“Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life's most civilized pleasures.” - Michael Broadbent

One of my favorite things to do is pairing a delicious dish with an amazing bottle of wine.

This past Christmas I gifted my husband a smoker, and he has literally perfected the art of smoking amazing proteins. Also, one of my preferred seafoods to enjoy are oysters, especially when they are flash fried.

Today, I’m sharing some of my ideal food and wine pairings with meals that we have curated at home.

Smoked Chicken

Chicken is a protein we smoke and/or grill almost weekly. It is such a versatile protein, and you can add it to salads, sandwiches, nachos, tacos, or enjoy it by itself with a wide variety of sides.

This spicy smoked chicken is so delicious, and is layered with a variety of seasonings that pair perfectly with a velvet bordeaux style wine. The Octagon produced by Barboursville Vineyards is a winner for this dish. It is so smooth, and is such a unique blend of varietals Merlot 50%, Cabernet Franc 20%, Petit Verdot 30%. It is so well balanced, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, baked berries, and a bit of oak. This wine is dry, but the finish has a nice smooth velvet texture.

Smoked thinly sliced chicken breast paired with broccolini and herbed potatoes with rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, and thyme with a spicy old bay mayo.

Smoked chicken leg paired with broccolini and thinly sliced herbed potatoes with rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, and thyme.

Smoked Duck

When duck is smoked, it brings out some amazing flavors of the protein, and is tender and juicy. Also, the port cherry reduction is a great addition, the perfect compliment to the meat.

The wine I paired with this dish is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. It is soft, has an amazing body to it, and is fruit forward, while having a great texture and balance. This wine has notes of black fruit immediately on the nose, and cherry on mid-palate. The tannins on this wine are present, but not overwhelming, which is ideal with smoked duck.

Medium rare sliced duck breast with a port cherry sauce, accompanied with herbed seasoned red potato crisps.

Fried Oysters

Oysters are something that I enjoy so much! Whenever I’m able to indulge in them, champagne is the obvious choice to pair with this dish.

The fried oysters are seasoned with lemon, pepper, sea salt, black pepper, a dash of cayenne, and a dusting of grated parmesan - which gives the protein a great balance of spice and citrus.

A champagne that is 100% Meunier is a lovely pair with oysters. Champagne Salmon was a great choice for me to accompany this dish, as it provides the right balance of acidity to the oysters.

Fried oysters paired with a pair of grilled rosemary crostini, and garlic herb aioli.

What are your favorite wine and food combinations? Feel free to share your favorite wine and food pairings below!

XO, Analise

“We could in the United States make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good.” - Thomas Jefferson

Charlottesville is quite possibly, one of my favorite cities I’ve ever lived in. The city has some of the best food, shops, and of course wineries. During my last year living in Charlottesville, I quickly learned what I could about the wineries and vineyards that the city had. Anytime I had the chance to visit my college city post-undergrad, I’d make it my mission to try and revisit local vineyards or wineries.

Today, I’m sharing two new wineries that I made it my goal to try earlier this year: Barboursville Vineyards and Michael Shaps Wineworks. Also, I am sharing the wines we brought back home, and how you can buy them!

Barboursville Vineyards

What we brought home from Barboursville Vineyards

Sparkling

Brut & Brut Rosé Cuvée 1814 - Both bottles were fermented with 100% Pinot Noir grapes in Italy. This was collaboration with Tenuta II Bosco and Barboursville Vineyards, and it was an absolute hit.

Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon - Cab Sauv holds a special place in my heart, and this did not disappoint. This wine has the perfect balance of berry, pepper, and currant notes on the palate. If you like to age your wines this is a amazing bottle to do so.
Cabernet Franc - You cannot mention Virginia, without saying Cabernet Franc. This is actually one of my favorite grapes, and Barbousville did right by this wine. The notes on this wine exude berries, plum, cherries, and are aged 12 months in French Oak. This wine is so balanced, and each note is a compliment in this bottle.
Petit Verdot - The notes on this wine resemble licorice and black currant. This wine has bold tannins, rich, and very complex. I absolutely love the dark fruit in this wine and it absolutely well done.
2015 Octagon, 18th Edition - This is one of the best wines I have ever had, hands down. I remember trying this at a local wine festival years ago, but was unable to purchase it. Our visit to this winery was solely off of this wine, and I’m so glad we made the trip. This wine gets better with age, and will be perfect to uncork in a few years. It is 50% Merlot, 30% Petit Verdot, and 20% Cabernet Franc, all of my favorite reds in one bottle.

*Indulging in chocolates from Pod & Vine*

Michael Shaps Wineworks

What we brought home from Michal Shaps Wineworks

Sparkling

Crémant de Bourgogene - This bottle of bubbly is crisp and has the perfect balance of acidity. The grapes are grown in France, and this bottle produced in the classic méthode traditionelle process. Also, it is aged in stainless steel for about a year prior to being bottled, which gives it the crisp and clean notes.
Crémant Rose de Bourgogene - This sparkling has the Pinot Noir grape, and has had minimal contact with the skin, thus giving it a nice color. Also, it has gone under the same bottling and fermentation process as the former wine mentioned as well.

Reds

Petit Verdot - This wonderfully complex Petit Verdot, is high in acidity, but full in flavor of dark berries and concentrated fruit. There are a lot of tannins that embrace the palette, and has earthy as well as floral notes. Also, the Petit Verdot was barrel aged in 40% new French oak for eighteen months, which gives this wine a lot of body and makes it very well-rounded.
Cabernet Franc - The grapes for this wine were grown in Charlottesville, mainly on Carter’s Mountain. Also, similar to the former mentioned wine, it was aged in 40% new French oak, for 16 months. The tannins on this wine are softer, and Michael Shaps uses a unique egg white fining process to help soften the finish. The notes on this wine are berries, spice, tobacco, and smoke finish that really takes this bottle to the next level.

Tannat - This wine merges to worlds, French & American wines. Michael’s story of being one of the first winemakers in Virginia to work with this grape is simply amazing. Similar to the reds mentioned before, this wine was also aged in 40% new French oak for 14 months. The acid, alcohol, and tannin in this wine are high. Also, you can age this wine for up 10 years. This bottle resembles berries, tobacco, and leather on the palate.

Dessert Wine

2013 Raisin d’Etre Red - The story behind this wine is unique. The winemaker utilized a drying technique, in which grapes were dried out in the barn using heat to fry them out. The grapes began to resemble raisins during the process. This method also produced high concentrated fruit, which makes an excellent dessert wine in the outcome. This can be aged for 10-15 years, and is the perfect pairing to anything chocolate. I’ve already made an amazing chocolate wine sauce using this bottle for my homemade brownies!

*Getting started with the amazing wine tasting Michael Shaps had to offer*

*The final selection of wine to bring home from Michael Shaps*

XO, Analise

Cork & Fork: Smoked Meats + Fried Oysters Wine Pairings

Uncorked: Charlottesville Wineries

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