Wine & Food - White Wine

White wines are typically the most difficult wines for a winemaker to make. The majority are quickly pressed and the juice is fermented away from their skins, to maintain their freshness. On the surface this seems easy to do, but there is no room for error. Once the fermentation is finished, the wine is held for 4 to 6 months before bottling and then released.

Red wines develop layers of flavors with skin contact during fermentation and extended barrel aging, sometimes as much as 15 to 20 months of aging. These flavor additions cover over many small winemaking errors that might occur during the wine's fermentation.

White wines are extremely versatile when it comes to food. Forward citrus fruit flavors of light-style Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc make it easy to match with fresh fish and seafood menus. The natural crispness of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc make refreshing flavor contrasts with spicy cuisine, whether it's Oriental, Mexican or our own Southern BBQ.

Distinctly flavored wines, such as Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Malvasia Bianca have an amazing affinity for a number of creamy-style cheeses. Their fruit flavors are like biting into fresh peaches, plums, apricots and mangoes - and who doesn't like fresh fruit with a nice, ripe French Brie or Camembert.

Sparkling wine, which uses the juice from red grapes, is versatile with oysters and caviar - it's the perfect brunch wine!

This Month's Wines....

Malvasia Bianca (Mal-vah-zee-ah bee-ahn-ka)

Although modern Malvasia Bianca is done in a light, dry style, the grape draws its heritage from ancient Greece and Asia Minor where the style of the wine was rather sweet and quite powerful. Because of this ancient lineage and the original wine's great popularity, there are a number of wines, vines and wine styles that have taken on the name Malvasia, many with no connection to the actual grape. This attests to the great reputation that Malvasia Bianca held in ancient times. This noble grape can make everything from bone-dry table wines to sparkling wines to the full-blown dessert wines that were first made several thousand years ago. Over time, many producers have used Malvasia to blend with other white grapes to make distinctive proprietary wines.

Today several of the newer winemakers have found the attractive ripe fruit flavors of the wine to be very exotic when made in the dry style. Currently, California has about 2,500 acres of the grape planted throughout the state's wine regions. Malvasia Bianca's ripe fruit and floral aromas lead to a rich flavor profile of distinctly ripe citrus and tree fruit (oranges, peaches and mangos) with a light spiciness on the finish. The dry wine's full body gives it a very generous richness and texture.

2001 Saddlehorn Cellars California

The 2001 Saddlehorn Cellars Malvasia Bianca is the first vintage from one of the most renowned vineyards in California. Malvasia Bianca has been grown in California for decades, however grapes for this vintage were planted in 1997. Saddlehorn Cellars focused on producing an aromatic wine with highlights of fresh fruit and flowers and a crisp, dry finish. Grapes were hand-harvested, then chilled before being pressed and then fermented in stainless steel, reducing any bitterness from the skins while retaining all the tropical fruit nuances. The wine displays aromas of citrus and pear with a hint of ginger. A bright crispness rounds out the finish. Delicious now. Excellent with grilled vegetables, grilled fish and a roast turkey.

2001 Jenna California

Malvasia Bianca is a member of an esteemed, ancient Greek family of grapes and one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It can be grown almost anywhere, but the light, dry styles so popular in California do particularly well on cool, sun-drenched hillsides with well-drained soils, such as found in the vineyard that produced this Jenna. The wine offers attractive aromas and flavors of pear and honey with a touch of spice. This rich, fruity wine is balanced by a clean, crisp finish. Lovely as an aperitif, this wine will pair beautifully with curry dishes, especially when accented by tropical fruit. Enjoy this wine today and it will retain its delicious flavors over the next year.

Camille Stagg is a food, wine and travel journalist and author. Her latest book is "The Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Chicago" (Menasha Ridge Press). She was food editor of both the Chicago Sun-Times and Cuisine magazine. 

Roast Chicken Malvasia Bianca

Ingredients

1 whole (about 4 lb) roasting chicken, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh sage leaves
1 8-ounce can chicken broth
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup Malvasia Bianca
3 Tbsp. apple juice
11/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage, or 11/4 tsp. dried sage
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme

Preparation

Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle cavities lightly with salt and pepper; add several sage leaves. Place giblets and neck in small saucepan with chicken broth, using liver for another purpose. Bring to boil, cook about 25 minutes, until tender. Strain and discard giblets and neck. Reduce broth to about 11/3 cups; reserve.

While giblets are cooking, place chicken, breast-side-up, on rack of roasting pan. Truss, then brush skin lightly with half the melted butter. Roast in preheated 375°F oven for 1 to 11/4 hours, basting several times with the pan juices. Chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in breast, away from fat or bone, registers 185°F.

While chicken is beginning to roast, melt remaining butter in medium saucepan. When hot, sautée onion until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add wine and apple juice, increase heat and bring to boil; add 11/2 cups reserved giblet broth and defatted pan juices. Reduce sauce slightly. Stir in herbs, cover and simmer about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven, untruss and let stand 5 minutes before carving.

Serve with sauce. Garnish with sage leaves.

Makes 5 to 6 servings
Preparation time: about 30 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 1/4 hours

Quote:

Andre L. Simon "Drink" French wine writer (1877-1970)