I do some marketing for Platypus Tours who is known for their anti-stuffy-luxury wine tours of Napa and Sonoma…light-hearted, fun, social tours of small producers/hidden gems. (the wine doesn’t have to be from Napa/Sonoma, btw)
Reaching out to you - the experts - because I’m doing another recipe blog post and am requesting a wine pairing.
This month’s recipe is for gluten free Persian Love Muffins.
This will be sent as part of the newsletter that I create for over 43K people. So don’t let me down. (happy to mention you by name if you so choose, make ya famous!)
Ingredients for muffins:
1C Blanched almond flour
1C Oat flour
2tsp Baking powder
1tsp Baking soda
1tsp Salt
1 Stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
That’s a difficult pairing, mostly because of the beet hummus being at odds with the other elements of the dish from a wine standpoint.
There are a number of elements in the dish that send me to Grüner Veltliner as a first choice. Of course that doesn’t give you many California options (Carlisle makes one). My backup thought is a Mourvèdre based Rosé (e.g., Bedrock Ode to Lulu) to deal with the beets and not crush the rest of the dish.
-Schiava. Light enough to not overpower the veggies and fruit and just enough earthiness to work with the beets. Also not so tannic that it will clash with the beets.
-Lambrusco di Sorbara. The Sorbara clone is important here as the other varieties of Lambrusco like Modena will be too dark and tannic. Sorbara is very refreshing. Zucchi is my favorite (full disclosure: I imported them for years).
-Palacios Petalos from Bierzo. Super pretty florals with just enough mencia earthiness to work with the beets. Nothing too big or overwhelming here for the dish.
-Verdejo. Acidic and floral enough to mingle with everything in the dish.
Going to throw in two from Argentina that I think will both work well with the dish as well as please geeks and neophytes alike. Both are made under German Massera’s Livverá label.
-the Malvasia is skin contact, something I don’t often drink. Ditto for the normally uber floral Malvasia. Both work here as they are not extreme examples of either aspect. Hard not to guzzle this thing while at the same time it has enough uniqueness that it’s more than a simple quaff.
-The Bequignol. I wrote a note on this wine on the board that should come up with a search. Similar to the schiava, it’s a light enough red that it won’t dominate the dish. Just a touch of herbal, earthy funkiness. The funk comes from the grape, not dirty winemaking.
Both should be fun to try as most people probably haven’t had anything like them yet they’re not at all weird and alienating.
I SO appreciate your thoughtful input and expertise. My audience isn’t necessarily the wine expert - rather, many are wine adventurers with much to gleen from this guidance. Thank you so much! This is exactly what I hoped for…and my greater hope is that together we create more curiosity and interest in different wine varietals and that they connect us through our interests and food.
Yeah, so the only fun I’ve had with truffle salt (from Maison de la truffe) is to put it on good baguette slices with red radish and beurre à la fleur de sel. Good pairings were Domaine Ott Clos Mireille (a long time ago) or Puligny-Montrachet. I then stopped buying truffle salt
The beets and pistachios are the pirates here.
I wouldn’t mind trying that Clos Mireille again with your dish. The Puligny would not work.
My first thought was Alvarinho that is aged on the lees, irrespective of oak. (Alvarinho is what they call Albarino in Portugal.)
In particular, I would suggest Alvarinho from the Minho region in northern Portugal. I think they are much better than the mass-produced Albarinos I’ve had from Spain’s Rías Baixas region. This Soalheiro Alvarinho is fairly available in the USA.
I suspect you will get more engagement if you toss out some pairing ideas of your own and ask for feedback rather than simply asking the forum for ideas, which feels like a request to do your job for you.
Trimbach Pinot Gris? Something with a bit of mouthfeel and a hint of residual sugar.
Also, I would suggest adding a new comment for each new recipe, instead of editing the original post. That way folks can follow the thread inline, and not be confused by pairing suggestions originally intended for a different recipe.
(happy to mention you by name if you so choose, make ya famous!)
