This month Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is hosting the World Wine Travel bloggers in a discussion of coastal Chilean wines. Read his invitation here.
All of these posts will be live between Friday, June 23rd and Saturday, June 24th. And we will be gathering for a live Twitter chat on Saturday morning at 8am Pacific. Be sure to follow hashtag #WorldWineTravel and add it to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here's the line-up of articles...
2017 Louis-Antoine Luyt ‘Cuveé Benoit’ + Maple-Chipotle Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
A Sauvignon Blanc from the Leyda Valley + Gambas al Pil Pil by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Organic Veramontes Chardonnay from Chile’s Cool Coast: Pair with seafood — or try with mole sauce! by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca Valley Hits the Spot by Avvinare
Talinay Sauvignon Blanc from Limari by A Day in the Life on the Farm
In My Glass
I was able to get ahold of a bottle of 2021 Leyda Coastal Vineyard Garuma Sauvignon Blanc. That's a single varietal - Sauvignon Blanc - and a single vineyard - Garuma Vineyard - wine.
The Leyda Valley is a sub-region of the San Antonio Valley wine region in Chile, located just less than 60 miles west of Santiago, Chile's capital city.
Founded in 1998, in Leyda Valley, Viña Leyda was committed to working with its micro-terroirs and limited wine production to fully express the environment of each vineyard and grape variety. And this coastal region rendered cooler and wetter growing conditions—as compared to more eastern, drier and warmer areas.
In the glass, this wine poured a light yellow with a greenish rim. On the nose, there were aromas of herbs and summer stone fruit. On the palate, those notes were mirrored with layers of pink peppercorns, citrus, and light florals. This wine is elegant with a firm minerality and herbaceousness softened by subtle creaminess.
On My Plate
I wanted to make something inspired by a Chilean recipe. And, because of the region is coastal, I headed to our local fish markets. I was inspired by some beautiful fresh shrimp. This is my version of Chilean Gambas al Pil Pil. Actually the dish hails from Spain, I suppose. I love that it's teeming with the earthiness of smoked paprika, the bite of lots and lots of garlic, and it's done in under 20 minutes. The longest part of the prep - peeling and deveining the shrimp. But it's well-worth the effort.
Ingredients
1/4 cup Spanish olive oil (I used an Arbequina olive oil)
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
15 or so jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
pinch of red pepper chile flakes
salt and pepper, as needed
Procedure
Place raw jumbo shrimp in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
In a large flat-bottom pan or skillet, add in 2 Tablespoons olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Stir in the garlic and red pepper chile flakes. When it gets aromatic, approximately 1 minute, pour in the remaining olive oil. Heat for another minute or 90 seconds. Stir in the smoked paprika.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 90 seconds, flip over, and cook for another 90 seconds. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a serving platter. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, as needed.
I also made my version of Machas a la Parmesana, but will share that recipe later! Stay tuned.
That's a wrap for my June #WorldWineTravel offering. The group will be back looking at native South American grapes with Deanna of Wineivore at the head of the discussion. Stay tuned!