Last week I turned 31. Not a number that conjures up grand parties or great reflection, but for me it was a day of simple pleasures and lead to a wine discovery this week. On January 21st I was invited to see the Golden State Warriors with 3 good friends. I am an avid Warrior fan and to get the chance to sit two rows off the floor on my birthday was not something I could pass up. The four of us met up in the parking lot pre-game for a little wine geek tailgate: A bottle of Bollinger Champagne and a bottle of Italian rose that I cannot remember at the moment. This is the way everyone should do the pre-game. Before we went into the arena JD, one of my pals and owner of a very small wine importer/distributor gave me a bottle of Catina Tollo Pecorino, and no it is not bottled cheese. A put the bottle in my trunk and off to the game we went. The Warriors lost by one point with one second left, tough loss.
Fast forward to this past Wednesday (1/30/2008) night. On a very rainy night I decided I wanted to have a quick, easy and healthy meal and above all I really needed a glass of wine. One of the easiest meals I found is broiled salmon. It takes all of 10 minuets from start to finish and is really good. I picked up a fillet of wild Coho Salmon, a Pomelo, and some kale. I sauteed the Kale in a bit of olive oil and veggie stock and let that cook until it is tender but not mushy. I place the salmon fillet on a broiling pan and rub it with cracked pepper, sea salt and a little olive oil. I put it under the broiler for about 5 minuets and then I sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of Pomelo zest onto the fish and let it finish. I like my salmon medium rare so it is a bit pink in the middle. Once I bring the salmon out and plate it, I squeeze a little Pomelo juice on it and I eat!
Now that the stage is properly set, here is the discovery from my 31st birthday! As I check out the wine in my fridge I wanted something yummy and saw the Pecorino (again, not the cheese). I had tasted it before and liked and thought it would compliment the Pomelo aspect of the dish. I opened the bottle and poured a glass for my wife and myself. This wine is golden in color and a tad viscous. At first the wine was too cold (something to watch for in white wines. When a wine is too cold the aromatic and flavors can be subdued until the wine reaches the proper temperature) so I just swirled it around to try to warm it up a bit. After a few bites of my dinner, which was quite tasty, the wine started to show. Shauna was the first to comment on it. She looked up at me and said, "Wow, this wine is really pretty." I took a whiff, a sip, sat back and let my troubles slip away as tropical aromas, citrus aromas, orange blossom and wild herbs enveloped me. This was not only a great wine but also a pairing between food and wine that make the proverbial light bulb explode. As we progressed through dinner we just kept shaking our heads at how great the wine was and how happy our day was coming to a close. Though it was cold, dark and rainy that night and we live in a very small apartment our simple dinner was brightened by an amazing wine.
After dinner I decided that I must share this obscure wine with as many people as I can. So I call JD and asked how much of the wine he has in his inventory and he said 12 bottles...that is not enough. He and I decided that we needed to place an order with the winery and in late April Andronico's Market will have Percorino wine as well as cheese! I will do some more research this week about the grape but just know it is AWESOME!
Cheers!
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