Lemon juice and curd, a bit of dry herb, a salty, briny lick of flavour, this attractively-priced Sicilian white blend of Inzolia and Chardonnay is a Costco offering. Not a wide, mouth-filling shape of Sicilian white, but there is solid flavour here, especially in the mid-palate. Length, not so much, but with a plate of sardines I think this might take some beating as a $10 white.
Gift, $10, screwcap, 13% alcohol.
Showing posts with label Chardonnay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chardonnay. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Friday, February 25, 2011
Matches
Wednesday night dinner was a visit to the newish Dieci e Mezzo (half past ten?) restaurant in the base of the new ACTEWAGL building here in Canberra. With a chef ex of Otto in Sydney and some cluey owners, Dieci stretches across breakfast, lunch and dinner services, with a largely Italian menu (though does not pass itself off as such).
There is some good Italian cooking, respectful and daring, going on in this kitchen. Some excellent marinated fish and gnocchi were had. After a Menabrea beer while looking through the menu and list, two other dishes stood out for me as interesting experiences with wine:
- A savoury pannacotta made with a deft loading of taleggio cheese sounded like a good chardonnay match to me. The chardonnay (from the good winelist, as this is not really a BYO venue) was a 2009 Oakridge. The matching did not work at all. Even though the food texture was light and creamy and the cheese flavour restrained, the chardonnay needed more weight, texture and generosity to complement (and compliment) the food. As it was, the wine looked thin, tinny and green-edged, all bone no curve, and exaggerated the mild fungal note of the taleggio.
Moving on...
- Veal stracotto with kipflers and quail eggs. Lots of soft, stewy, sweet-edged savoury textures and elements in the stewed and pulled-apart veal. The excellent service at Dieci included a suggested additional salad that provided a contrast of light, bright, crunch and acid: pea shoots, inner leaves of red radicchio, pickled red plums, pistachio. A winner of a salad, and exactly what the dish needed.
The wine I had was a glass of Nerello Mascalaese, a red wine from a grape often overshadowed by Nero d'Avola. A little wild, brambly spice (almost reminiscent of mataro), a pulse of ripe tannin and enough easy acid to balance the sweetness of the slow-cooked veal. Tenuta Della Terre Nere the producer, if I recall correctly.
So the unfamiliar Italian wine the better match with both the braise and the salad, while the pairing I thought most likely did not work at all. But definitely a restaurant to go back to. Very different to Italian & Sons, but a strong addition to Canberra's options.
There is some good Italian cooking, respectful and daring, going on in this kitchen. Some excellent marinated fish and gnocchi were had. After a Menabrea beer while looking through the menu and list, two other dishes stood out for me as interesting experiences with wine:
- A savoury pannacotta made with a deft loading of taleggio cheese sounded like a good chardonnay match to me. The chardonnay (from the good winelist, as this is not really a BYO venue) was a 2009 Oakridge. The matching did not work at all. Even though the food texture was light and creamy and the cheese flavour restrained, the chardonnay needed more weight, texture and generosity to complement (and compliment) the food. As it was, the wine looked thin, tinny and green-edged, all bone no curve, and exaggerated the mild fungal note of the taleggio.
Moving on...
- Veal stracotto with kipflers and quail eggs. Lots of soft, stewy, sweet-edged savoury textures and elements in the stewed and pulled-apart veal. The excellent service at Dieci included a suggested additional salad that provided a contrast of light, bright, crunch and acid: pea shoots, inner leaves of red radicchio, pickled red plums, pistachio. A winner of a salad, and exactly what the dish needed.
The wine I had was a glass of Nerello Mascalaese, a red wine from a grape often overshadowed by Nero d'Avola. A little wild, brambly spice (almost reminiscent of mataro), a pulse of ripe tannin and enough easy acid to balance the sweetness of the slow-cooked veal. Tenuta Della Terre Nere the producer, if I recall correctly.
So the unfamiliar Italian wine the better match with both the braise and the salad, while the pairing I thought most likely did not work at all. But definitely a restaurant to go back to. Very different to Italian & Sons, but a strong addition to Canberra's options.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Spaghetti Frisinsal & Seppelt Jaluka 2005 chardonnay
A Jewish-Italian dish from the Venice Ghetto, courtesy of Claudia Roden's outstanding The Book of Jewish Food, frisinsal is usually served with tagliatelle, but spaghetti also works. The dish manages to deliver against cravings for pasta and roast chicken, at the same time. It is also an excellent match for white wine with a bit of weight and drive: in this case served with an excellent bottle of Seppelt's 2005 Jaluka chardonnay from Henty.
To start, roast a whole chicken. While it is still quite hot, take the meat and skin off the bone and cut or shred into small pieces. Keep covered and warm. Take between 50 and 100g of sultanas and soak them in water for about half an hour (start this in the last 20 minutes or so of the roasting time). As a variation, use half dry marsala and half water.
Put on a big pot of water for the pasta. Toast in a pan about 100g of pine nuts and let cool on a plate. At about the same time you put the pasta (about 500g for six people) into the water, drain the juices and fat from the chicken roasting tray into a small saucepan. Combine that with 2-3 sprigs of finely chopped fresh rosemary, the soaked and drained sultanas and the toasted pinenuts. Gently simmer the sauce while the pasta cooks. You can add some fresh sage with the rosemary if you wish.
When the pasta is cooked, combine it with the warm chicken and the simmering sauce. Stretch with a little pasta water if needed and check seasoning. It often needs salt.
Enjoy with a good white wine, such as a chardonnay or perhaps a falanghina or viognier.
To start, roast a whole chicken. While it is still quite hot, take the meat and skin off the bone and cut or shred into small pieces. Keep covered and warm. Take between 50 and 100g of sultanas and soak them in water for about half an hour (start this in the last 20 minutes or so of the roasting time). As a variation, use half dry marsala and half water.
Put on a big pot of water for the pasta. Toast in a pan about 100g of pine nuts and let cool on a plate. At about the same time you put the pasta (about 500g for six people) into the water, drain the juices and fat from the chicken roasting tray into a small saucepan. Combine that with 2-3 sprigs of finely chopped fresh rosemary, the soaked and drained sultanas and the toasted pinenuts. Gently simmer the sauce while the pasta cooks. You can add some fresh sage with the rosemary if you wish.
When the pasta is cooked, combine it with the warm chicken and the simmering sauce. Stretch with a little pasta water if needed and check seasoning. It often needs salt.
Enjoy with a good white wine, such as a chardonnay or perhaps a falanghina or viognier.
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