New NZ wine, old Sicilian dish (#WinePW)

New Zealand winemaker Daniel Brennan feels a spiritual affinity to his Sicilian great-grandfather, though the two settled continents apart.

A musician and band member, Brennan uprooted himself in 2007 and moved from Philadelphia to Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, to pursue winemaking. He describes having an epiphany after discovering the potential of New Zealand wines.

His forebear, Miguel Rodolico, was a barrel cooper and winemaker who left Sicily for America.

Immigrants and winemakers both – connected through time and space.

As a nod to Brennan’s Sicilian roots – and in tribute to this immigrant story – I found an old Sicilian dish to pair with the 2018 Guinta Decibel Malbec Nouveau that I was delighted and grateful to receive for this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend. Hope you can join the Twitter chat on Saturday, Aug. 10. Simply follow the hashtag (#WinePW), beginning at 11 am ET.

(Please note that while the wine for this post was provided, opinions are my own.)

The region

Hawke’s Bay (colored green, above) is located on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. A dry and temperate climate, with long, hot summer days and cool nights, lends itself to growing wine grapes, apples and other agricultural products.

Second only to Marlborough in total acreage and production, Hawke’s Bay is home to Syrah and to Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Chardonnay is the most common white variety.

Decibel Wines describes its grapes as “sustainably grown and certified,” noting that each vineyard is progressing toward organic and biodynamic practices. Wines are vegan friendly and vegetarian friendly, as well as produced using no animal products in fining and settling.

The wine

“Giunta” (pronounced “June-TAH”) is the family name of winemaker Daniel Brennan’s Sicilian great-grandparents. Giunta literally means a “ good addition,” a name commonly given in the late Middle Ages to a long-awaited or much-desired son. The Giunta family was known as hard working, straightforward and easygoing.

A tech sheet wasn’t available for the 2019 vintage. However, grapes for the 2018 Decibel Guinta Malbec Nouveau were grown in silty-loam soils of mixed alluvial and volcanic origin.

Picked in early April that year, the fruit was destemmed and only lightly crushed to allow skins to slowly breakdown during fermentation. The fruit was then cold-macerated for three days on skins before slowly warming to allow for a wild fermentation to occur.

Fermentation lasted 13 days before the wine was then macerated on skins again for an additional 15 days to allow for full malolactic fermentation to take place on skins. The wine was then pressed to tank, then settled and racked off its heavy sediment in June.

In July, the wine was evaluated, and the decision was made to release this wine as “nouveau” and bottle it in August. It is meant for drinking young, but it can be cellared for two to three years.

My tasting notes: Deep purple in color. Fruity nose of brambly fruit and a hint of black olives. Palate is slightly smoky and spicy with blackberries and plum around the edges. Medium+ acid for a red wine. Medium+ peppery finish.

The dish

My thoughts turned immediately to pizza as the appropriate pairing for a Malbec Nouveau from a winemaker with Sicilian ancestry. But when I did a little digging, I learned that pizza – as most of us know it – apparently is not a traditional Sicilian dish.

Authentic Sicilian pizza, or schiacciata, is more like a deep-dish pie than a pizza. The dough is kneaded with hard wheat flour and topped with or without tomato, Sicilian cheese, olives, onions, anchovies, ham, mushrooms, aromatic herbs and different foods, such as broccoli, potatoes, peppers, eggplant and spinach.

OK, I thought, I’m game.

First step was to order the recommended “hard wheat” (which, confusingly enough, is called “soft wheat” on the package) Sicilian Maiorca flour milled by Filippo Drago and Molini del Ponte, and imported by Gustiamo, Inc., Bronx, NY.

I then found a pizza dough recipe I could manage easily enough. I filled my schiacciata with grated Campirano (mild Mexican-style milk cheese), chopped broccoli, chopped onion, chopped black olives, sliced scallions, fresh basil and oregano, and cooked and crumbled Chorizo sausage. Total baking time at 400F was approximately 40 minutes. I had to cover the pizza after 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning.

Results? A surprisingly good pairing. The straightforward and easygoing Malbec Nouveau had just the right dark fruit, black olive and pepper notes for the schiacciata. Sicily does Hawke’s Bay!

Grazie mille to Lori at of Exploring the Wine Glass for hosting this month’s chat and arranging samples. Here are the other pairings from fellow #WinePW bloggers:

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be making Hāngī in a Dutch Oven + Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2017
• Jane of Always Ravenous will be pairing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Paired with Fresh Flavors of Late Summer
• Cindy of Grape Experiences will show how to Beat the Heat with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint
• Gwen at Wine Predator will be pairing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Zesty Arugula Kale Pesto Pizza and Salad #WinePW
• Jennifer of Vino Travels Italy demonstrates Seeing the Potential of North Canterbury, NZ at Mt. Beautiful Winery
• David of Cooking Chat  will be pairing Tomato Caprese Salad with Pesto and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
• Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings will be serving New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pan-fried Chinese Potstickers
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm will be Discovering New Zealand Wines
• Sandra of Wine Thoughts will be taking A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block
• Cynthia and Pierre of Traveling Wine Profs will be sipping New Zealand Chardonnay with a view of… The Pyrenees #WinePW
• Rupal the Syrah Queen will be drinking New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Grilled Mediterranean Swordfish
• Nicole at Somms Table will be sharing Memories of New Zealand’s South Island with Waipapa Bay Wines.
• Lori of Exploring the Wine Glass, is thankful that Humans May Only Be 5%, But They Make Great Wine #WinePW