Pairing, California-style: Pea pesto and a white Rhone blend (#WinePW)

Californians live by more than kale alone. Many traditions – Mexican, Korean, South American – influence cooking in the “Eureka!” state. But when I think of California cuisine, “healthy” is the word that comes to mind.

My cooking mantra is “healthy and easy,” so I was immediately drawn to What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food by Gaby Dalkin, a book recommended for the next Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) Twitter chat by host Jane Niemeyer from Always Ravenous.

Hope you can join the #WinePW crew on Saturday, March 14, starting at 11 am ET, when we explore “Tasting California: Cookbook Tour paired with California Wines.” Simply follow the hashtag.

The recipe – Pea Pesto and Burrata Crostini

Gaby offers fresh, simple, and delicious recipes for that “California Girl” lifestyle. Works for me!

Gaby’s pea pesto is a riff on traditional pesto. Instead of Parmesan and pine nuts, her pesto calls for peas, basil, mint, and garlic. This delightfully light and green “pea-y” pesto is perfect for spring. Gaby wisely suggests topping the concoction with burrata. I had mozzarella available, but creamy burrata would be a better choice. You can find the recipe on pages 29-30 of Gaby’s book.

Gaby suggests tossing extra pea pesto into pasta for a quick and easy meal. I second that motion. Also used the pesto to top sautéed chicken tenders. Delicious!

A Central Coast wine producer

Best-laid plans – yada, yada.

I was hoping to visit central California last summer, but alas, life intervened. So I was glad to see this Wine Pairing Weekend topic pop up. The topic inspired me to choose Bonny Doon, a Central Coast producer I have long admired.

Based in Santa Cruz, CA, Bonny Doon was founded in 1983 by the colorful iconoclast Randall Grahm. Now the company’s “president for life,” Grahm is known for his Rhone-style blends, innovative winemaking, and imaginative marketing.

To an East Coast girl like me, the Bonny Doon approach seems quintessentially West Coast. Their stated goal is “to produce honest and soulful wines, with minimal special effects.”

In early 2004, Bonny Doon adopted Biodynamic practices in “as many of our vineyards as practicable.” Unfortunately, not all of their growers – especially those growing unusual grape varieties – share the company’s commitment to Biodynamic farming. This means some Bonny Doon wines are made from grapes grown more traditionally.

Warning: Wine geekery ahead

In 2008, Grahm led Bonny Doon in taking another radical step. Beginning with the 2007 vintage white and 2006 vintage red wines, the company began to disclose all wine ingredients on the back label of each bottle. More than 200 additives to wine are allowed by the U.S. government. However, it is not a legal requirement to list them.

Ingredient listing, Grahm notes, was intended as an “internal discipline” to push Bonny Doon to curtail its own wine additions. Grahm also hoped the move would encourage other winemakers to rely less on additives to “improve” their wines. By and large, other winemakers haven’t followed Grahm’s lead. But the growing “natural” wine movement indicates an interest in minimizing interventions, such as addition of sulfur dioxide (a preservative used in wine and food) and use of commercial yeasts.

The first section of Bonny Doon’s listing highlights the wine’s basic ingredients, e.g., grapes and sulfur dioxide. The second section points out ingredients used in production that no longer remain in the wine, such as bentonite (a type of clay used to clarify wine prior to bottling).

The wine – 2017 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc, Arroyo Seco

Beginning in 2003, Bonny Doon started producing a white blend of 65% Grenache Blanc and 45% Roussanne derived from a single vineyard source, the Beeswax Vineyard in the Arroyo Seco region of Monterey County. The vineyard is farmed organically and protected from cool Pacific Coast winds by the Santa Lucia Mountains.

According to the fact sheet, the 2017 Le Cigare Blanc underwent a complete malolactic fermentation. That is, the harsh malic acid was converted to softer and more buttery lactic acid. On the label, the following ingredients are listed:

• First section: Grapes, tartaric acid, and sulfur dioxide.
• Second section: Enzyme, yeast, yeast nutrients, bentonite, and French oak barrels.

With the 2018 vintage, the producer switched out the Roussanne in the Le Cigare Blanc for Vermentino. “As much as we love this earlier style, the wine was often a bit austere in its youth,” the producer states. The 2018 Le Cigare Blanc was fermented entirely in a small stainless-steel vessel and underwent significant lees stirring post-fermentation to enhance a sense of creaminess. No added ingredients are listed on the label.

My tasting notes (2017 Le Cigare Blanc): Pale yellow in color with a greenish hue. Pear and melon aromas, followed by grapefruit and grapefruit pith, lemon rind, and honeysuckle on the palate. Slightly creamy and savory with medium acidity. Medium finish. Alcohol: 14.4%. Price: $24.99.

The 2017 Le Cigare Blanc paired amicably with Gaby’s pea pesto crostini, thanks to the creamy topping. The wine also worked with a pasta and pea pesto dish sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Would love to try the 2018 Le Cigare Blanc and compare notes!

Cooped up at home during the Coronavirus pandemic and looking for recipes/pairings? Check out all of the blog posts below. If reading this post in time, hope you will join the California cookbook tour on Twitter this Saturday, March 14. It’s a great way to have fun while maintaining your social distance!

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Savory Dutch Baby, Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé, and a Few Other California Favorites.”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “A Taste of Ojai: Chef Robin Goldstein and Topa Mountain Wines.”
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Tasting California with Merry Edwards Pinot Noir and Gaby Dalkin’s Pulled Pork Sliders.”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Picturing California on the Plate & in the Glass.”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Eat your peas – pairing, California-style.”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Bean and Cheese Panchos with a California Rosé.”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Cabbage Soup with a California Red.”
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Pair Homeroom Mac ‘n Cheese with Sparkling Wine.”
• Nicole at Somm’s Table “Napa History with Gamble Family Wines & a Lamb Feast with Friends.”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Sirloin Steak Tacos with Paso Robles Zinfandel.”
• On Always Ravenous, Jane is sharing “California Cooking Gaby Style with California Wine Pairings.”