Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne. A lovely sparkly to begin our weekend before we delved into the serious business of eating Pizza. Just a kiss of pink color in this rosé bubbly. Notes of tangerine and red berry fruits. $47 range.
National Pizza Day was on Friday, February 9, 2018 so that gave us the perfect excuse to eat pizza all weekend!
One of my favorite bloggers Talk-A-Vino shared a new concept from Wines Til Sold Out (WTSO) that we’ve been enjoying at our house too ~ theme box of Wine. This month we chose the pizza pairing box to celebrate National Pizza Day. Here’s the link to Talk-A-Vino’s post that explains the theme box concept:
How To Expand Your Wine Horizon – With Wine Til Sold Out Weekly Tasting
Pippin Hill Vineyard Wood-Fired Pizza ~ red sauced thin crust topped with Tasso Ham, Artichokes, Bell Peppers, Cabbage, Arugula and Parmesan.
We recently visited Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards in North Garden near Charlottesville, Virginia. http://www.pippinhillfarm.com
This bottle of the Pippin Hill Viognier wine has a painting of their vineyard inside.
The Pippin Hill Petite Verdot with notes of plum, black cherry and tobacco was the perfect accompaniment to the wood-fired pizza.
One of the wines from our WTSO pizza theme box:
Virna Barbera D’Alba San Giovanni 2013 ~ Virna Barbera comes from the Piedmont region of Italy. Red and garnet in color with a deeper hue and notes of red berries, cranberries, black plums, truffles, mushrooms, forest floor and black earth (think the same char flavor as when your pizza dough gets those little black spots and tastes so good). Medium body, fresh, bright acidity and subtle but fine tannins, this is a wine to pair alongside pizza with cheese, truffles, and mushrooms. Also enjoy with speck or prosciutto.
We enjoyed a Charcuterie Board at Pippin Hill Vineyard. The grainy Mustard and arugula pesto were delightful accompaniments to local and internationally cured meats. Tasso ham was my favorite…a south Louisiana favorite hot-smoked with cayenne pepper and garlic.
That delicious treat inspired me to create my own Charcuterie Board at home. I love serving fun variations of condiments with cured meats. I found this recipe for Mostarda ~ Northern Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard-flavored syrup ~ in Food and Wine Magazine. This recipe has crystallized ginger in it which gives it a little “zing”. Locally crystallized ginger can be found at Tinnell’s Finer Foods on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke, Virginia. (Keep any leftover ginger in the freezer to use in other recipes.) Don’t expect the Mostarda to be sweet, it most definitely has a mustard taste to it with fruity undertones. Spicy Capicola Ham and Italian Soppressata Salami are two of my favorites on a Charcuterie Board.
Dried Apricot and Cherry Mostarda
How to Make It
In a small saucepan, combine the apricots, cherries, shallot, ginger, wine, vinegar, water and sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the liquid is absorbed and the fruit is softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the dry mustard, Dijon mustard and butter. Simmer until the mostarda is jamlike, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve the mostardawarm or at room temperature.
Make Ahead
Notes
Best Uses Serve the mostarda alongside charcuterie or cheese, or spread on a sandwich. The mostarda is also delicious with grilled chicken, steak, pork, lamb and sausages.
Love the signs outside my favorite local wine shop… Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar http://mrbillswinecellar.com
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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This post first appeared on BubblyBEE.com | Don’t Wait To Celebrate! Fabulo, please read the originial post: here
