A wine, a recipe and an album
Touriga nacional, sorbet and Fiona Apple... yep, we have a sultry summer edition folks.
Thank you so much for being here, it has been a year. The best of plans completely went out the window, as is life. My paywall is still down because of that, but starting in September it will go back up on this series. I have a lot of fun things planned for this little series I created. For those new here, a wine, a recipe and an album is a series I do where I pair a wine and an album with the recipe I am making. So not to be confused with pairing the wine with the food, I pair the wine with the making of the food.
The Wine
The wine is a 2018 Touriga Nacional from Quinta das Carvalhas. This deep ruby colored wine is full of everything nice and a little spice. For the recipe I intended on making, I needed a deep, dark, sultry red wine full of fruit and spice but not overly complicated as the album is complicated enough. I also wanted a wine that was readily available in the US market and under $25. I find the majority of people that ask me for wine recommendations from Portugal want that sweet spot at $25 or below.
Quinta das Carvalhas has one of the largest and most stunning properties in the Douro facing the town of Pinhão in the Cima Corgo sub-region (the middle of the region). There are references written about the winery dating back to 1759. The estate is known for their Port wines, but they also excel at still red and white wines.
This wine needs to breathe to fully appreciate it. I recommend using an aerator or decanting it prior to drinking. If you have neither of these items use a pitcher. No shame in that, it gets the job done and it is what I use most of the time, because honestly cleaning a pretty decanter gives me anxiety so nope, not happening.
This inky beauty has all the classic hallmarks of a touriga nacional wine. Bursting with red cherry, dark fruits, black pepper spice a hint of licorice and a bit of floral notes as well. The wine is dark ruby red in color, truly beautiful (and matches the color almost perfectly of the dessert and yes, this was a factor in this pairing). It’s a medium bodied wine that you don’t need to actually pair with food because the tannins are not big, they are silky.
The recipe
Black raspberry and blueberry summer sorbet
*You will need an ice cream machine to make this. You can also substitute blackberries for black raspberries.
Ingredients
2 cups of black raspberries
2 cups of blueberries
2 lemons juiced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn starch (optional to help keep soft in freezer)
Directions
Place blueberries and black raspberries in a blender and puree completely.
Add water, lemon juice and sugar to a sauce pot.
Strain the puree over the sauce pot with a fine mesh strain.
Heat on low until all sugar has disintegrated.
Add in cornstarch, mix to combine.
Remove from heat and place in fridge once it has cooled for at least 2 hours.
Remove your ice cream bowl from freezer and churn based on model directions.
Let harden overnight in freezer. Then serve and savor.
The album
I’m throwing today’s album back to the 6th grade when Tidal by Fiona Apple came out. I had already been singing at this point semi-professionally for almost 5 years, studying classical, jazz and broadway and was exposed to extremely wonderful singers through my studies. And yet, I had never heard a voice like Fiona’s outside of classical and jazz singers, until this album came out. I remember standing in line at the Borders in Ardmore, Pennsylvania waiting to listen to the CD before I bought it. For those under 40, yes that was a thing and it was awesome. The moment I heard her voice, I got goosebumps. She has the most honest voice I had ever heard and to this day, still remains at the top of that list for me. At that age I didn’t understand the lyrics to most of her songs but now as an adult I do and it makes me adore the strength in this album so much more.
Tidal is a very sultry and addictive album. It makes me want to listen to it over and over. Kind of like this sorbet, it gives you a burst of tart sweetness which coats your mouth and leaves you wanting another bite which is why I chose this album. The touriga nacional had to be the wine I paired with Tidal. They both have beauty and elegance but they also have spice and darker aspects to them. They are complicated but at the same time can be simple in their enjoyment. This has been one of my favorite trios so far.
If you try the wine, the recipe or listen to the album, please let me know your thoughts.
