty minutes from my home on Saturday mornings. What I do not like is the up
early on a Saturday morning to venture across the sleepy suburban sprawl to the
farmer’s market, where it seems that every red lights conspires to slow my
progress. Finally, as I close in to the desired destination there is the jockey
for position, stalking to quickly snatch up the prize and that is just to find
a legal parking spot somewhat near the farmers market. Sometimes this is all a
bit much for my under-caffeinated brain early on a Saturday morning.
As I wandered through the Penn Quarter Farmers Market looking
at all the fresh and wonderful local food items, I began formulating pairing
ideas, not just for the Rkatsiteli but for all three wines. As I scooped up
fresh produce, cheese from a local dairy, crab cakes and empanadas I left the
farmer’s market content that I now had ideas on what to pair with my three
unique wines.
This wine was a gem
with its dry crispness that balanced out the buttery-ness of the crust of the
empanadas. The Chrysalis Albariño displayed all of the true characteristics of
the varietal with its flavors of citrus, apricots, peaches with a hint of
almond. The wine has a tarty clean freshness that complimented the empanadas
and cut through the creaminess of the avocado.
Number 2: Cana Vineyards 2012 Rkatsiteli paired with
Maryland crab cake and a roasted tomato goat cheese mixed spring green salad.
This wine is an elegant dry wine with a nose of fresh
flowers and herbs that are balanced by hints of pear and apple, crisp acidity
and a zingy finish. The wine was able to balance out the creaminess of the goat
cheese and sweetness of the roasted tomatoes, while brightening the flavor
profile of the crab cake.
Number 3: 2012 Delaplane Petite Manseng paired with cayenne
and curry popcorn.
This particular pairing nearly confounded me as much as the
Rkatsiteli. I really did not want to go the normal route with the off-dry wine
and pair it with an Asian or Indian dish. In doing research, I came across this
pairing recommendation from another Virginia winery that produces Petit Manseng
and thought I would give it a whirl. A little out of the box for me (as I am
not a big popcorn fan), but it proved to be a delicious stretch for me. The
tangy off-dry wine was the perfect match to disarm the heat of the cayenne and
compliment the spiciness of the curry.