I’ve
always enjoyed the wines of New Zealand and their sauvignon blanc has
always been some of my favorites including some of their pinot noir as
well. Our Wine Pairing Weekend group is exploring the wines of New
Zealand. My feature is with the Mt. Beautiful winery. The name alone
was enough to peak my interest.....get it!
The Winery
Mt. Beautiful is a winery located in the southern island of New Zealand. It is located right along the coast and at the foothills of Mt. Beautiful to the east. Owned by David Teece,
his family’s roots are engrained in the farming business with an
entrepreneurial spirit. David’s knowledge expands far beyond the wine
industry as he is also a professor and author of over 30 books. He is also rated
by Accenture as one of the worlds “Top 50 Business Intellectuals”. An
intriguing man that let his passion for growing great products in New
Zealand lead the way to take the risk of starting Mt. Beautiful, also
certified sustainable.
The
winery is located in the North Canterbury appellation amongst a myriad
of soils and microclimates. Wine Spectator named this appellation as
“one of the fastest growing wine areas”. I think this was the first
experience I’ve had with this appellation as the Marlborough wine region
is probably the one most seen on the market. If you know me by now you know I love the opportunity to try something different.
The Wine
2017 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir – Mt. Beautiful’s pinot noir is located in their southern vineyards at the
highest elevations. There it is the warmest location with a lesser
chance of frost. Mt. Beautiful seems to give great care during harvest hand selecting, destemming and sorting their own grapes. This wine spends 10 months aging in 20% new and used French oak. It’s
ruby colored with purplish highlights. Ripe blackberries and
blueberries were very apparent on the nose. Rather lighter in body its
black fruits are very expressive in the glass showing elegance with
subtle tannins on the finish. ABV 13% SRP $28
The Pairing
I
had a few directions I was going to go with pairing this wine, but have
been having a recent craving for salmon, which to me is always a
classic pairing with pinot noir. I wanted to grill it, but with the
kids it’s not the easiest feat. I chose to do a simple baked salmon
paired with some of our fresh vegetables we pick up weekly from our
local farm. Simple, but delicious!
Join the rest of wine and food pairing bloggers as they share their personal dishes with New Zealand wines. If you catch us in time this Saturday August 10th at 11am EST on Twitter we will be chatting live about our pairings and wines. Check it out at #ItalianFWT.
Join the rest of wine and food pairing bloggers as they share their personal dishes with New Zealand wines. If you catch us in time this Saturday August 10th at 11am EST on Twitter we will be chatting live about our pairings and wines. Check it out at #ItalianFWT.
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be making Hāngī in a Dutch Oven + Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2017
- Linda of My Full Wine Glass will be posting New NZ wine, old Sicilian dish (#WinePW)
- Jane of Always Ravenous will be pairing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Paired with Fresh Flavors of Late Summer
- Cindy of Grape Experiences will show how to Beat the Heat with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint
- Gwen at Wine Predator will be pairing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Zesty Arugula Kale Pesto Pizza and Salad #WinePW
- David of Cooking Chat will be pairing Tomato Caprese Salad with Pesto and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings will be serving New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pan-fried Chinese Potstickers
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm will be Discovering New Zealand Wines
- Sandra of Wine Thoughts will be taking A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block
- Cynthia and Pierre of Traveling Wine Profs will be sipping New Zealand Chardonnay with a view of... The Pyrenees #WinePW
- Rupal the Syrah Queen will be drinking New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Grilled Mediterranean Swordfish
- Nicole at Somms Table will be sharing Memories of New Zealand's South Island with Waipapa Bay Wines.
- Our host for this month, Lori of Exploring the Wine Glass, is thankful that Humans May Only Be 5%, But They Make Great Wine #WinePW
Simple, but delicious is always the best! I don't usually think of salmon with Pinot Noir, but I will now. Thanks for sharing, Jen.
ReplyDeleteMt. Beautiful Pinot Noir sounds very interesting. I have been wanting to explore New Zealand Pinot Noirs and now I know one to look for. Your pairing of salmon is right up my alley. I also get cravings on a regular basis for salmon, a future dinner is scheduled!
ReplyDeleteLove the simplicity of the meal relying on the freshness of the ingredients!
ReplyDeletewhen you can make simple and it comes out delicious... that's a win!
ReplyDeleteMt. Beautiful's wines are beautiful indeed. I knew that the owner was a professor but did not know he'd written so many books and was named one of the Top 50 Business Intellectuals. Impressive!
ReplyDeleteI can see why it is called Mount Beautiful!!! Beautiful pairing as well.
ReplyDelete