#MerlotMe Confession with Duckhorn and Pork Chops #WinePW

Posted by foodwineclick on October 9, 2015 · 17 Comments

Wine Pairing Weekend and #MerlotMe
Welcome to our October edition of our Wine Pairing Weekend group! This month, we teamed up with the big #MerlotMe celebration, and we’re all featuring dishes we have paired with Merlot.

If you see this post soon enough, please feel free to join our chat on Twitter. Simply look for the #WinePW hashtag on Twitter Saturday morning, October 10 from 10-11am CDT. Even if you miss our Saturday chat, check out our hashtag as most of us will share multiple posts during October.

No longer summer in Minnesota, time for some red wine!

My Merlot Confession
The way I think of it, I have an Old World palette; my friends probably would say it differently. They cringe when they come to our house, expecting me to open some barny, earthy, lean red wine. So you see, I have an American wine problem. In addition, I unconsciously have a special ignorance for Merlot. Unfortunately, this means I miss a lot of beautiful wines produced here in the US, and I struggle to find wines that friends and I can both enjoy.

When the MerlotMe group of wineries approached our Wine Pairing Weekend group, I was a little nervous; what if I didn’t care for the wines? I figured if nothing else, I could fairly evaluate the wines as appropriate for a more typical American palate. To my surprise, I needn’t have worried!

So, not every Napa Valley wine is all about excess. A lovely wine.

Wine Pairing with Merlot
The first thing that comes to mind for food to enjoy with Merlot is a nice steak, roast, stew, or braise of beef. Beef would be easy, but how about something else? How about pork chops?

Often the sauce or treatment of the main dish provides the perfect bridge to the wine.

The Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot was the first sample to arrive. Here’s the info from the Duckhorn website:

“Varietal Content 88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec Cooperage 100% French Oak Château-style Barrels (60 Gallons) Barrel Aging: 16 Months Age of Barrels: 25% new, 75% second vintage

Winemaker Notes

With its temperate weather and lengthy hang time, the 2012 growing season was ideal for our style of Merlot, yielding a wine that combines exceptional structure and depth with velvety tannins and alluring fruit. From its aromas of Santa Rosa plum, crème de cassis, violet and Herbes de Provence to its enticing flavors of olallieberry, sticky toffee and vanilla bean, this is a complex and compelling expression of Napa Valley Merlot.”

Beautiful restraint!

Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot 2012 ($54 retail, sample provided by winery)
Eye: Clear, opaque center fading to a purple rim.
Nose: Bright blue fruit, very clean on the nose. Just a touch of depth from oak influence, but barely noticeable.
Mouth: Medium body, medium tannins, not rough. Nice blue fruit, lean, very nice. Sorry, I don’t know what an olallieberry is.

I was very impressed with the Duckhorn Merlot as a wine I could serve to friends without their wondering about my sanity. No one would mistake it for an Old World wine (fine, because it is from California!), but it also avoids the excessive fruit and oak that still seem to pervade many of the choices on store shelves. Bravo!

The deep fruit and earthy flavors in the sauce begged for a red wine at the table.

Wine Pairing Merlot with Pork
If the pork chop is unadorned, I would often pick a fuller bodied white over a red wine as the better pairing. The addition of the deep flavors of the wine based sauce with both red fruit and earthy mushrooms definitively shifts the balance to a red wine. While deeply flavored, the dish isn’t particularly fatty, so the more toned-down tannins of the Merlot seem just right. All in all, this was a wonderful combination.

#WinePW Bloggers and #MerlotMe
Take a look at all the great suggestions for your next dinner over a bottle of Merlot. Our group had a great time working out a variety of options, I hope you’ll give some of them a try.

Martin at Enofylz with An Exploration Of Merlot’s Food Pairing Versatility With Ethnic Fare
Lori at Dracaena Wines with #MerlotMe and #WinePW– A Perfect Pair[ing]
Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla with Fungi, Fun Guy, & Two Napa Valley Merlots
Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva with Return to the Magic of Merlot
Cindy at Grape Experiences with #MerlotMe with Duckhorn and J.Lohr paired with Duck Breasts Provençale
Erin at Platings and Pairings with Gnocchi with Frizzled Prosciutto and Blue Cheese
Sarah at Curious Cuisiniere with Beef Osso Buco and an Exploration of Merlot Wine
Jennifer at VinoTravels with Merlot pairings with Polenta and Sausage
David at Cooking Chat #MerlotMe Wine & Roasted Rosemary Pork Chops
Jade at Tasting Pour with Lamb and Acorn Squash Autumn Skillet
Michelle at Rockin Red Blog with Celebrating #MerlotMe with #WinePW

Pork Chops with Cherry Mushroom Merlot Sauce

Servings: 4
Print

Adapted from a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated Best Light Recipe. merlotme_pork_chop_duckhorn 20151002 69

Note: This dish comes together very quickly at the end, so have all your ingredients prepped beforehand – mise en place!

