Bright Colors and Good Wine

No doubt that dinner was colorful a few nights ago.  It was also quite tasty and there was a remarkable wine paring with it.

The fish is a pan seared Coho salmon fillet.  The rice is black, forbidden rice and the tomatoes are black cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil and sea salt and set on fresh basil leaves and some crumbled goat cheese.  The sauce was what made the meal so interesting.  It was white wine, grapefruit juice, orange juice, shallots, ginger and saffron simmered together until reduced to a syrup and then finished with a few swirls of butter.  Sharp and citrusy, and yet earthy from the shallots and saffron and perky with the notes of fresh ginger.

My first inclination for wine was a dry Riesling, but the saffron called me elsewhere.  The choice was a 2010 Kinkead Ridge Viognier Roussanne.  The wine is a blend of 42% Viognier and 58% Roussanne.  The wine is full bodied and bold with aromas of oranges and herbs and it was a seamless companion to the orange flavors in the sauce.  The Viognier picked up the saffron and earthiness while the oiliness of the Roussanne work great with the acid and the richness of the salmon.

The black rice added an extra dimension to the taste. The dark flavors were a great contrast to the brightness in the wine.  This was a truly good match between food and wine and by the end of the evening there was none of either left.

The wine was high in alcohol but with this food that didn't seem to matter.  Something more delicate might have been overwhelmed by the boldness of the food.

2010 Kinkead Ridge Viognier Roussanne, 15.1% alcohol and $15.95