Comfort food comes in many cultures but always has an element of creaminess to it. The creamy texture of a dish can come from slow cooking or braising of dishes – or from delectable cream itself.
To pair with the recipe from San Jose Cooking Examiner’s Creamy, Garlic, Walnut Pesto Pasta, as featured in the Fall Cookbook, there are choices depending on style and taste.
A buttery, Chardonnay from California will bring forth the smooth texture of the sauce and enhance garlic/cream flavors. The taste of pear inherent in the '07 Barrel Fermented, Flora Springs Chardonnay is especially delicious and takes full advantage of the walnuts in the sauce. This wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation and therefore keeps its acidity, which is perfect for refreshing your mouth between each creamy forkful.
Other options:
If your taste tends away from the full-flavored, oaked, Chardonnay style, there are others that merely give a “Hollywood kiss” to an oak barrel, resulting in more citrus and mineral taste components. One such find in this category is from Milagro winery, located in the San Diego suburb of Ramona, California.
California grows a good deal of Pinot Grigio and produces several versions of this popular Italian grape varietal in a fuller style than its Italian relatives. For something completely different, Flora Springs takes a unique approach by using the Pinot Grigio varietal that is native to Alsace, producing a spicier version. Their winemaking process is cold fermentation in stainless steel and quickly into bottle. What comes through in this extraordinarily well-priced bottle is a honeyed-citrusy spike that enlivens the sauce.
A red wine from the Rhone region will work on pulling forth the garlic and the walnut aspects of this flavor-layered sauce and add a hint of white pepper to the mix (and you can always add a few grinds to the sauce as well). The principle grapes used in Rhone wines are Grenache which provide a juicy-ness and Syrah which will complement the nutty flavor underlying the sauce.
It’s easy to locate all of these wines in the $30.00, $20.00 and under price range. And, in some specialty wine shops, you can snag versions of these wines from lesser known regions, such as Aix-en-Provence that ring up at $10.00 and under, per bottle (see below).
For more info: Find Flora Springs (Napa Valley) wines, E. Guigal (Rhone) wines and Chateau Bas (Aix-en-Provence) wines at Du Vin Wine & Spirits, West Hollywood. Flora Springs '08 Pinot Grigio $16.00; Flora Springs '07 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, $30.00; Chateau Bas, $10.99, E. Guigal Rhone reds from $20.00.
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