(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
You might have seen in previous postings a couple of food & wine pairings featuring wonderful Montes wines from Chile. I recently discovered and tasted a unique type of Chardonnay from the Montes Alpha line.
This refreshingly vivid white varietal lingers perfectly between the delicate and the bold. Therefore it is only right to pair such wine with dishes that straddle that same nuance of flavors and textures.
Let‘s get cooking!
Menu: Parsely-sage marinated grilled pork loin with creamy Grana Padano golden mashed potatoes.
Wine pairing: 2019 Montes Alpha Casablanca Vineyard Chardonnay (D.O. Aconcagua Costa, Chile)
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
Pork loin:
1.75 pound pork loin
Sea salt & cracked pepper
1/3 cup of extra Virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 medium size shallot
1 cup of fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup of fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
Potatoes:
2 cups of Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/3 cup of whipping cream
1/3 cup of grated Grana Padano cheese
Salt and cracked pepper
Optional garnish (for grilling): small sweet peppers.
Directions
Pork loin:
Place pork loin on a large, semi deep dish. Season to taste on all sides with sea salt, cracked pepper and oregano.
In a blender, mix together: garlic, shallot, parsley, sage and olive oil. Blend well. Add a dash of salt and pepper and blend again. Pour blended marinade on top and around pork loin, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (up to three hours max).
Cook pork loin on a pre-heated grill at 375 degrees F. T loin over every 5-7 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Remove from heat and place loin on wooden serving cutting board, tent loosely with foil for 5-10 minutes.
Potatoes:
Boil potatoes until cooked through. Let cool slightly and peel skin off. Place potatoes in a deep mixing bowl and mash.
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add cream, a pinch of salt and pepper bringing to boil. Remove from heat.
Carefully, add some cream and grated cheese to the potatoes (small portions at a time) and continue to mash potatoes and stir to create a creamy consistency.
Transfer potatoes to ovenproof ceramic dish and top off with a little extra cheese and cracked pepper.
Place ceramic dish on the grill (low heat) and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the top of the potatoes are golden and bubbly. *Be careful when handling ceramic dish, wear gloves or use hot pads.
Optional garnish: grill mini sweet peppers until lightly charred.
Serve it up!
This recipe brings another great opportunity to serve this meal family style, on top of large wooden cutting board. Cut pork loin in half inch slices.
Be careful when handling the. Ceramic dish with the potatoes because it will be very hot.
Bon Appetit! Enjoy!
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine… The vineyards that produce grapes for Montes Alpha Chardonnay are located in the Aconcagua Costa region.
The proximity of the vines to the Pacific Ocean and the pronounced influence of sea breezes provide ideal conditions for Chardonnay to ripen slowly and completely.
The high variability in the soils, which range from sandy to clay-loam, lend this wine enormous complexity with tremendous cold-climate typicity, but with an impressive aromatic palate.
The most important clones used are Dijon 76, which contributes tropical fruit and citrus notes, and clone 95, which lends great volume to the palate thanks to the highly concentrated grapes it produces.
2019 Montes Alpha Casablanca Vineyard Chardonnay (D.O. Aconcagua Costa, Chile)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
Tasting notes:
Brilliant, light golden-yellow color. The perfumed nose offers notes of cherimoya, ripe pineapple, while hints of pear and banana add complexity to the profile.
The palate is focused with crisp acidity complementing a voluptuous structure and body.
A certain mineral note, characteristic of the terroir, lingers on in the long and elegant finish.
Grapes:
100% Chardonnay
Food pairing: Pairs well with white meat, fish, and pasta.
Accolades:
91 Points VinousMedia.com
91 Points timatkin.com
Thank you to Kobrand Wine & Spirits and Montes Alpha for providing this exceptionally enticing Chardonnay.
Gracias!
For more information, visit:
For finding and purchasing this wine, check out Kobrand Wine & Spirits’ retail locator from Wine365.com
Just click on the link and enter your zip code and local stores and restaurants that feature these wines will show up!
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(Special discount promo code: CFW15)
(Photo courtesy of Montes Wines)