Farmers' Market Wine Challenge: Plums + Bubbles

My pairing for this week's Farmers' Market wine challenge is inspired by a delicious plum salad I recently enjoyed at one of my new favorite neighborhood spots, All' Acqua in Atwater Village. It was a simple preparation of fresh burrata cheese, watercress crushed pistachio and small slices of purple-skinned plum (maybe the LaRoda variety?) drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. The sweet-tart punch of the plum complemented the delicate creaminess of the cheese while the supporting ingredients provided the perfect arrangement of contrasting flavors and textures for a truly harmonious dish. It was one of those dishes that was so good (not to mention so apparently uncomplicated!) that it has already been added to my summer entertaining repertoire!

As with most fruit and wine pairings, the inherent sweetness in fruit bumps us up against the one rule in food and wine pairing: ideally your wine should be sweeter than the dish. Aged balsamic vinegar adds more sugar and acidity to the dish, so you want to avoid tannic reds and whites, which will taste astringent. Additionally, a very light and low acid wine will fall flat. You want a wine with some body and acidity to balance the the vinegar, but not too strong or high in alcohol as to overwhelm the more delicate flavors and textures of the fruit and other components of the dish. In fact, a little sweetness in your wine here would be a good thing, if you are open to that. 

In this summer heat, I like my wine to refresh the palate, so something served chilled is my preference. Many sparkling wines offer moderate to high acidity while delivering body and texture without tannin and can be superb complements to a dish like this; I recommend a rose champagne or other methode champenoise sparkler with body and complexity like the NV Latitude 50N Sekt Rose Trocken ($15.99). I'm not one to say no to real Champagne, but it is expensive and there are many wonderful and more affordable options available from other regions in France and elsewhere in the world. This naturally made, bottle-fermented pink sparkler hails from Germany and is a blend of German varieties Dornfelder, Portuguieser, and Pinot Noir. It offers a delicious balance of flavor and texture with subtle fruit and spice accents--perfect for not only a fresh plum and burrata salad, but a wide variety of summer fruit dishes. Cheers!

-Chiara 

In stock now:

LATITUDE 50 N SEKT EXTRA TROCKEN ROSE ($15.99)

This crisp, dry sparkling wine from Germany is an under-the-radar gem. The palest pink in hue, it mimics Champagne with its fine bead and smoky minerality. A blend of Pinot Noir, Dornfelder and Portuguieser from mostly slate, limestone and porphyry soils, this gets its sparkle from secondary fermentation in bottle--just like Champagne--but it's priced to party!

Farmers Market Wine Challenge: TOMATOES!

They say there are only two things that money can't buy: true love and home grown tomatoes. Whether you agree with that or not, the season has arrived for summer's most versatile fruit. I personally love seeing the tomatoes piling high in a rainbow of colors and varieties at my local shop and farmers market!

There are countless was to enjoy fresh tomatoes. Its sweet/savory flavor, aciditic tang and toothsome texture adds pop to salads and sandwiches and brings textural harmony to soups, stews and sauces. It can deliver heat, diced fresh in spicy salsas, but is instantly cooling as a chilled puree. While few would dispute that money can't buy the very best varieties--those lovingly nurtured from seed and hand-picked at peak ripeness from one's own garden (before the squirrels or other pests get to them!)--money fortunately can buy the perfect wines to complement your heirloom dishes, and you don't have to break the bank.

The same properties that make the tomato such a friendly ingredient in the kitchen can also make it a food-and-wine pairing foe. Prepared fresh, the tomato's sweetness and acidity can do battle with especially dry reds and most whites, increasing the sensation of astringency--not pleasant. Rich, tannic reds can also dominate the delicate texture and flavor of the tomato and other fresh ingredients, leaving the palate with nothing fun to appreciate from the plate. Cooked tomatoes in sauces, stews and braises can stand up to more structured reds, but you still want to watch the weight of the wine, especially if the dish is vegetarian.

