{"id":7176,"date":"2020-04-23T21:11:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T02:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=7176"},"modified":"2020-04-23T21:11:22","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T02:11:22","slug":"quarantine-pairing-pedernales-cellars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2020\/04\/quarantine-pairing-pedernales-cellars\/","title":{"rendered":"Quarantine Pairing Fun with Pedernales Cellars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve been cooking more lately. Like a lot. I\u2019ve been working from home alongside Thing 1 and Thing 2 who have been doing distance learning. And overall, we\u2019re doing fairly well. But man, have I become a short order cook! What used to be a weekly fight over the fact that a Nutella sandwich is not a good basis for a school lunch has now become nonexistent. Because now it\u2019s all about the \u2018hot lunch\u2019 (which used to just be a Friday thing). Every time I look up, they are hungry (again) and I find myself in my kitchen yet again. I may need to start asking for tips! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, in the beginning there was a certain novelty to all the family togetherness and the meals were a bit more elaborate. A few weeks into all of this and I\u2019m now looking for some quicker meals that no one will complain about – and that will last for at least a couple of days. The one constant in all of this is that we\u2019re still pairing great wines with dinner. So when I received a set of wines courtesy of Pedernales Cellars, I knew it would be fun to pair these wines with whatever we were eating. They specialize in Spanish and Rh\u00f4ne style wines and as I\u2019ve had them on a number of occasions, I knew they were great food wines. So I put on my mad scientist wine pairing hat (yes it\u2019s a thing) and began planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

One of the hallmarks of a great pairing is a seamless transition between the wine and the food. So seamless that you hardly know when you go from one to the other. Alternatively, a great paring can also consist of contrasts (but different from something that clashes). Overall, most of the pairings I came up with achieved the harmony that I was looking for. Here\u2019s what we paired. And all were kid-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017 Texas Viognier w\/ Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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2017 Pedernales Cellars Texas Viognier<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, Hamburger Helper was a staple in my house. It was just my mom and me for many years and that was always one of my favorite meals. I mean, what\u2019s not to love – creamy cheese and pasta. And while nostalgia is a great thing, I\u2019m a bit more picky about what my kids eat. So I scoured the internet for the classic Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe sans all the preservatives and ingredients I can\u2019t pronounce.  Most of the recipes I found were a good start, but still needed a bit more flavor. I solved that problem with saut\u00e9ing some onion along with some bacon and adding it to my cheesy pasta mixture. Finished it off with a bit of green onion and it was so darn good and better than anything out of a box! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the wine, I chose the Pedernales Cellars Texas Viognier. The Viognier paired well with the dish in two ways. First, the acidity was a great foil for the richness in the dish and helped cut through all the decadent cheese. Second, the roundness and rich, lush fruit of the wine also complemented the richness of the dish. This was a win-win. And mad props to this well done Viognier as it\u2019s a varietal that I sometimes struggle with. But not this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018 Texas Dry Ros\u00e9 w\/ Stewed Okra, Sausage, and Tomatoes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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