I’ve always been interested in fine wine and low prices. As my palate is maturing with experience; inexpensive and great wine is harder to come by.  I’ve found that reading, learning and tasting is the quickest route to success.  Here’s what I look for:

• What countries or appellations are up & coming?
• Is the region consistently getting great reviews?
• Are flying winemakers with established reputations settling in and investing their time & energy in a certain appellation?
• What is the terrior like?

Some regions have fairly distinct goals (although there are always dissenters–bless them).  It’s my belief that Australians want to make palatable table wine for the masses. Like their casual attitude towards food & fun, for them wine is simply a good beverage to be enjoyed without a lot of fuss. My experience with New Zealand wines leads me to believe that they strive for a very distinctive, New Zealand flavor profile and their image is easy-going as opposed to complex (unlike France which is distinctive with an image of complexity).

Wine regions like Chile are attracting flying winemakers & established winery owners that love the terrior, the relatively low price of entry and the potential for huge international sales. This is the region that I’m really into at the moment.  South Africa is a close second. Chilean wines are fun to experiment with food or without.

I’m also interested in newer or less well-known wine regions closer to home like Livermore (Northern California), Pope Valley (east of Napa), Mt. Veeder (above Napa Valley) to name a few.  But alas, this regions don’t have the price points that the overseas wineries do.

If you want to learn, keep your eye out for articles like this one, read Wine Enthusiast online or Google a country/region and the word wine. Attend tastings offered by distributors and wineries, but avoid trying to learn too much at one tasting.  Taste 7-8 wines over 4 hours and spend the majority of your time asking questions, looking at maps of the region and getting a sense of the terrior, grapes and winemaking style.

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This is an easy sauce that you can serve with any fish or shellfish.  The picture shows a breaded scallop (with egg, milk & Panko) but I would just pan fry the scallops in olive oil next time. I didn’t make enough sauce either; the recipe below will give you more sauce. Serves 2.

Cilantro Sauce

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 scallions
• 1 jalapeno (no seeds)
• 1-2 tbs olive oil

Finely chop the cilantro & scallions. Put in a bowl.  Add lime juice and finely chopped jalapeno.  Add olive oil to create the sauce texture you want–not too thick or thin. (You can use a food processor, but it is not necessary in my opinion.)  Mix and refrigerate while you make the rest of the meal.

Scallops & Angel Hair Pasta

• 7-10 large scallops
• angel hair pasta for 2
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup white onion
• EVOO
• salt & pepper

Put the pasta water on to boil.  Chop the white onion and place it in a small bowl of water (takes the edge off). Defrost the peas in the microwave.  After the water is boiling, add salt*, make it like the Mediterranean.

Remove Cilantro Sauce from fridge; bring to room temperature.  Drain the white onions. Microwave the peas in a small bowl.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add scallops. Salt & pepper to taste. Gently cook them for 3-4 minutes depending on the size.  Remove from heat.

When the pasta is done, drain and add peas, onions and add a little EVOO for texture.

Place the scallops on the pasta, generously dollop the scallops with the Cilantro Sauce.

Pairing

I paired it with Cono Sur Sustainable Agriculture Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile, 2008, ($13 or less)  Find it at places like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or specialty shops that carry organic wines.  If you can’t find this wine and want to try another Chilean SB, look for one from the Casablanca region which includes the San Antonio Valley.

Tips

• Stainless steal pots can be ruined by salt sitting in them.
• I recommend coated cast iron frying pans because they cook evenly.  Ikea seems to have the best deals.
• Scallops: undercooked is best, overcooking turns them to rubber.

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I am quickly falling in love with the idea of visiting Chile.  It is a sliver of a country bordered by Peru, Argentina and Bolivia, and an amazing climate for growing grapes.

The Atacama Desert to the north, The Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Patagonian Ice Fields to the south define the limits of of this beautiful and geographically diverse land we call Chile.  They also influence the climate and help make this one of the most ecologically friendly places on earth to make wine. (Excerpted from a map produced by Wines of Chile)

Look for Wines from Chile at your local wine shop or online.

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