This month I am hosting the World Wine Travel bloggers for our April post; we are looking at organic Chilean wines for Earth Day. Importer and marketer Winesellers, Ltd. offered to send several writers a selection of wines. Thanks for sponsoring our event! But the event is open to any and all Chilean wines.
Disclosure: As always, when I receive samples for consideration, there was no monetary compensation involved and the opinions expressed are mine alone.
All of these posts will be live between Friday, April 21st and Saturday, April 22nd. Then you can join us for a live Twitter chat on Saturday, April 22nd - Earth Day! - at 8am Pacific. Just follow the hashtags #WorldWineTravel #EarthDayPairings #ChileanWines. And be sure to add those to anything you post so we can see it. Here's the line-up...
A Chilean Pinot Noir with Seafood Stuffed Atlantic Salmon by Our Good Life
Oysters in Herb Butter with a Veramonte Chardonnay and a Book Review by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Prepare for Sauvignon Blanc Day: Chile’s Biodynamic Matetic Paired with Chimichurri Blackened Halibut by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
Sheep in the Vineyard, Wine from Organic Grapes in My Glass by My Full Wine Glass
Wishing You Happy Earth Day with An Organic Pinot Noir from Chile + A Quintessential Pasta from Rome by Culinary Cam (you're here)
An Organic Sauvignon Blanc from Chile
For more than a quarter of a century, Veramonte - located in Casablanca - has been producing wines that express the terroir from which their grapes are grown. And because of their practices, they are the perfect wine to lift in celebration of Earth Day. Here are a few of the ways that they are good for the planet!
Quality Compost: They increase soil biodiversity by making their own compost from the stems and pomace collected during harvest and from the manure of local animals.
Cover Cropping: They employ cover crops in between the vines to fix nutrients, reduce erosion, and improve soil structure.
Canopy Management and Mechanical Weed Control: They reduce the risk of disease in the grapes by managing sunlight exposure and airflow with diligent pruning. And without the use of herbicides, they promote soils rich in microorganisms.
Canopy Management and Mechanical Weed Control: They reduce the risk of disease in the grapes by managing sunlight exposure and airflow with diligent pruning. And without the use of herbicides, they promote soils rich in microorganisms.:
Habitat Breaks and Husbandry: They create natural corridors to encourage diversity in the ecosystem. And they have incorporated a flock of sheep into their estate to help in keeping the grass mowed and providing needed manure.
All of these efforts facilitate optimum conditions for vine growth and ensure that the vineyards are sustainable over time. They embrace the tenet that a vibrant, balanced soil produces high-quality grapes that can express the fullest potential of the terroir.
Additionally, Veramonte partners with the non-profit organization Kiss the Ground. Kiss the Ground focuses efforts on healthy soils and creating a symbiotic relationship with the earth. The organization promotes Regenerative Agriculture and encourages farming principles and practices that aim to increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve watersheds and enhance ecosystem services. All of this eventually leads to higher yields of crops as well as and higher health and vitality for the farming communities.
Cheers to all of that! I opened this bottle on a solo evening when Jake was out with his friends watching Cocaine Bear. I definitely had the more enjoyable evening.
Like the soils from which the Sauvignon Blanc grapes were grown, this wine was vibrant and alive. On the nose, the aromas were heavy on citrus with notes of lime and tangerine. There were also subtle, pleasing floral notes that were mirrored on the tongue. On the palate, this wine was smooth, crisp, and had a full mouthfeel. I knew it would be a magical match to ceviche.
Ceviche: "Cooked" in Citrus
Ceviche is easily one of my top appetizers of all time. It's a simple dish of seafood "cooked" by the acid in lemons and limes.
Ceviche is so easy, but it requires incredibly fresh ingredients. I usually ask my fish monger which is the best choice for ceviche that day. On the day I made this, he offered me big, beautiful prawns. Perfect!
Ingredients
1 pound prawns, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
6-8 fresh lemons, juiced (I used Meyer lemons from a tree my parents have in their yard)
1/2 cup salsa (I used 1/2 cup pico de gallo and 1/4 cup fire-roasted salsa)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly ground salt
freshly ground pepper
tortilla chips, for serving
Procedure
Place the raw seafood pieces in a glass dish and cover them with lemon juice. The seafood should be completely covered by juice. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator. Let the seafood marinate or "cook" in the lemon juice for at least 4 hours. Once the seafood is "cooked" in the juices, drain the lemon juice, but reserve 2 Tablespoons of the juice. Chop the prawns into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces back in the reserved lemon juice. Stir in the salsa and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with tortilla chips.