Always Ravenous - Adventures in Food and Wine

Sheet Pan Dinners Paired with Cabernet Franc/Merlot

March 23, 2021 By Jane 2 Comments

Disclosure: The wine was provided to me as a media sample. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Sheet pan dinners are the solution to a busy weeknight dinner. They are easy to assemble, and my favorite part, they don’t create a huge post kitchen cleanup. I made two different sheet pan dinners; Smoked Paprika Chicken and Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables to pair with L’Ecole No 41 Winery’s new small-production Cabernet Franc-Merlot wine. What better way to bring a hectic day into balance than to slow down and enjoy dinner with family or friends and a glass of wine….

Filet Mignon paired with Washington Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon #WinePW

March 12, 2021 By Jane 14 Comments

Disclosure: The wine was provided to me as a media sample. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

If you are not familiar with Washington State’s wine country, you may be surprised to learn the Cascade Mountain range divides the state into two very distinct climates. The Cascade Mountains act as a rain shield protecting the eastern half of the state. So unlike the Seattle rainy weather, eastern Washington is categorized as a Continental Semi-Desert. Grapes can thrive in this desert environment because of irrigation, 300 days of sunshine a year, layers of prehistoric created soils, varying elevations, a vast difference between the day time (80’sºF) and night time (50’sºF) temperatures, and a longer growing season. In fact, of the sixteen AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in Washington, all but one are in the eastern half of the state.

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend group of bloggers takes a closer look at the Yakima Valley AVA located in south-central Washington (east of the Cascade Mountain range). What better way to get to know the Yakima Valley wine region than to open a bottle of Yakima Valley wine. I did just that, a bottle of Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon, and paired it with a filet mignon. Join the group on Twitter, Saturday, March 13th at 11:00 AM ET for our chat, and don’t miss more articles from the group at the end of this post.…

Provencal Braised Beef with Bandol Rouge

February 19, 2021 By Jane 8 Comments

When you think of Provence wines, you might instantly think of rosé; after all, 75% of the region’s production is rosé. Then you may picture the Mediterranean coastline and the almost 3000 hours of annual sunshine. But Provence is not all rosé and sunshine. The Mistral, a strong, cold northwesterly wind, can blow up to 150 days across the Provence region. It is the strongest in the winter and spring, with winds ranging from 60 to 110 miles per hour. When these cold Mistral winds blow, hearty fare like Provencal Braised Beef (known locally as Beef Daube) paired with a Bandol Rouge is a classic winter combination….

Tasting Alsace: Food and Wine Pairings

February 16, 2021 By Jane 4 Comments

My interest in food led me to wine – what better way to enhance that plate of food than with a glass of wine, right? Absolutely! The glass of wine with dinner has grown into a keen interest and curiosity about wine. I have two WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) certifications, levels 2 & 3, under my belt. The saying the more you know about wine, the more you realize what you don’t know, so true! So in my quest to “know more,” I have started on another wine journey with the Wine Scholar Guild’s French Wine course, an intensive study of French wines and wine regions of France. So dear reader, if you love food and wine and want to learn more, come along with me as I take the deep dive into French wine. The first stop is Alsace. …

Oregon Pinot Noir Paired with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée #Winophiles

December 18, 2020 By Jane 15 Comments

Disclosure: The wine was provided to me as media samples. All opinions are my own.
This post may contain affiliate links.

It is no secret that Oregon produces top-quality Pinot Noir. Wine pioneers of Oregon’s Willamette Valley back in the 1960s knew the soils and climate were ideal for growing Pinot Noir. Even the French, producers of the world’s highest quality Pinot Noir took notice of Oregon and started expanding into the region. The French invasion started with Maison Joseph Drouhin in 1987 when he decided to purchase land in the Willamette Valley AVA sub-appellation of Dundee Hills. Soon other French wine houses would follow, including Maison Louis Jadot in 2013, purchasing the Résonance Vineyard in the sub-appellation of Yamhill-Carlton, also part of the Willamette Valley.

This month the French Winophiles are taking a closer look at Oregon + Bourgogne Tied Houses. Some in the group received samples from Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Résonance to taste and perhaps pair with a dish. I received a bottle of Résonance Découverte Vineyard Pinot Noir and paired it with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée. Join our Twitter chat on the subject, Saturday, December 19th, 2020, at 11:00 AM ET. Don’t miss more articles from the French Winophiles on Oregon + Bourgogne Tied Houses at the end of this post.…

Cabernet Franc Paired with Bison Steak Tartines

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Cabernet Franc is a grape variety often used in Bordeaux style blends alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But Cabernet Franc is also made as a single varietal wine. Its signature herbal and green characteristics, and notable acidity and moderate tannins make it a food-friendly wine, inspiring me to…

Italian Frizzante with Holiday Sweet Treats

Frizzante (fizzy) is a semi-sparkling Italian wine. The gentle bubbles are produced during a secondary fermentation in large pressurized, sealed stainless steel tanks that trap the bubble creating carbon dioxide inside. This method is called the Charmat or tank method. The Charmat method is used with grape varieties that are highly aromatic, helping to preserve…

Whether your Thanksgiving table will be a traditional feast or a modern table of favorites, and if you choose to serve just one type of wine or a collection of different varieties, Rosé should be on your Thanksgiving table, and here is why. Why Rosé pairs well with the Thanksgiving Table The light to medium…

Saffron and Fennel Chicken with Sweet Bordeaux Wine

If you haven’t discovered the world of Golden Sweet Bordeaux wines, I urge you to try them for a sensory delight that will have you sipping them as an aperitif and pairing them with your main course, cheese course, and dessert. Sweet Bordeaux wines can be “moelleux” – medium sweet or “liquoreux” – very sweet….

Sheet Pan Dinners Paired with Cabernet Franc/Merlot

Filet Mignon paired with Washington Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon #WinePW

Provencal Braised Beef with Bandol Rouge

Tasting Alsace: Food and Wine Pairings

Oregon Pinot Noir Paired with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée #Winophiles

Cabernet Franc Paired with Flavors of Persian Cuisine #WinePW

Italian Frizzante with Holiday Sweet Treats

Why Not Rosé on Turkey Day!

Golden Sweet Bordeaux Wines: Tasting and Pairings

always_ravenous

Get the Latest from Always Ravenous