Archives for December 2013
Antonio Moretti’s Perfect Pair: Moretti Chardonnay & Sea Scallops
Moretti Chardonnay, Gnesa Vineyards Sta. Rita Hills
Since there are so many great vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills we like to explore a variety of different locations to find the one that suits us with the style and the flavors we like the best. Our current vintage is from Gnesa Vineyard where the grapes have a sunny south side exposure all day long. This vineyard is one of the highest in Sta. Rita Hills so the fruit has less time in the fog, resulting in fruit forward flavors that show magnificently in the wine…
Excellent Food Pairing: Large Sea Scallops
- Set oven to 350 degrees
- Brush Sea Scallops with extra virgin olive oil
- Set in oven ‘til just a little brown outside yet tender inside and place on dish
- Cut shallots and quickly deep fry for one minute
- Garnish Scallops with shallots
- Add a pinch of lemon zest shavings to each
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over scallops and shallots and enjoy with Moretti Chardonnay!
Wine Pairing: Food-Friendly Wine
Talk with Antonio about food-friendly wines…the Italian way!
Q. You often mention Moretti Wines as “food friendly wines.” Do any of your selections stand out?
Antonio Moretti: Rosso Mio (below), our blend of three Italian Varietals, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo from Sta Rita Hills (2010). This may be our most food friendly wine – blending of the three different flavors and structures really works beautifully with an array of foods including pastas, meats, cheese, charcuterie, and of course, we also call it our (chuckling) “pizza wine!”
Q: What about a Moretti white wine that goes well with food?
AM: Moretti Vermentino (left), this was our first vintage and it was a big success. Very unusual to find, unique to this area, very approachable, fruit forward, very small amount planted but found a lot of followers so we will definitely be producing future vintages… Think cioppino, fish, chicken, fried zucchini blossoms!