Salad:
A really mouth-watering list of ingredients which needs a similarly flavourful wine to accompany this Antipodean salad! I’m recommending Bodegas Dominio de la Vega’s Sauvignon Blanc 2010, although this is something of a misnomer as there are two other grape varieties used in the blend.
The grassy, herby Sauvignon which has some gooseberry, kiwi and faint passion fruit notes is joined by Chardonnay for added exotic fruit and finally Macabeo which can on occasions produce some very appropriate pear aromas and flavour.
The Sauvignon will be good with the chilli element, the Chardonnay will lift the bacon a touch and the Macabeo will compliment the salad leaves and of course the pear.
Chicken Risotto
Risotto is one of my favourite dishes – an Italian Sangiovese would be ideal here I think, but when in Spain don’t do as the Romans do! We’ll stick with red wine though and go to the more economic end of the wine price-scale. You can buy Bodegas Fariña’s Arco Iris in Mercadonna – in it’s litre bottle, which they claim is better for the environment.
It’s an every-day-drinking wine for enjoying without complication and one which will mix very happily with the risotto. However that’s not to say it is just a glugging wine. The Tempranillo grapes with which it is made have a faint strawberry aroma but darker bramble fruit on the palate – all adding to food/wine combined flavours.
Salud!