(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
Summer is here and what better way to enjoy it than with grilled seafood, crisp salads and refreshing white wines.
Meet Italy’s Falanghina wine. This ancient Italian white-wine grape, that is rumored to have Greek origin, derives from the Falernian grape variety, which is the most famous wine of ancient Roman times.
(Photo: Nick Fewings)
Falanghina wine, whose name is derived from the Latin word “falangae,” meaning the stake used to support grapevine, is mostly grown in Italy’s southern region of Campania, who possesses the perfect terroir of volcanic soils where this grape varietal thrives in.
The Falanghina wines are known for their fresh, aromatic qualities. This varietal is depicted as soft, and delicate, featuring blends of floral and honeyed flavors and yet nicely balanced with elegant lemon, citrus, and peach flavors that is offset by its acidity, giving a gentle consistency from start to finish.
(Photo: Ian Baldwin)
Truly the perfect white wine for summer.
Let‘s get cooking!
Menu: Grilled scallops and shrimp with roasted peach-red chili salsa & arugula-feta summer salad.
Wine pairing: 2019 Villa Matilde - Rocca dei Leoni - Falanghina Campania IGP
(Campania, Italy)
Serves 4
Ingredients Scallops & shrimp:
8 grilling skewers alternating in equal amounts of sea scallops and shrimp (approximately 3 scallops and 3 large shrimp per skewer) *make sure scallops are washed and shrimp are peeled, deveined and tail removed.
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Extra Virgin olive oil
Peach crema:
3 peaches, halved
1 medium white onion
1 red chili pepper, deveined and seeded
1 large tomato, halved
1 tablespoon of extra Virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of raw sugar
Pinch of cracked black pepper
Salad:
3 cups of arugula
1 large tomato, diced
3/4 cup of feta cheese, cut in coarse dices or crumbles
2 peaches (grilled, then peeled and cut in bite sizes)
1/4 cup of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
Sea salt & cracked pepper
Directions
Crema:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place peaches, tomato, onion, and chili on nonstick baking sheet, lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Place in oven and roast for approximately 15-20 minutes or until slightly burnt ends can be seen. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Place roasted items into a blender and add raw sugar, pinch of cracked pepper and blend to desired consistency.
Salad:
In a large bowl, gently mix arugula, tomato, basil and peaches.
Pour lemon juice and drizzle olive oil and mix.
Sprinkle salt, pepper and feta cheese and mix again.
Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until serving time.
Scallops & shrimp:
Make sure scallops and shrimp are alternately placed in skewers (there should be 8 skewer, two per person).
Season skewers with sea salt and cracked pepper. Drizzle olive oil on them.
Place skewers on preheated grill (350 degrees F) and grill on each side for approximately 4 minutes per side.
*at this point you can also grill the halved peaches for the salad (just rub some oil on them and grill until grate marks can be seen).
Serve it up!
This simplistic dish is so easy to plate and promises to have an eye catching presentation.
On each plate place one or two skewers in the center of the plate and carefully remove the skewers from the scallops and shrimp, maintaining the order they were cooked, tightly together.
Next, nestle a generous heap of salad behind the scallops and shrimp. Carefully add a few dollops or spoonfuls of the peach crema, like big dots next to the salad and scallops (You can also drizzle the crema on top of the scallops and shrimp too).
Garnish with some lemon wedges or slices.
Buon appetito! Enjoy!
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine…
Rocca dei Leoni estates of Villa Matilde winery are located in the heart of Sannio Beneventano, between Caudina valley, Telesina valley and the valley of Tammaro River.
They cover an area of about 30 hectares on volcanic soils rich in phosphorus and potassium: a unique terroir, sweet and sour at the same time, which gives strong notes and intense aromas.
The very old vines, the rich cherry blossoms and fir trees, chestnuts, nuts and broom, contribute to the aromatic profile of wine, which is derived from 100% Falanghina clones.
Vinification off the skins. After a gentle pressing, the chilled must is gravity-settled then ferments in steel at 50 - 54 °F for about 20 days. The wine ages in stainless steel for about 3 months.
2019 Villa Matilde - Rocca dei Leoni - Falanghina Campania IGP
(Campania, Italy)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
Tasting notes:
The wine has a pale straw yellow color. On the nose the aromas is intense, floral and fruity, with essences of banana, tropical fruits and white peach, while the flavor conquers your mouth thanks to its sapid note, balancing the aromatic bouquet.
This is a delicious Falanghina, pleasantly fresh, crisp and light-bodied.
Grapes:
100% Falanghina
Food pairing: Pairs perfectly with tasty fish dishes, such as prawns, spaghetti or potatoes gnocchis with mussels and clams. It combines very well with fresh pasta and tomato sauces or vegetable soup.
Accolades:
89 VinousMedia.com
Thank you to Kobrand Wine & Spirits For providing this unique and rare wine from the Campania is region. Grazie!
For more information, visit:
For finding and purchasing this wine, check out Kobrand Wine & Spirits’ retail locator from Wine365.com
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(Photo: Paolo Celentano)
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