Fruity roses with body like those from the Southern Rhone in France, the Bandol region of Provence and the surrounding environs in the Languedoc-Roussillon are great choices for both cold and cooked tomato dishes. Look for something with a deeper hue of pink, with can signify a fuller body and more intense flavor. I'd  save the palest, most delicate roses for your chilled tomato soups light salads, and opt for richer roses with complexity for your tomato-based sauces, pastas and other stews like the Provencal classic, ratatouille. A rose with full flavor and a little bit of sweetness, as is traditionally produced in the Cotes Catalanes of France and farther south in Spain, can be wondrously sweet and refreshing in the summer heat. Pair it with your all-American thick-cut tomato sandwich, classic Italian insalata caprese (fresh tomato and mozzarella cheese salad drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil), and any number of salsas and tapenades. 

2013 Joan d'Anguerra "Alta Roses" ($17.99)

When it comes to red wine, I recommend a light-to-medium bodied red with juicy fruit, mild tannin, and balanced acidity with your tomato dishes. Sangiovese-based reds are great with cooked tomato dishes, sauces, and braises, but Sangiovese's natural high acidity and tannin can be too harsh for fresher tomato preparations. Instead I look toward the Spanish Mediterranean coast for my vinous inspiration. In the foothills Montsant, just outside Barcelona in the Catalan province of Tarragona, not far from the village of Bunol where the famous "La Tomatina" festival is held annually, red wines made from the Grenache variety offer that perfect balance of juicy fruit and savory complexity perfect for fresh tomato dishes. I can't get enough of the naturally made 2013 Joan d'Anguerra "Alta Roses Montsant, made from biodynamically farmed Grenache. Bright and juicy, this red wine has the optimum ripeness, structure and complexity to sing alongside a variety of tomato dishes, especially the classic Spanish pan con tomate y anchoa, bread smeared with fresh tomato, anchovies, garlic and olive oil. Delish!

In stock now and ready for your table:

2013 JOAN D'ANGUERA "ALTAROSES" MONTSANT ($17.99)   

100% Grenache from Montsant in the Catalan province of Spain. Organic and Biodynamic. The Altaroses is Joan d'Anguera's first certified biodynamic and organic wine. The Anguera brothers have decided to label the wine as a “Granatxa,” the old Catalan name for Garnacha, as an emblem of their focus on adhering to the lighter, traditional style of wines that used to be made in Montsant. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in concrete vats using indigenous yeasts. Aged for 12 months in old oak barrels. Naturally cold stabilized by winter’s chill and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tasting Notes: Fresh wild strawberries, garrigue and warm spices on the nose. Very expressive. Medium weight, with mouth-watering acidity and soft warm fruit. Soft tannins and well-balanced structure between acidity, tannin, fruit and alcohol make this extremely gulp-able. (Importer)

-Chiara

Farmer's Market Wine Challenge: It's Reining Melons!

From Ambrosia and Goddess to Canary and Cantaloupe, California melons are at their peak right now, rolling in and out of farmers' markets everywhere across LA. It is hard to resist the intoxicating smell of ripe melon, just begging you to take it home. Fresh melon is delicious on its own and makes a juicy addition to summer appetizer and salads. Whether you prepare it Italian style, sliced with smoked prosciutto, chopped with jicama in a refreshing Mexican salad, or my favorite, melon and cucumber salad with yogurt and mint, melon lends a juicy texture and cool sweetness to dishes as it balances savory, spicy, and herbal flavors. 

2014 Rein Riesling - In stock now at Mission Wines!

The sweetness of melon can present a challenge for wine pairing, however. It is liable to make your oaked whites taste bitter and your red wines even more so. Ideally, you want the sweetness of your wine to exceed than your dish, so a crisp wine with balanced acidity just a hint of residual sugar--just barely off-dry--would be the perfect choice. Melon is rarely  cooked, so I recommend a white, sparkling, or rose wine served chilled to best complement a dish featuring melon. 

