This week we intend to come to you with as many suggestions of culinary associations with Romanian wines as possible.
We start with the wines from Averesti Domains, the wine cellar that has an impressive area dedicated to the old Romanian varieties. In fact, here were reborn Busuioaca de Bohotin and Zghihara de Husi, two wonderful grapes for feasts such as the Easter table, and for the everyday glass. Obviously, “European” grapes grow, acclimatized for one or more centuries on the slopes of Moldova, long ago entered into the customs of wine lovers – Aligote, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay etc… Many varieties mean many gastronomic associations, so a question was naturally born: are there enough varieties in Averesti to accompany a feast with many kinds, such as the Easter meal? Well, the answer would be: yes, there is!
Many of the matchings depend on how the recipes are put into practice. A cake with nuts and cocoa cream, for example, will require, if it has a lot of filling, a rounder wine (a Chardonnay Nativus, or even a fresh Feteasca Neagra, from the same range). On the contrary, if it is more “dry”, it will need a smoother, curgator wine, a Zghihara sprint by Husi Diamond Selection or even a blend of Muscat Ottonel and Sauvignon Blanc from Herb (especially for Panettone). The same applies if we associate the pasca with the wines from Averesti Domains: if it has more cheese and is flavored with a drop of vanilla then chardonnay is ideal and Zghihara is the perfect pairing for a pasca with more dough, less cheese and unroasted.
In the days that pass after Easter, the cakes and the pasca begin to dry out, but they can be easily invigorated with a fresh and vivacious wine, either a blend of Romanian Frankincense and Sauvignon Blanc Herb, or a Zghihara de Averesti Nativus.
Snacks with boiled eggs, cheese and many greens can only get wet with a white wine with a generous acidity, and the Aligote and Sauvignon Blanc Nativeus successfully fulfill this role.
The lamb borsul, boiled brandy is holy, they say, but if you do not want to numb your papillae and lose subsequent delights, a surprising blend of Feteasca Neagra and Busuioaca de Bohotin from the Herb range will help you more. It is less flavorful and closer to the notes of berries than you would expect…
The lamb drob, the fresh sausages (not smoked) and the lighter meats, in full accordance with the spring outside, match a fresh tomato – the Nativus Merlot.
The central element of the Easter table, the lamb in the oven, asks for a red wine to match, more extractive, more full-bodied and we propose Feteasca Neagra Barrique from Diamond Selection, a wine matured in oak barrels and then quiet in glass, perfect for roast lamb. As of this year.
Finally, for desserts – fruits, cakes with whipped cream, pies and other ones, the sweet and semi-sweet versions of Busuioaca de Bohotin will be the ultimate treat. Good appetite!
