deVine Table

A Pairing for Apricots

Life as a student at Northwest Wine Academy is full of challenges. The biggest challenge of them all? What food and wine pairing to present on the final night of class. This quarter the class I took was Varietals III which covers a variety of libations beyond wine such as beer, cider, sake, and spirits.

The idea for the pairing I presented came to me the night we tasted ciders in class. While tasting an apricot cider, this recipe that I have prepared for dinner parties came to mind. It’s a nice way to end a meal when you don’t feel like having an overly sweet treat.

I’ve adapted this from The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley. Serves 20. (more…)

For those of you heading out to Taste Washington today, here is a quick rundown on some of my favorite food and wine pairings from yesterday. Note that my wine picks aren’t always at the table right next to where the food is being served. However, I’m a believer that if you take the time to find the right wine, you’ll enjoy your food so much more!

Ray’s Boathouse Bay Shrimp Cocktail with Treveri Cellars Extra Brut.

Act 3 Catering Smoked Salmon Mac + Cheese Poppers with Tranche Cellars Pink Pape Rose.

Tulalip Bay Fine Dining Dungeness Crab Cakes with Karma Vineyards Methode Champenoise Brut de Brut.

Last but not least, don’t forget dessert. Just be sure to have it last because you don’t want to drink dry wines right after consuming so much sweetness.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. Pancakes and Bacon (uh huh a cupcake that tasted like, well…) with Tieton Cider Works Tieton Frost (actually a cider, not a wine, but every bit as wonderful).

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to throw a fun party, consider hosting a salami pairing. Here’s how it works. Select three to five different types of salami with different flavor profiles. Offer at least one type of beverage for each different salami. Throw in some cheese and crackers and you’re ready to party! Read on to learn how we did it.

Wild Boar Salami with Rosemary Crusted Pecorino

The Salami

We served 5 different flavors of Creminelli salami*.

Americano Salami, inspired by the American dish, pork chops and apple sauce.

Barolo Salami, made with generous amounts of Barolo wine.

Musica Salami, with a strong flavor due to the addition of pork liver and clove.

Wild Boar Salami, seasoned with cloves and juniper berries.

Salami Tartufo, with black summer truffles.

Wines Ready to Meet Their Match

The Favored Beverages

2007 Aventino Tempranillo

Finnriver Farmstead Apple Cider

2006 Forgeron Cellars Chardonnay

2006 Kiona Zinfandel

2008 Ceci La Luna Lambrusco

2009 Montinore Estate Borealis

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Our Taste of Thai Table

Last month marked the launch of a project called Feast and Tweet. The goal of this event is to make it easy to gather around the table with friends to experiment with pairing food and wine together. We all meet up online at the same time to discuss the dishes and wines on our tables. The conversation covers how we like the dishes and the wines separately. Then, we get into how the wine and food pair with one another. Or, in some cases, how they don’t pair. It’s all part of the great experiment!

The Best of the Pairings

Shona of Woodinville Wine Update was very happy with the way the Northwest Totem Cellars Salish (a Riesling/Viognier blend) matched with Pad Thai. (more…)