Want to hit the sweet spot?  The next time you serve a melon dish, pair it with a crisp Riesling with just a hint of sweetness, like the locally grown 2014 Rein Greenwood Ridge Riesling from Anderson Valley, California. This is world-class Riesling, on par with the best Kabinetts of Germany. From sustainably farmed 40 year-old ungrafted Riesling vines, this was produced completely naturally without the use of pesticides in the vineyards or additives in the winemaking process. A native yeast fermentation was followed by aging entirely in stainless steel. Balancing acidity with pure, clean fruit, this has a kiss of sweetness but still finishes fresh on the palate. It is mouthwateringly delicious, the ultimate match for summer melon dishes.

2014 REIN GREENWOOD VALLEY RIESLING ($24.99) Winemaker's Notes: "Picked at a low pH of 2.97 and let to sit on their skins overnight to gain tannin and heightened aromatics.100% whole cluster pressed, fermented and aged in all stainless steel. At only 11% alc, this riesling is more in the style of a German Kabinet, with pretty white flowers, such as jasmine and Gardenia on the nose. A well defined balance of acid, tannin, and the slightest bit of RS, creating precision and focus from start to finish on the palate." 

Want to taste it? We are pouring it tonight in our tasting bar until 7pm! Enjoy a flight of 3 wines for $15 or $10 with purchase, sip it by the glass, or take home a bottle to savor at home. 

Cheers!

-Chiara

Ornellaia's 2013 "Vendemmia d’Artista" Artist Yutaka Sone Visits Mission Wines!

Mission Wines now has a signed wood box with artwork by Sone! 

Yesterday, we had a rare treat at Mission Wines. Japanese artist Yutaka Sone, the artist selected for the 8th Edition of Ornellaia's "Vendemmia d’Artista" collaboration, paid us a visit. A resident of South Pasadena, Sone and crew stopped by Mission Wines seeking a little vinous inspiration...luckily, we had plenty of the current 2012 Ornellaia in stock! You might have seen Swiss artist John Armleder's "The Splash" gracing one bottle of each six bottle wood box of 2012 Ornellaia. Now you can look forward to Sone's artwork on select labels for the 2013 vintage.

Sone will also create sculpture and art for installations at the estate and collectible large format bottles that will be auctioned off to art savvy wine collectors in the coming year. The auctions take place in the city in which the artist resides, which is very exciting for Angelenos! Details of the event are yet to be released, but we can look forward to Sone's art and lots of Ornellaia descending upon the City of Angels sometime in spring of 2016. Stay tuned! 

Sone (right) along with his wife, Ornellaia's PR Director Andrea Scataglini, and event coordinator Allison Levine of Please the Palate (left), who will be organizing the LA auction.

Sone hand-carved Little Manhattan (detail), 2007–9, out of marble. “I like sculpture where you can feel time,” he says.

COURTESY DAVID ZWIRNER, NEW YORK AND LONDON

Sip Back and Relax, it's Super Saturday

Today's featured lineup

Our Super Saturday tastings are a great time to try something new and "wine down" with friends at our wine bar. Taste all five wines for $15 or $10 with any bottle purchase, or have a glass!  Sip back and relax with us today, from 12pm - 6pm. 

Today's Lineup

2014 Dönnhoff “Tonschiefer” Riesling Tröcken, Germany $29.99

• Refreshing minerality, expressive fruit aromas and classic acidity.

2014 Domaine Charvin Côtes du Rhône Rose, France $17.99

• Old-vine Grenache with aromas of spice and strawberry that finish with fresh, citrus notes.

2011 Terre Rouge Sierra Foothills Mourvedres, California $26.99

• Blackberry flavors with a long, spicy finish, it's gamey like a Bandol without the funkiness. Delicious!

2012 Domaine Lombard Brézème “Grand Chêne”, Côtes du Rhône, France $28.99

• 100% Syrah. Smoky, supply and smooth.

2013 Descendientes de J. Palacios “Petalos” Bierzo, Spain $22.99

• 100% Menica. Black cherry, currant and licorice notes on the palate with well integrated tannins and racing acidity - great structure!