John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles.
A festive summertime picnic menu with wines
Is there any better time of the year than summer? I don’t think so, and today I’m going to regale you with a delightful summertime four-course menu, with accompanying wines, that you can enjoy on the deck or even at your Fourth of July picnic. So, fire up the grill, put a chill on the wines (even the reds) and relish the fruits of your labor.
Appetizer: Spicy Pimento Cheese and Veggies – Add a few splashes of tabasco to pimento cheese spread and slather it onto flatbread crackers or crostini, and/or serve it as a dip with olives, celery, carrots, sugar snap peas and other raw veggies.
Wine: Mirabeau la Folie Sparkling rose’ ($25) – From southern France, this pale pink sparkling rosé is a dry bubbly with notes of bright peach and tropical fruit flavors. A great match to the spicy pimento cheese appetizer, this lovely and refreshing sparkling wine would also be a great accompaniment to brunch food or as a porch-sipper.
Salad course: Tri-color Rotini Pasta Salad. Cook rotini until al dente and, when it is cool, add green peas, cherry tomatoes, green onions pine nuts and chopped basil. Mix together and sauce the pasta salad with a creamy Caesar dressing, top with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and serve after a few hours in the refrigerator.
Wines: 2023 Santa Julia (plus) Viognier ($12) – From the Mendoza wine appellation in Argentina, this herbal, fruit-forward viognier seamlessly enhances the veggie pasta dish with flora and mineral flavors.
2021 Monte Carbonare Suavia ($32) – This Soave-style white from Veneto region in northern Italy has been awarded a 95-point score from a major winer critic. Light gold in color, the wine has uncharacteristic depth and intensity for wines produced in the Soave appellation. Its creamy texture makes an exceptional pairing with the pasta salad.
Main Course: Mixed Grill of Sausages. Grill a combination of Italian, Kielbasa and Bratwurst sausages along with onions, red and yellow bell peppers and jalapenos. Serve the sausages and veggies on grilled and toasted hoagie buns or soft sandwich rolls.
Wines: 2022 Colosi Nero D’Avola ($17) -With aromas of ripe cherries and spice, this cardinal-colored red from Sicily provides a crisp and fruity counterbalance to the robust and spicy flavors of the sausage and peppers.
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache ($35) – From grapes grown in Mendocino County, this deeply purple grenache is both rich and brightly refreshing with a nice zing of acidity that cools and complements this grilled sausage dish. Serve this one slightly chilled.
Dessert: Cherry Pie Al La Mode. If you’re not a baker, get this pie from your favorite bakery and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Wine: Rinaldi ReDream ($20) – This slightly sparkling red wine from Piedmont in northern Italy is a lovely, frothy, sweet dessert wine that is a perfect picnic or outdoor wine to sip with dessert. Made from 100% malvasia red grapes, this is a low alcohol (7%) wine with loads of cherry and apricot flavors that marry exceptionally well with cherry pie a la mode.
Enjoy!
John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book, Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com
