Salads and Wines!

I have a confession to make, I have gained 5 pounds since the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, maybe it was way too much chocolate, way too much ice cream, way too many cannolis from my favorite bakery that stayed open during the pandemic, or being at home all day.  
When I work,  I walk more, not only in my building but to commute back and forth and to run errands… And even though I have kept my morning walks like clockwork, it’s not the same… Oh well I guess it’s time to change my eating habits, before my pants get too tight! and what better way to do this than by eating more of my favorite salads. 
Guess what? I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes with you. Since, I have a sweet tooth, one thing I like to do is to add fruit to my salad… don’t look at me as I am from another world… this is just a great way to eat fruit too, especially if you are like me...I don’t eat enough fruit servings… I would go for the candy bar instead of an apple any day😀😄

For My Everything Salad (this is my lunch most of the days), you will need:
A box of Spring mixed Lettuce
Grape tomatoes 
Chickpeas from a can, to add extra protein and crunch
1 red delicious Apple cut in pieces, if there’s no apple you can substitute for fresh pineapple, or strawberries in the last case I don’t put tomatoes)
Green olives or pickled cucumbers
Roasted chicken breast cut in cubes
Salt, Pepper, EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar
I keep my dressing very simple, I don’t use commercial dressings, I don’t need all that creamy stuff/junk any way, all I use is extra virgin olive oil, lemon (if your protein is fish) or balsamic vinegar (for chicken or turkey), salt and black pepper.
I usually dress up the salad first, heat up the chicken for like 2 minutes in the microwave, so that it’s not cold but warm and add it in the end. If you don’t have chicken in the house,you can use turkey (cold cuts). 
The best match for this beautiful salad is a Sauvignon Blanc from Yllera Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $15 or Boada Verdejo 2019 $10 (both from Rueda, Spain). What did you think that I was going to stop drinking wine, to lose weight? I think I’d rather fast every other day (i.e. intermittent fasting). 

My second favorite salad is Baby Spinach and Sweet Pumpkin, and it has only 3 ingredients:
Baby Spinach or Arugula (if you are like me and like some bitterness on your greens, arugula can also work).
Roasted Kabocha Pumpkin or Roasted Korean Sweet Potatoes
2 Hard cooked eggs
Salt, Pepper, EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar
I cut the Kabocha pumpkin in cubes and I roast it in the oven with salt, pepper a bit of fresh dill and extra virgin olive oil). If you are using the Korean sweet potatoes, I cooked them wrapped in aluminum foil as you would any baked potato, once they are done you can wait until they cool down to cut them in cubes.
For protein, you can do chicken here too, but I’d prefer hard cooked eggs, cut in fine slices. Once again the dressing is the same, extra virgin olive oil, with balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper. My secret here is that I serve the squash or sweet potatoes warm, so I put them in the microwave for 1 minute before finishing the salad. 
The best match for this salad will be a Gewurztraminer, like the Elena Walsh AA Gewurztraminer V Kastelaz 2018. $30 (Alto Adige, Italy) or Domaine Fernand Engel Gewurztraminer Reserve 2018 $15 (Alsace, France).

Argentinean Waldorf Salad
5 Beets (boiled and cut in cubes)
2 Green Apples 
Walnuts (a bunch chopped)
Salt, Pepper, Light mayonnaise
This salad is one of the few I eat with mayonnaise, it’s my mother’s version of Waldorf. Most Waldorf’s recipes use celery instead of beets, but in my family we like it like this! It was a staple in all our holiday celebrations, especially for New Year’s eve, when it’s summer in Argentina.
I would match this with a rosé like Erath Winery Pinot Noir Rose 2018 $15 (Oregon, US) or Piedra Negra Rosado 2019 $12 (made from Pinot Gris, in Mendoza, Argentina)

I hope you will give my salads a try! until the next one, cheers! Silvina. 

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#thoughtsoflawina #WineWednesday #wineandsalads #summerwines #erathrose #piedranegrarose #Elenawalsh #DomaineFernandengel #Yllerasauvignonblanc #Boadaverdejo.

Spanish White Grapes: Albariño

On August 1-7, we celebrate Albariño week! Albariño is one of the most popular white grapes from Spain, though it is not the most planted, that honor belongs to Airén, which is by the way, the most planted variety in the world. 
Albariño is a wonderful summer white, and a great value too! with prices 
usually starting at $13 and up.
Most Albariño is produced in the Rías Baixas appellation, marked with a black circle, on the map below, located in NW Spain, facing the Atlantic ocean.

Map courtesy of Wines from Spain/ICEX.

