Friday, January 21, 2011

Asian-inspired salad with sesame dressing and...

It's always interesting to see what happens when we put our heads together over dinner - or rather, what to serve and drink for dinner. Last night we prepared a light and wonderful meal of mixed greens with sweet red peppers and sesame dressing, topped with grilled chicken breast in a slightly spicy peanut glaze. We both wanted to try something other than the usual go-to for this kind of food - a riesling or gewurztraminer - so I pulled out a bottle of Brachetto d'Acqui from I Quaranta (Italy, of course).
If you've ever had the pleausre of trying the Brachetto, you'll know why I went for it: slightly sweet (probably a 2 on the sugar scale) and ever so slightly fizzy, with loads of fruit and a pleasant acid/tannin edge. It was the perfect match for the spicy salad and chicken.
So the next time you're looking for something to balance a spicy dish and are up for something new, try the Brachetto - there are a few different ones around if you can find them.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Lake Erie perch and Alexander winery's 2009 Pinot Grigio

Just back from a jaunt around the corner (okay, three corners) to a local landmark historic restaurant, King's Landing (http://www.kingslandingrestaurant.ca) on the waterfront in Kingsville. Paul and I both enjoyed the perch dinner; me with rice and vegetable preluded by a caesar salad and Paul with fries and vegetable preluded by the soup of the day (onion).
The perch was, as usual, tender and lightly grilled and we enjoyed a bottle of Alexander winery's 2009 Pinot Grigio (visit the winery online at www.aleksanderestate.com). At first, I thought the wine would be too strong for the tender fish, but I was pleasantly surprised. It turned out to have just the right amount of acidity to complement the grilled fish and a light yet satisfying floral and citrus edge to take the entire meal to a very pleasant finish.