Gnocchi & Chardonnay Pairing
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
- extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ pound prosciutto, sliced into ½-inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups fresh peas
- 2 cups chanterelle mushrooms (optional)
- pinch of crushed pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 package of gnocchi (or see homemade recipe below)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
- ½ bunch chopped chives
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring 1 medium pot to boil with well-salted water. Blanch the fresh peas in the medium pot until they are cooked, but still crunchy. Immediately place them in salted ice water for a second. Remove and reserve.
- Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add the minced garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. When the garlic has become golden brown and aromatic, remove it. Add the prosciutto and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until it starts to get crispy. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the peas and chicken stock. Simmer until the stock has reduced by half.
- While the stock is reducing, add the gnocchi to the large pot of boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi floats (about 3 minutes). Let them float for 30 seconds to a minute, until they get puffy.
- While gnocchi is cooking, add button to the pan with the prosciutto & pea mixture. Cook over low heat. When the gnocchi are cooked, drain and add to the pan with mushrooms.
- Cook together until the mixture sticks to the gnocchi. Add Parmigiano and chopped chives.
- Pour a glass of Chardonnay, and enjoy!
Pairing Food with Chardonnay
Chardonnay is one of the most versatile wines to pair with food, just another reason to love it! The golden rule with Chardonnay is to sip and savor with a light, butter-based or creamy, and slightly seasoned meal. The wine can express itself a number of different ways due to its versatility including unoaked, lightly oaked, and full-bodied oak aged wines. These various expressions allow for different flavors to be paired with a range of dishes.
Dishes ranging from light and delicate to ultra-rich can pair with a multitude of Chardonnays dependent on what type of climate they are grown in, and how they are barreled and for how long. A fruitier, lightly-oaked Chardonnay pair well with medium-rich dishes including: pastas in a creamy sauce, chicken, ham, or Caesar salads. A full-bodied oak Chardonnay pairs well with dishes that richer in taste, such as: pumpkin ravioli and grilled veal chops.
**Pro tip: Serving complex whites at 50–55°F enhances their layered aromatic characteristics and rich flavors. The less oaky the wine, the closer to 50°F it should be served.
About the Ancient Peaks Chardonnay
Our estate Margarita Vineyard is cradled along the coastal Santa Lucia Mountains just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Here, amid one of the Paso Robles region’s coolest growing environments, conditions are optimal for producing a varietally true Chardonnay with a singular sense of place. Stylistically, our aim is to produce a wine that strikes a fine balance between the leaner and richer styles of the varietal, in order to create a versatile, food-friendly Chardonnay.
Mild weather yielded a long, steady growing season that proved optimal for Chardonnay. We harvested our Chardonnay fruit in three stages, starting with an October 11 pick to establish a bright fruit core and finishing with a pick on November
1 to layer in more tropical tones. After harvesting and light pressing, 70 percent of the juice was cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks for the preservation of delicate aromatics and acidity. The remainder was barrel-fermented and aged in 10 percent new oak to add roundness, texture and complexity. This oak-aged lot also underwent secondary malolactic fermentation, which ultimately lent a fitting touch of creaminess to the wine’s otherwise crisp texture.