Serve with pearled barley and sauteed broccolini

Ingredients

4 center cut pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
1 medium shallot, minced
4 oz. thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
4 oz. Merlot wine – use wine you would drink, no “cooking wine” allowed!
12 oz. chicken broth
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

If you are serving this with a whole grain like barley, make sure you start the grain first. It’s often 40 minutes before it’s ready.
Sauté the mushrooms in a cast iron skillet in 1 Tbsp of EVOO over medium heat, about 1o minutes. Set aside.
Add 1 Tbsp EVOO to the skillet, increase the heat to medium high, just until the oil begins to smoke. Add the pork chops and let them cook untouched for about 4 minutes. The pork chops should be nicely browned. Turn the pork chops and cook until just pink in the middle, 5 – 10 minutes. Set aside, covered, to rest and keep warm.
Add the shallots to the skillet allow them to carmelize, just 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the 4 oz. of Merlot, then add the chicken broth and the cherries.
Mix the cornstarch into the milk with a fork, then add to the liquid in the pan, stirring immediately to mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and allow to reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes.
Toward the end of the sauce thickening, add the mushrooms.
Add the rosemary, check the sauce and correct with salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve each pork chop with a generous spoonful of the sauce and enjoy with your favorite Merlot!

Local Sources:

Pasture raised, grass fed pork from Sunshine Harvest Farm

Disclosure – Wine was provided as a sample, all opinions are my own

Note: Watch for more Merlot-heavy posts in October! (click on any photo to see full size slideshow)

Tinhorn Creek Merlot with rare tuna for #MerlotMe

Fish with Merlot? Sure!

Merlot’s softer character pairs well with roast chicken.

Filed under WinePW: Wine Pairing Weekend · Tagged with #winePW, merlot, merlotme, pork, pork chop

Comments

17 Responses to “#MerlotMe Confession with Duckhorn and Pork Chops #WinePW”

Cooking Chat says:

October 10, 2015 at 5:52 am

Looks like you did a good job keeping an open mind to the American Merlots! I can see where the mushroom sauce would really make the match. My pork chops were a bit more plain and didn’t pair quite as well. Oh yes, make that two of us unfamiliar with the olallieberry!

Reply
Jade Helm DWS, CS, CSW says:

October 10, 2015 at 11:26 am

Thanks so much for organizing. This was great theme.

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Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says:

October 10, 2015 at 1:38 pm

Thanks again for hosting this #MerlotMe event and giving us all the opportunity to get to know this varietal better.

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Vino Travels (@VinoTravels21) says:

October 11, 2015 at 9:28 am

I’m an old school person as well so it was nice to be able to open my palette up to some of the new world wines. I love the cherry merlot sauce with the pork. I have to try it!

Reply
Dracaena Wines says:

October 11, 2015 at 9:49 am

Since I have a very American palate, I think I must find the NorthStar. And the Tinhorn has peeked my curiosity, I’ll have to see if we have it anywhere near us. We loved he Duckhorn and have yet to try the Decoy

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Michelle Williams says:

October 11, 2015 at 11:37 am

Your dish looks delicious. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on Tinhorn Creek!

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errely says:

October 12, 2015 at 1:36 pm

I love pork chops with cherry sauce – And merlot is such a wonderful pairing!

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Martin D. Redmond says:

October 13, 2015 at 10:20 am

Your recipe (and photos) looks amazing! As I type this I’m waiting for some steel cut oats to cook up…but now I want pork chops for breakfast! Thanks for making this event happen adn coordinating. It was big fun and it has certainly brought Merlot back into focus for me…especially at the table!

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Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says:

October 13, 2015 at 10:27 am

I love your comments about how the sauce acts as a bridge, so true! What a beautiful dish and pairing. Thanks for hosting this month!

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christymajors says:

October 13, 2015 at 1:18 pm

What a beautiful dish & pairing! I also have the old world palate & struggle with many CA wines that are a meal in a glass, the merlot reminded me that not all CA wines are alcoholic fruit bombs.
Thanks for putting together such a fun theme!

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culinarycam says:

October 13, 2015 at 5:09 pm

Jeff, thank YOU so much for hosting this #winePW event, for lining up the sponsors, and for – really! – introducing me to Merlots in a beautiful way. I had previously thought them fruity and simple. Happy to be proven dead wrong.

Reply