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This summer is *flying* by ~ and I almost can’t believe that *tomorrow* is “Drink Wine With Dinner” Day! Good thing I know what I’ll be cooking (duck breast ~ can’t wait!), and I have some good ideas about what corks I’ll pop.
I'm getting ready for "Drink Wine With Dinner" Day tomorrow. Hmmmm, what wine to serve with duck breast?
Something else I almost can’t believe is the *tremendous* response to “Drink Wine With Dinner” Day. Thanks to the generous efforts of the prestigious Academy of Wine Communications, which helped me spread the word, I’ve heard from individuals, bloggers, wineries, and more, with recipes, wine suggestions, and *very* tempting food-and-wine pairings.
One of the very first to contact me was Austrian-born Herta (HB) Peju, of Peju Province Winery in the heart of the Napa Valley. “I just found out about this idea,” she wrote, “and I LOVE IT! Food and wine, it makes sense and we all need an “excuse” to get together…”
Peju is a small, family-owned and -operated winery in the Napa Valley town of Rutherford. Herta and her husband Tony acquired their first parcel of land here in 1982, with vineyards owned by Robert Mondavi, Inglenook, and Beaulieu as their neighbors.
The Peju family ~ Tony, Ariana, Herta (HB) and Lisa, enjoying the fruits of their labors, at their Napa Valley winery.
Now, along with their “next generation” daughters, Lisa and Ariana, Herta and Tony farm their 450 acres organically and sustainably. (Ariana, in fact, launched Peju’s “Harvesting the Sun” solar energy project.)
Herta also takes great pleasure in tending the winery’s magnificent gardens, and overseeing the “Peju Kitchen.” The website showcases their wonderful recipes, all crafted to pair with their wide range of wines.
I *love* of Sauvignon Blanc, mostly for its punchy acidity ~ which makes it such a great partner to food.!
There’s even a “Monthly Wine Spotlight” program, with recipes, and archives (see the hearty Veal Osso Buco from February, paired with Merlot) that let you go back in time and browse previous food-and-wine pairings.
August features the Peju 2009 Estate Chardonnay, with a recipe for Grilled Tarragon Chicken with Saffron Rice Pilaf. Mmmm. I can just about taste it!
By *huge* coincidence, when Herta learned about “Drink Wine With Dinner” Day, she had just bought a copy of my cookbook, Seafood, Pasta and Noodles ~ The New Classics (Ten Speed Press). (If you do click on the link, just scroll down to the bottom for more info, in my “shameless book promotion.”)
After a couple of email exchanges, I received this message: “In light of your book on seafood, we are sending you our recipe for Spanish-style Sautéed Shrimp, which pairs beautifully with our Sauvignon Blanc. A definite example of when 1 + 1 = >2.”
And that, my friends, is what food and wine pairing is all about: the marvelous synergy between the two partners, where each enhances the other ~ and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Vielen dank, Herta. Thank you so much. I wish you and your family a *very* happy and tasty “Drink Wine With Dinner” Day!
The Peju Tower, featuring fountains and reflecting pool, weathered copper roof, hand-carved front door, 10-foot by 20-foot antique stained-glass window, room-filling chandelier, and much more.
As always ~
Cheers,
Rosina