Now, if you see Albariño on the label of your wine, by law this wine must be 100% made from this grape. As you can imagine, there are other white grapes planted in Rías Baixas too! such as Torrontés, Treixadura, Caiño, Godello, these are also allowed in the Rías Baixas blend sold as blanco (white), but only in tiny percentages. If any of these grape names are familiar to you, is probably because some of them are grown in Portugal where they are part of the Vinho Verde blend.
There are different theories about the origin of Albariño, most say, it is original from Spain from the subzone of Val do Salnés, closest to the Atlantic, others that came from Germany with the Cistercian Monks or that Albariño is from northern Portugal, know there as Alvarinho.

All pictures, courtesy of DO Rías Baixas

From a viticultural point of view, Albariño is a very low yielding variety, it grows mostly on sandy, coarse soils, called xabres; some of which contain a bit of limestone, granite and clay. The Rías Baixas appellation is also known as “Green Spain”, this is due to the abundant rain that the area receives every year (about 1600 mm). It is indeed really humid here, and very much influenced by the Atlantic ocean (with a maritime climate similar to Bordeaux). 

All pictures, courtesy of DO Rías Baixas

To prevent fungal diseases most of the vines are trained in Pergolas/ Parrales (high wires) so that air can easily circulate and are planted facing SW to aid ripening.

Albariño yields a very aromatic wine, usually featuring white peach, apricots, pineapple, citrus (grapefruit, lime) and mineral notes. It will showcase solid acidity, a medium body and balanced alcohol, usually at 12,5 %. It is vinified in stainless steel to preserve the Albariño refreshing character. These whites are not usually aged in oak, but aging on lees is very common, which will add more body and complexity to the wines. Albariños are made to be drunk young, no more than 3 years from vintage. 

Best food matches for Albariño are all types of seafood, including octopus (pulpo gallego, a typical dish in Galicia), but also shellfish: shrimp, oysters, mussels,scallops, lobster. And all types of light white fish fillets such as cod, hake, filet of sole, flounder, etc.

The D.O. Rías Baixas has different subzones, yielding different wine profiles; for example, in the Val do Salnés Valley, where most of the wineries are based, is cooler, so the wines tend to be more green, crispier and mineral (with citrus: grapefruit, lime and green apple notes). While in Condado do Tea, located inland and south, where is warmer, wines are bigger and yield tropical notes (nectarine, pineapple and mango). In O Rosal, wines tend to be a happy medium of these two, featuring white peach and apricot notes. 
Depending on the subzone some wines will be 100 % Albariño like in Val do Salnés  and Soutomaior, while in Condado do Tea and O Rosal, is easier to find also blanco (white) blends of 70% Albariño with the other allowed white varieties.

Recommended Producers:
Though, there are plantings of Albariño in Australia, California and Oregon. No samples have impressed me so far, so my advice is to stick to Spanish producers from Rías Baixas. Here are some of my all time favorites:
Fillaboa, Palacio de Fefinañes, Santiago Ruiz, Terras Gauda, Viña Nora, Pazo de Barrantes, Granbazán, Mar de Frades,Fillaboa, Pazo de Señorans, Condes de Albarei, Martin Codáx, Paco & Lola, Marqués de Cáceres.

Below, some Albariños that I tasted lately and liked, I indicated the subzones where these come from, so that you are aware of the different styles.

Leirana Albariño 2018, $15.99 (Val do Salnés)
Vibrant Albariño features lemon zest and mineral notes. Vinified with indigenous yeasts and no malolatic fermentation. 

Paco & Lola Albariño 2019 $17.99 (Val do Salnés)
Completely vinified in stainless steel, followed by a brief aging on lees. This energetic Albariño showcases red apple and nectarine notes and a very focused finish.

O Fillo da Condesa Albariño 2018, $14.99 (Val do Salnés)
Partially fermented in oak, the rest in stainless steel, with 4 months of aging in lees. This impressive Albariño exudes lime zest and green apple notes, framed by juicy and refreshing acidity.

Altos de Torona 2019, $18.99 (O Rosal)
Juicy Albariño vinified in stainless steel and 6 months of aging on lees. It offers delicious white peach and pineapple fruit flavors with a fleshy finish.

Marqués de Cáceres Deusa Nai Albariño 2018 $18.99 (O Rosal)
Aromatic Albariño, vinified in stainless steel with 5 months of aging on lees. Shows grapefruit and white peach notes and a crispy finish.

Eidosela 2018, $13 (Condado do Tea)
Fresh Albariño showing yellow peach and orange blossom notes, with a round mineral finish. Fully vinified in stainless steel.

Viña Nora Albariño 2018 $17.99 (Condado do Tea)
This wine underwent maceration pelliculaire to extract more aromas and flavors for 6 hours, followed by fermentation in stainless steel and aging on lees for 4 months. This elegant Albariño features white peach and honeysuckle notes and a kiss of minerality.

Happy Albariño Week! Silvina

#Albariño  #Riasbaixas #spanishwines #spanishwhitegrapes #galicia #thoughtsoflawina #Spain #WineWednesday #Albariñoweek

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