A Different Stroke

I like to think outside the box when creating a dish for a wine. Seasonality is foremost – I don’t like to force ingredients from another season into the recipe just because they’re a sure match for a wine. Pairing wine and food is subjective. Many times I break all the rules because I’m in the mood for something fresh and bright that may or may not go perfectly – and that’s OK! It makes drinking wine more fun when you can talk about why something goes with the wine… or not.

You may think that this recipe is better suited for a wine like POV. Sure, POV is delicious with this wheat berry salad, but I’m not creating for POV, I’m creating for our Three Amigos Vineyard Pinot Noir and it works with both.

What?!? Peppers with Pinot? The horror! Actually not. In this case, the peppers are sweet, and grilling takes a lot of the “pepperiness” away. Chopped herbs, toasted pine nuts and dressed tomatoes on top provide a little spark. The slightly earthy, wheat berries with grilled vegetables kissed with a bit of smoke and sweet/savory notes work quite well with the little bit of black tea, earth and rhubarb aromas and flavors of the Three Amigos Vineyard Pinot.

Another beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can take the wheat berries and add whatever vegetables suit your fancy. Just foraged mushrooms are wonderful in this recipe, as are leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner. Use this recipe as a guide and have fun being creative. After all, that’s what food and wine is all about – at least around my campfire!

Until the Next Wine…
Maria

EAT: Wheat Berry and Grilled Vegetable Salad