#NWTW: Torrontes

Posted by foodwineclick on February 8, 2014 · Leave a Comment

New Wine This Week
Are you interested in expanding your wine choices this year? Join in with a group of wine lovers around the world (OK, it’s currently a small group) and participate in New Wine This Week (#NWTW on twitter). A blogger in England, Please Bring Me My Wine, started 2014 with a pledge to try a new wine every week. Always interested in expanding my knowledge, I have joined in. You can, too! Simply follow the blog or twitter feed (@PBMMW or #NWTW) and tweet your results. And remember: No wagering!

Familia Meschini Torrontés: our new wine this week

This week, we’re on Torrontés. We’ve had a few Torrontés before, but it’s not a regular varietal for us. Since we have a local Minnesota family who own a winery in Argentina, we had to give the Famiglia Meschini Torrontés a try! Only doing a bit of research beforehand, I decided to pair the wine with a quick Friday evening dinner: skillet roasted walleye on a bed of oven roasted vegetables.

Fish on roasted veggies – a healthy Friday dinner choice

Not really knowing what to expect, I was a little surprised when I opened the wine and saw the fizz!

Famiglia Meschini’s Torrontes is frizzante (a bit fizzy)

Famiglia Meschini Torrontés 2013 ($10 locally at France 44)
Eye: Barest hint of yellow, perfectly clear. SURPRISE! It is a bit frizzante when you open the bottle, definite fizz.
Nose: Rich nose, fresh peaches, mangoes
Mouth: Frizzante and sweet with very good acidity. Blind, I would have pegged this as Moscato d’Asti. This wine would be a fine apertif or after dinner. It was nice with the fish today, but the next time I serve it, I’ll go with something really spicy. With food, this wine wants to counteract some heat! Note: not all Torrontés are fizzy and sweet. Our notes on the few others we have had did not indicate either.

Skillet Roasted Walleye with Oven Roasted Vegetables

Servings: 2
Time: 35 minutes start to finish, go!
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Not really a recipe, this was an attempt to quickly put a healthy meal on the table. Be creative with the fish and vegetable choices. Note: no time for photos if you want dinner on the table in 35 minutes.
Ingredients (serves 2)

8 oz. Walleye fillets
4 Carrots – sliced lengthwise for quick cooking
1 Zucchini – diced roughly
handful of mushrooms, sliced – I’m partial to shiitake
1/2 red onion – diced roughly
handful of brussels sprouts, cut in 1/2
1 Tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tsp chopped fresh dill
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tsp crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 45oF
Prep the veggies, toss into a bowl
Toss the veggies with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to your taste
Spread the veggies in a single layer in a 9×13 inch pan, and put in the oven
The veggies need to cook for about 25 minutes, set the timer
Chop the fresh herbs and set aside.
10 min from the oven veggies completion, pre-heat a cast iron skillet on med-high
5 minutes from the end, drizzle just a bit of extra virgin olive oil in the skillet and add the fish fillets
Turn after 3 minutes, and finish cooking for two more minutes.
Sprinkle the fresh herbs on the veggies, and reserve some to sprinkle on the fish
Top with crumbled feta cheese
Plate the food, serve the wine!