Mac Salad and Wine

July 21, 3:58 PMScottsdale Wine ExaminerPhilip Guana

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Darci's Macaroni Salad

So, one of the great pleasures of wine is to make memories with friends. No other beverage is as romantic as a nice bottle of wine. Don’t you always remember that great night with friends or a loved one and remember that the great wine that was shared over conversation or a great meal? Wine is magical in that sense that we attribute memories with specific wines. I often believe that people have “favorite” wines because they associate a great memory with that wine and lock into their psyche.

Well this past week I had the pleasure to have a great dinner with friends. Darci Juris, who is the Phoenix Cooking Examiner is also a good friend.
She came over and shared a great Macaroni Salad recipe and grilled steaks with me that I paired it with a couple of great Italian wines.

As an appetizer, I seared off some fresh scallops that I coated in a flour and curry mix, topped them off with a little soy sauce and presto. A five minute appetizer that was easy to make. I paired them with Perusini Pinot Grigio from the Piedmonte region of Northern Italy. The curry mixed with the crispness of the wine was the perfect combination.

Darci’s Mom’s Macaroni Salad- See link for recipe. This salad was awesome, I seriously could not stop eating it, it was that good.

We tossed some steaks on the grill that I rubbed with olive oil and some salt and pepper, nice and simple but just perfect. These NY Strips screamed for a bold Italian Cabernet Sauvignon. We poured Corvino Tenuta Mazzolino and I let it decant for about 30 minutes. Just to give it time to open up and really show off those great tannins. A wine with a little tannin goes great with a steak, it cuts right through the fatty oils from the steak and really pair up perfectly.

After a great dinner we sat and did what good friends do, and just relaxed over some wine and solved the world’s problems.. That night has inspired us to get together every month and share some food recipes and pair them with wine, so keep an eye out for out next dinner date, it should be memorable.