This month the World Wine Travel writers are looking at libations from Brazil. Susannah of Avvinare is hosting.
As I mentioned, this month the #WorldWineTravel group is headed to Brazil with the flexibility to write about Brazilian wine, beer, or spirits. We will also be chatting on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, September 23rd at 8am Pacific. Follow the hashtag #WorldWineTravel and be sure to add it to anything you post so we can see it. Here's the line-up...
A Story About Placement: Burning Man 2023, Netuno Gengibre, and Fig Cookies by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
Casa Perini: Signature Moscato Wines From the Farroupilha Region in Brazil by Avvinare
From Brazil: Picadinho de Carne + 2021 Familia Salton Intenso Pinot Noir by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Moqueca de Camarao and a Sparkling Wine from Brazil by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Brazil is the fifth largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere where people have been making wines since the early 16th century. The first vines arrived in the country with Portuguese immigrant Martim Afonso de Souza. However, it was the wave of Italian immigrants in the 19th century that truly marked the birth of the Brazilian wine industry. With over two dozen states, and six main wine regions, Brazil is home to 150 large-scale wineries and over 1,000 small farms.
2021 Familia Salton Intenso Pinot Noir
Exactly four years ago, Susannah hosted the Wine Pairing Weekend group and the Wines of Brasil sent samples to several of us. I received a sparkling wine from Salton Winery and posted A Brazilian Sparkler + Frango à Passarinho and Pão de Queijo. Ever since, I have kept my eyes out for still wines from Salton. I finally found one!
The story of this winery in Brazil begins in Italy. At the end of the 19th century, Antonio Domenico Salton left Cison di Valmarino, in the Veneto region, in search of better opportunities in Brazil. He landed in the Italian colony of Vila Isabel, known now as Bento Gonçalves, in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul.
Antonio Domenico Salton, like all Italian immigrants at the time, made wine informally. It wasn't until 1910 that his sons - Paulo, Angelo, João, José, Cesar, Luis and Antonio - began to legitimize the business. They cultivated grapes and starting making wine, sparkling wines, and vermouths under the name Paulo Salton & Irmãos.
The wine poured a beautiful, bright pomegranate red. The red hue is mirrored in the abundance of red fruit aromas. Think cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. But there is also flavors of anise and black fruits. This light bodied, single varietal Pinot Noir was round and silky with a beautiful balanced of acidity. What a wine!
Picadinho de Carne
To match the Brazilian wine, I decided to make a Brazilian beef stew. It has tons of meat, but I love the addition of vegetables, too.
Ingredients
Beef
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1-1/2 pounds beef, cubed (I used chuck...you can use really any cut of meat because it braises so long that it will be tender)
1 cup onion, peeled and diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1-1/2 cup liquid (I used 1 cup beef broth and 1/2 cup leftover wine)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green peppers
2 cups diced zucchini and summer squash
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1/2 t red pepper flakes
freshly ground salt, as needed
freshly ground pepper, as needed
For Serving
cooked pasta, boiled potatoes, or steamed rice
Procedure
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the beef into the pot. Sear on each side for 3 to 5 minutes - until a nice brown begins to appear. Add the onions and garlic to the pot. Let them cook until the onion is translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add in the carrots and celery. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour in the broth or combination of liquid that you're using. Stir in the tomatoes, green peppers, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Let the meat braise for 2 to 3 hours - longer is fine, if you need to. After 2 to 3 hours, stir in the zucchini and cook for an additional hour. Then you can leave the beef in cubes or shred the meat a little bit. Once the beef is tender. Remove the cover and turn up the heat to reduce the sauce to your desired thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, pasta, or potatoes.
That's a wrap for my Brazilian offering. The group will be back next month with wines from Argentina.