Marichel Vineyard - Raisin d'Etre - Viognier - 2009
With this week's recipe, chef Tony Rechsteiner has given us a unique ingredient - radicchio, to use in a saut that gives us a little bit of every taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, to make a delicious side dish. Typically, I would not use the side dish as the gauge for the wine pairing, because it would generally be just a "supporting cast member," but, because of the complete flavour profile of this dish, it could end up being the dominant set of flavours in the meal.
This interesting main ingredient is prepared in a way that is sure to leave your taste buds dancing with full flavour and varied textures. I bring you a wine that is somewhat unique, by North American standards, but really tasty and full of complimentary flavours to be paired with this particular side dish.
Viognier is a French varietal that makes its home in the Rhne Valley and has really made inroads in some of the world's most influential wine regions over the last 25 years. Because Viognier needs a warm climate, can withstand drought, and displays palate exploding flavours of apricot, peach and flower blossoms when fully ripened, it seems like a great match to the South Okanagan growing region.
So in my ongoing quest to find and celebrate the best wines that B.C. has to offer, I bring you to the doors of Marichel Vineyards. This Naramata bench vineyard is small and family run with a definite focus on quality and minimal intervention or winemaking chicanery. Marichel is so focused it has decided to grow only two varieties - Syrah and Viognier - which are typically found growing together in their Rhone homeland, as well as in their adopted vineyard homes in the other wine regions of the world.
Marichel is about quality, simplicity and beauty. Not surprisingly, they are big fans of the Naramata bench and the amount of sun and heat units that help their grape varieties mature and ripen in nearly ideal conditions. What this does to the grapes is give them a full expression of their potential and reveal character that is unique to the Naramata bench.
In a celebration of their terrior, they have left parts of the vineyard in its original state, with native flora species allowed to thrive and add their own nuances to the growing environment. It's a trait that is becoming more common in the Okanagan Valley in general, but applauded by traditionalists in the wine world who want to taste what the combination of the soil, the garrigue and the weather can do to the grapes annually.
Back to the wine. I am suggesting Marichel's Raisin d'Etre - Viognier - 2009, for pairing with chef Rechsteiner's sauted Sicilian style salad. One of the key characteristics of Viognier is a perfumed nose of stone fruit and flower blossom that lends to the appreciation of the salad with its variety of flavours and textures. Higher alcohol, at 13.5%, provides a bit of heat, but works well with the aromas and flavours on the palate to provide a bold Viognier with a long finish. Once you try this Viognier, you will be hard pressed to find better wine anywhere, except maybe in Marichel's Splitrock Viognier.
As always, enjoy your wine responsibly but often.
