I am so excited our #winepw group is featuring Biodynamic Wines from Willamette Valley. To get us in the mood a little I thought I would share this video clip about Oregon Biodynamic wines on KGW.
Biodynamic wines can be a confusing term. For some clarification and hints for how to know if a wine is Biodynamic please see Biodynamic Wines for Earth Day. If you’d rather get right into the food and wine pairings then let’s go.
We’ve all been cooking and sipping and recipe testing to bring you carefully created pairing suggestions for these handcrafted wines. Please check out these posts and join us on Twitter from 8am -9am PT Saturday May 11 to discuss. Just follow #winepw.
- David of Cooking Chat has prepared “Salmon, Farro and Mushrooms with Winderlea Pinot Noir”
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camila is celebrating with “Simple Pleasures, A Birthday Cheeseboard, & Keeler Estate Vineyards’ 2017 Terracotta Amphorae Riesling“
- Jill of L’Occasion writes about “Peace, Bread, Land and Wine’: A Meal With Brooks Winery“
- Jennifer of Vino Travels will share “Biodynamic Wines of the Willamette Valley with King Estate“
- Lori of Dracaena Wines will present “Continuing the Biodynamic Legacy #WinePW“
- Jane from Always Ravenous pairs “Wild Alaskan Salmon with Herbed Ricotta and Oregon Pinot Noir”
- Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings combines “Biodynamic Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Noir from Johan Vineyards Plus Surf ‘n’ Turf Dinner”
- Linda of My Full Wine Glass shares “Ode to Oregon: Johan’s Biodynamic Expression of Place (#WinePW)”
- Gwendolyn Alley from Wine Predator will present “Our land is our life and our life is our wine” — Cooper Mountain Pinot Paired with Duck #WinePW
- Deana from Asian Test Kitchen has whipped up “Oregon Orange Wine Sparkles with Indian Curry”
- Wendy Klik A Day in the Life on the Farm discovers “Dammit!! These are some great wines from Willamette.
- Lauren Walsh of The Swirling Dervish will tempt us with “Pork Loin, Mushrooms, and Fiddlehead Ferns Meet Biodynamic Pinot Noir from Bergström Wines (#WinePW)”
- Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog brings us “A Taste of Cooper Mountain Vineyards at the Table #WinePW“
- Jeff of Food Wine Click is pairing “Biodynamic Willamette Valley with Brick House and Harissa Chicken”
- Payal of Keep the Peas is presenting “Living off the Land: King Estate Pinot Noir + Mushroom Pâté”
- Rupal of Syrah Queen is sharing “Maysara Winery – Iranian Immigrants Achieving The American Dream”
- Jade of Tasting Pour will share “Thai Green Curry Rockfish and Montinore Estate Gewurztraminer #WinePW”
- Nicole of Somm’s Table shares “A Hunt for a Biodynamic Williamette Valley Wine: Johan Vineyards Farmland Pinot Noir and Salmon“
For my pairing I made Thai Curry Rockfish with Montinore Estate 2016 Gewurztraminer Reserve from Willamette Valley. This was a triple threat of a special treat.
The Winery: Montinore Estate
Montinore Estate has effected the world of Biodynamic wines in a big way – literally. In fact, Demeter USA, the certifying agency for Biodynamic farming, recently reported that Montinore Estate is the country’s largest producer of certified estate wines made from Biodynamic grapes. This is because of the leadership of Rudy Marchesi, president and chief viticulturist at Montinore Estate. Many people think Biodynamic farming methods are only feasible on small farms. Marchesi turned that theory on its ear when he successfully converted the 240 estate at Montinore to Biodynamic.
Montinore Estate
photo Andrea Johnson
Marchesi does not just serve as an example of what can be accomplished, he creates opportunities to share knowledge and provide education. Marchesi has hosted many Biodynamic educational events over the years including a pre-conference workshop at last year’s Biodynamic Association conference. Most recently, Rudy was one of nine growers- and the only American- asked to join the International Biodynamic Viticulture Group, that will be promoting Biodynamic viticulture and winemaking education around the globe, including creating an international web-based forum for Biodynamic winegrowers. Marchesi is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Demeter USA.
I had the privilege of interviewing Marchesi last year when he was named Oregon Wine Press Person of the Year. For more details about his contributions please see my interview with Rudy Marchesi here.
