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Friday, June 24, 2011

"Just for the Grill of It: Wines that Pair with your Favorite Grilled Fare!"

I am happy to report, last night we kicked off the first event of our Second Annual "Art of Wine & Food" Summer Series at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale! Entitled "Just for the Grill of It," the evening featured wines that are perfect for pairing with Summer's mouth-watering grilled fare. The wines were complemented by delicious dishes created by the talented Chef Chris Golas of Hugh's Culinary.

When selecting the wines and envisioning my backyard full of friends and family for a day of poolside grilling, three criteria came to mind: (1) the wines had to be approachable and appeal to a variety of palates; (2) they had to be food-friendly and capable of standing up to the variety of fabulous flavors and (3) affordability - why pop the cork on that $50+ bottle of California Cab in blazing 95 degree heat and risk Uncle Bobby pouring half the bottle into his bright yellow Solo cup that still has a half inch of beer in it? Sometimes it's wise to not only pair the wine with the food but also the occasion - just sayin'!

The pairings for the evening included:
Wild Rock Elevation Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2009
This blend of 93% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Riesling and 3% Viognier is pale, lemon yellow in color with a tinge of green. Aromas of fresh lime, grapefruit and white flowers are followed by flavors of lime, nectarine, grapefruit, and green apple. This wine has a bright, citrus acidity and finishes crisp, clean and dry. It is perfect for pairing with grilled fish, seafood and lighter meat dishes. Price: $16/bottle

Food Pairing: Grilled Mahi with Lemon Shallot Beurre Blanc

This Zin has a lovely smoky purple color and aromas of ripe blackberry, plum and chocolate. On the palate, mouth-filling flavors of black cherry, blackberry and spice are accompanied by appreciable tannins and a noticeable “heat” from the alcohol which clocks in at 15%. Enjoy this wine paired with grilled meats, pork, blue cheese burgers and barbecued meats.
linkPrice: $18/bottle

Food Pairing: Grilled Peaches with Honey Balsamic Glaze over Pork Medallions topped with Crumbled Blue Cheese

Robert Oatley Shiraz, Mudgee, Australia 2007  
This 100% Shiraz has an opaque ruby color with just a tinge of brick/orange around the rim denoting it age. This wine had aromas of blackberry, leather and spice followed by flavors of blackberry jam, plum and spicy black pepper. This is a juicy, full-bodied red with well-integrated tannins and weighs in at 13.5% alcohol. Enjoy this wine paired with grilled pepper steak, burgers and barbequed dishes.
Price: $20/bottle

Food Pairing: Open Faced Tenderloin Slider with Cognac Peppercorn Sauce   

Please join us next month at the Museum for "The Rosé Lifestyle of St. Tropez with Château D'Esclans" which will be held Thursday, July 28th. We are very excited to have guest speaker Paul Chevalier, National Fine Wine Director for Shaw-Ross International Importers joining us to take us on a sensory tour of these delightful rosés. I look forward to seeing you there!

Cheers,

11 comments:

  1. Steph,I've just word to my new son-in-law to buy the bottles you recommend as we will lots of grilling, dining, entertaining for my son't birthday and the 4th of July as well. So he's looking for all of these in the Austin Area. xx's\

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  2. Hilarious!! Love the comment about Uncle Bobby and his Solo bright yellow cup! Really enjoyed reading the entire article.

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  3. You really do need a fine wine with summer grilling. It must have been an interesting and fun gathering.
    Rita

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  4. What a fun event! I love learning about new wines, thanks for sharing on all the great summer wines!!

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  5. Sound like a great event. Thank you for you visit - I think I must have forgotten to become a follower when I was here last - hmm, could be why I don't recive your updates. I'll take care fo that right now.
    Bonne weekend,
    Mimi

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  6. I can usually figure out which wines to pair with dinner but with grilling, I'm completely lost! Awesome post.

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  7. We have been on a vineyard spree ourselves - Virginia is getting to be quite the wine place! And enjoyed reading about the wines...

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  8. Such a fun event...I love learning about new wines, especially now...just in time for the height of the grilling summer season.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  9. So pretty much you have just saved me hours of searching online for the perfect wine pairing with grilled food. The boys parents are coming over this weekend and they are wine-os so I definitely need to impress lol.

    xo

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  10. oh.. so nice post.)
    Love your blog.))

    I now spend a survey of bloggers with such questions.
    1. Why did you create a blog?
    2. For whom you taking him? Want to be popular?
    3. How long will it keep going?

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