sybaritesauvage   Uncorking a Mind Twisted by Wine, Food, Love & Remembrance

This little guy doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  Every Wednesday (though it could be Tuesday or Thursday) I will write-up a wine that I feel delivers good value for drinking in the middle of the week.  Aside from quality, my only other criteria is price.  To start, less than $15, but ideally less than $10, for a 750 ml bottle. 

I will also add any recipes that I paired with the wine.  I hope to leave you with a recipe that you can use to match up with a wine of your choice if you can’t locate the one I recommend.

No-Guilt Wednesday is not about compromising on quality.  It’s about all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank, eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.  

Rozay Crazay:  Seems like the Universe has gone wild for the rosé.  Why is that?  Have we forgotten the days of Lancers?  Mateus?  Riuniti?  OK, so this is not that.  But as with those other earlier incarnations, I still get a happy thrill from popping the pink bottles.  It’s sexy.  It practically guarantees a great night with that special someone.  At the very least it creates the right mood that occupies the space between lightness and romance, between flirtation and the brush of an eyelid on a cheek.  

The Zeitgeist in favor of rosés is almost overwhelming now.  It could be that they are having their moment because there are so many good ones available.  But what makes a good rosé?  Transluscently pink.  Aromas of strawberry harvest.  A touch of sweet ripe red berries, balanced by a refreshing mouthwatering acidity. 

So what do we have here?

Parés Baltà Ros de Pacs Penedès 2010 ($11).  This vino sported rich and robust strawberry and almost cherry-like flavors as it opened up.  This Spanish wine is constructed with typically French varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah.  It was delicious, yes.  It had refreshing acidity, yes.  It had clean crisp flavors that I kept coming back to.  But it was barely a rosé to my eyes– darkly hued by comparison to traditional rosé standards, this Spanish rosé challenges traditional notions of what a rosé should be.  It is more robust than the traditional French style.  I see it less as a rosé and more as a very light red wine.  Does that really matter?  No.  Rated **1/2.

Michel-Schlumberger La Flirt Rosé of Merlot 2010 ($20).   Ms. R and I matched the Parés Baltà against the more traditionally made rosé made by a favored Dry Creek Valley producer, Michel Schlumberger, which we had leftover from a couple of nights ago.  Watermelon and just ripened strawberry flavors dominate.  Sweetness balanced by acidity in a more classically French styled rosé.  Also Rated **1/2.

 Take your pick or do as we do– drink them both!

But what to eat with such nice wines?  After a  holiday week filled with beef and pizza, we were ready for lighter fare.  Fresh tilapia was available at the market tonight.  I’m thinking we need a traditional lemon caper sauce to go with it; but I also want some starch.  How about a basil linguine with red onion, haricots vert, garlic and tomatoes?  There is enough pasta here for 4 people.  But just try to not eat more than your share!  Yes, garlic, capers, lemon, tomatoes and rosé.  So many flavors.  So very good. 

Cedar Planked Tilapia with Lemon-Caper Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Tilapia
• 1 Tbsp. EVOO
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 Garlic Clove thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. Sweet Butter
• 3 Tbsp. Nonpareil Capers

Directions:

1. Soak cedar planks in water for at least 30 minutes.  Longer is better. 
2. Meanwhile, drizzle 1 Tbsp. of EVOO over the Tilapia and season with salt and pepper
3. Heat your grill on high.  And when ready, place moistened planks on grill and turn off the burner(s) underneath the planks.  The idea is to scorch the planks but not burn them.  Place Tilapia on the planks and cover grill to cook using indirect heat from the burner(s) that are not directly under the planks.
4. While the Tilapia is cooking, heat up a pan and put 3 tbsp Olive Oil in pan and add Slice Garlic till aromatic, but do not burn it
5. Add White Wine and Lemon and bring to a boil
6. Reduce Heat to simmer and add Butter and Capers
7. Reduce sauce by one half but be careful not to burn it– turn off heat and set aside
8. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste
9. When Tilapia is done cooking (about 6-10 minutes), remove from grill and plate dressing the fish with the lemon caper sauce

Serves 2

Sybarite Sauvage ©

Basil Linguine 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Basil Linguine (spinach works fine as well)
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1 Garlic Clove thinly sliced
• One medium-sized red onion cut into thin slices
• 2 cups of haricots vert (frozen work fine)
• 4 Campari tomatoes quartered or 10-15 grape tomatoes halved
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add enough 1/4 cup of salt so that water is salty to the taste
2. Boil linguine in salted water until cooked al dente
3. While pasta is cooking, warm up EVOO in a large pan and add garlic and saute over medium heat for 30 seconds until oil become fragrant (do not burn the garlic)
4. Add garlic, red onion and haricots vert.  Cook until onions are soft– about 5 minutes
5. Once these ingredients are cooked add the tomatoes to warm up but do not overcook them
6. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to taste
7. Once pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta
8. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss.  If needed, add some of the pasta cooking liquid to the pan.  Toss again until coated. 
9. Plate alongside the Cedar Planked Tilapia– no cheese necessary

Serves 4 (maybe)

Sybarite Sauvage ©