Rudy Marchesi
photo Andrea Johnson
The Wine: Montinore Estate 2016 Gewurtzraminer Reserve, Willamette Valley
We kind of loved this Gewurztraminer (sponsored sample). To me this grape can be hard to get right. They are usually way fun to smell but sometimes the flavors can be overwhelming and they can feel heavy on the palate. But this one was FABULOUS! Lots of spice – white pepper, coriander, fresh ginger – with the fresh aromas of wildflowers and roses, sweet peach and nectarine, and finally blood orange oil. It screamed for Thai food and then it screamed to accompany our neighborhood walk to see the spring flowers.
The Dish: Thai Curry Rockfish
There aren’t very many food products I use from a jar. But I make a few exceptions and these can really save me on a busy weeknight. Here is one of my favorite timesavers: Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce from Trader Joe’s. I understand all of the words in the ingredients label. Actual edible ingredients like coconut milk, lemon grass, Kaffir lime peel, coriander etc.
All you need for a quick meal that won’t heat up the kitchen is some fresh veg, local fish, and rice or zoodles.
- ½ cup Thai Curry Green Simmer Sauce (more if you want very saucy)
- Rice prepared with package directions
- 2 cups chopped veggies (used red bell peppers, carrots, broccoli)
- 2 Rockfish filet
- Coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Place chopped veggies in small boiler with simmer sauce. Cook covered on low heat until veggies are al dente.
- Sprinkle fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat coconut oil in cast iron skillet. Pan fry fish until they flake (approx 5 minutes each side)
- Meanwhile prepare rice according to package directions. (During zucchini season I substitute zucchini noodles and onion sauteed in coconut oil)
- Plate fish on top of rice and spoon Thai veggie mixture on top.
I would like to extend a special thank you to the writers, Willamette Valley Wine Association, Emily Kaplan Petterson of EKP Media, and the following sponsoring wineries:
Cooper Mountain. Keeler Estate, Brooks Winery, Brick House, King Estate, Johan Vineyards, Maysara Winery, Montinore Estate, Winderlea Vineyard and Winery
Gewurzt is perfect with Thai food. Great pairing and great article.
Thanks Wendy
This is my kind of pairing! I’m going to have to find the Montinore wine and try that TJ curry sauce. I really loved this month’s theme. Thanks for shining the light on biod in Williamette Valley!
Thanks Deanna. Montinore is pretty widely distributed – not all bottles but many.
Thanks Deanna. There are a few prepared items I don’t mind using and this curry sauce is one of them. I know it doesn’t have a lot of preservatives because it does not last long once opened. In fact I often divide it into the quantities I want and freeze it to avoid waste.
Great TV presentation! Learnt something new today about the bioD calendar. It’s such a smart pair between the Montinore Gewurztraminer and the Thai green curry rockfish!
Thanks Pinny. It is a balance to be entertaining and approachable on these wine education segments and actually teach something. Let me know if you test the BioD calendar for tasting.
Wow. That is really impressive to convert such a large property to biodynamics. I will definitely by on the lookout for their wines. And I totally agree with you that Gewurz seems to be a hard grape to get right — this one sounds great and that looks like a delicious pairing.
They are not all distributed but quite a few are so I bet you can find some bottles. Some are organic but that’s good too in my book.
Thanks for hosting a great topic and arranging the amazing wine samples! Your pairing looks delicious. Thanks for introducing me to a new Trader Joe’s product, the Thai Curry Green Sauce.
Thanks Jane. Glad you enjoyed the wines. And yes even though the sauce is not from scratch it has normal ingredients and has saved me from fattening takeout on many a weeknight.
I’m a big Gewurz fan but, you’re right – it can be tricky, especially with a pairing. This one sounds outstanding! Not sure I can find it here in Miami, but maybe when I’m back in NYC. Your pairing looks delicious, too. Many thanks for turning me on to Trader Joe’s green curry sauce!
Yes that curry sauce has saved me from many a takeout pizza. Hope you can find the wine.
Yum! I love a nice balanced gewurtz! And I’m a fan of Rudy and Montinore too. Thanks for hosting this month!
Thanks for your support and kind words Gwendolyn.
Delicious pairing! I’ll look for the Montinore gewurz too!
Thanks. I hope you can find it. It is usually one of my faves from Montinore Estate.
Thanks for hosting! I do like a good Gewurtz and will have to keep my eyes out for this one. Delicious and simple pairing, nice!
Thanks David. I was glad to help the crew dig a little deeper into Willamette Valley Wines.
Wow! You’re not kidding when you say Montinore got into Biodynamics in a big way! The wine and the pairing both sound wonderful Jade!
Thanks Martin. Yes, so many vineyards think they are too big to be Biodynamic but Montinore and also King Estate are changing that perception.