Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Join in the Fun as We Explore New Varietals and Share our Discoveries #WinePW (Ligurian Seafood Salad)

 I love learning about wines.  I visit different wines each month with our Wine Pairing Weekend Group as well as our Italian Food Wine and Travel Group, our French Winophiles group and most recently our World Wine Travel group.  

Gavi Wine

The second weekend of the month is set aside for our Wine Pairing Weekend Group that, unlike the other three groups, has no set jurisdiction or country of wines and requires a food pairing with the wine.

I am hosting this month and I asked the others to join me in finding a grape varietal that is new to them.  They were to taste and pair it and then meet with me and any interested parties for Twitter Chat on Saturday, March 12.  We will be meeting up at 11 AM ET and you are welcome to join in the fun.  You will find us by following #WinePW.

Here are some of the Grape Varietals and Pairings that will be discussed.......


Wine with Seafood Salad

While normally I seek out a certain wine or varietal and then choose a meal to pair with it.  This time I chose the recipe I was going to make and looked for a new varietal that would pair well with it.

group at dinner

I was hosting a Mardi Gras Dinner Party and had chosen a Ligurian Seafood Salad as a First Course.  I then went on a quest to find a varietal that was new to me that would pair nicely with the salad.

Wine

I often start my searches at wine.com because I have great luck finding what I need and having it delivered to my door.  I live in a rural area and the closest large wine shops are an hour travel time both ways.  Especially now, with the crisis in Ukraine and gas prices as they are, wine.com is the answer.

Even though my recipe, that I will be sharing with you on March 18, was adapted from one found at Louisiana Kitchen & Culture, I searched for wines from Liguria, an area in Northwestern Italy.

While I didn't find a wine I wanted to buy from Liguria I did find this wine made from Cortese grapes in Gavi.  Cortese is a new varietal for me.  Here is what wine.com had to say about this grape:

First recorded in the early 17th century in the province of Alessandria in SE Piedmont, Cortese today is most highly regarded from Gavi where soils are limestone-rich. It also grows well in the surrounding zones, namely Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi. Somm Secret—Because of its freshness and chalky minerality, this white wine commonly populates the fish restaurants’ wine lists of the Ligurian coast so practically owes more allegiance to this neighboring region than its home.

I knew I had found the wine I wanted to pair with this salad.  I was so pleased with the pairing. This wine "popped" when I opened it, making me expect some sparkle but while fresh and bright, it is definitely a still wine.  

It is full bodied and a little yeasty, so perhaps that is where the "pop" came from.  The producer, Broglia, is a third generation family business started in the 1950's.  They are recognized as a top producer and their wines are enjoyed in the Vatican.  I thought this was a sign that this wine should be enjoyed as we celebrated our last hurrah before the Lenten season began.

I hope that you will join us as we talk more about our discoveries.  Again, you will find us on 3/12 at 11 AM ET on Twitter Chat following #WinePW.  Come and learn about varietals that may be new for you too.

12 comments:

  1. I love Gavi! Sounds like you found a nice one. So glad you discovered this one and thank you for hosting this month!

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    1. I really did enjoy it Andrea and am happy to have found a new white to enjoy.

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  2. Wendy,
    I love Cortese. How fun that experience must be this time of year. Susannah

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  3. What an unusual wine find! I've never heard of Cortese, but it does sound like something I would want to try. Thanks for hosting this very fun topic this month!

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  4. Thanks for hosting! I can see a Gavi being perfect for that seafood salad!

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  5. Even in a large city like Vegas, I have trouble finding different varieties and like you, turn to Wine.com! The Ligurian Salad looks so good!

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    1. Thank goodness for wine.com Robin. The salad is a keeper, for sure.

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  6. Loving the look snd sound of your Ligurian Seafood Salad...and I can see why you enjoyed the pairing so much! Thanks for hosting!

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