You might have seen in previous postings a couple of food and wine pairings featuring wonderful Montes wines from Chile. I recently discovered and tasted a unique type of Chardonnay from Chile made by Montes Winery.
This refreshingly vivid white wine lingers perfectly between the delicate and the bold. Therefore it is only right to pair such wine with dishes that straddle that same nuance of flavors and textures.
Let‘s get cooking!
Menu:
Parsley-sage marinated grilled pork loin
Creamy Grana Padano golden mashed potatoes
Wine pairing:
2019 Montes Alpha Chardonnay (D.O. Aconcagua Costa, Chile)
Parsley-Sage Marinated Grilled Pork Loin
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
Pork loin:
- 1.75 pound pork loin
- Sea salt & cracked pepper
- 1/3 cup of extra Virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 medium size shallot
- 1 cup of fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup of fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
Potatoes:
- 2 cups of Yukon gold potatoes
- 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup of whipping cream
- 1/3 cup of grated Grana Padano cheese
- Salt and cracked pepper
- Optional garnish (for grilling): small sweet peppers.
Directions
Pork loin:
- Place pork loin on a large, semi-deep dish. Season to taste on all sides with sea salt, cracked pepper, and oregano.
- In a blender, mix together: garlic, shallot, parsley, sage, and olive oil. Blend well. Add a dash of salt and pepper and blend again. Pour blended marinade on top and around pork loin, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour (up to three hours max).
- Cook pork loin on a pre-heated grill at 375 degrees F. Turn loin over every 5-7 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Remove from heat and place loin on wooden serving cutting board, tented loosely with foil for 5-10 minutes.
Potatoes:
- Boil potatoes until cooked through. Let cool slightly and peel skin off. Place potatoes in a deep mixing bowl and mash.
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add cream, a pinch of salt and pepper bringing to boil. Remove from heat.
- Carefully, add some cream and grated cheese to the potatoes (small portions at a time) and continue to mash potatoes and stir to create a creamy consistency.
- Transfer potatoes to ovenproof ceramic dish and top off with a little extra cheese and cracked pepper.
- Place ceramic dish on the grill (low heat) and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the top of the potatoes are golden and bubbly. Be careful when handling ceramic dish; wear gloves or use hot pads.
- Optional garnish: grill mini sweet peppers until lightly charred.
Serve it up!
This recipe brings another great opportunity to serve this meal family style, on top of large wooden cutting board. Cut pork loin in half inch slices.
Be careful when handling the ceramic dish with the potatoes, because it will be very hot.
Bon Appetit! Enjoy!
About the Wine Pairing: Chardonnay from Chile
The vineyards that produce grapes for Montes Alpha Chardonnay are located in the Aconcagua Costa region.
The proximity of the vines to the Pacific Ocean and the pronounced influence of sea breezes provide ideal conditions for Chardonnay to ripen slowly and completely. The high variability in the soils, which range from sandy to clay-loam, lend this wine enormous complexity with tremendous cold-climate typicity, but with an impressive aromatic palate.
The most important clones used are Dijon 76, which contributes tropical fruit and citrus notes, and Clone 95, which lends great volume to the palate thanks to the highly concentrated grapes it produces.
Chile is known for its red wines, but a combination of geography, terroir, and altitude help make it a stand-out country for whites, as well. Read Best White Wines from Chile to discover more about Chilean white wine and what to be on the lookout for.
Tasting notes:
Brilliant, light golden-yellow color. The perfumed nose offers notes of cherimoya, ripe pineapple, while hints of pear and banana add complexity to the profile. The palate is focused with crisp acidity complementing a voluptuous structure and body. A certain mineral note, characteristic of the terroir, lingers on in the long and elegant finish.
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Food pairing: Pairs well with white meat, fish, and pasta.
