Cooking with Wine - Spicy Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

Hey all of you readers of The Oregon Wine Blog! I’m Jill, a friend the non-snooty bloggers who you know and love and the new Culinary Specialist on staff. I only recently developed a love for wine after moving to Washington state four years ago. I grew up in Wisconsin, the land of cheese, beer, and the Packers; you don’t see much wine at Lambeau on game day!

When I have time, I LOVE cooking and baking, so I'll be writing about recipes involving wine sharing various culinary delicious bits with you. Recipe suggestions WELCOME. And I think chardonnay cake is coming in the future, so let that tantalize your taste buds and flirt with future possibilities as I share tonight’s little ditty:

Spicy Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ cups sliced asparagus
1 ½ lbs peeled deveined shrimp
1 c. chardonnay
French baguette

Prepare asparagus cutting off bottoms of stalks that are too woody or thick. Slice into 1 inch sections.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add garlic, salt, and both peppers. Saute for 2 minutes. Add asparagus and continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Stir frequently. Add shrimp and cook for 4 minutes. Add chardonnay. For this recipe, I used Columbia Crest Two Vines Chardonnay. The apple and pear flavors of the wine really worked with everything else. Bring the chardonnay for a boil for 3 minutes. Then, turn down to medium low heat, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes to let the flavors grow.

Slice the baguette into 1 inch slices. Put in oven or toasted until lightly toasted on both sides. Remove everything from heat, and put into shallow dishes or bowls. Use bread to enjoy the lovely juices.

Tips:

Make sure to buy the thinnest asparagus possible. The thicker asparagus is, the woodier the texture and flavor. Also, the cooking time may vary once the wine is added. If you have very thin asparagus, it may be less. Continue to sample the asparagus as you go to make sure it isn’t getting limp or mushy. You can also add lemon juice for added flavors in this recipe. Start with a dash and work up if you like the flavor.

Shameless kitchen gadget plug:

The Pampered Chef garlic press is probably one of the greatest things I have ever been given. It’s a garlic press that doesn’t require you to peel the garlic before you press it. I usually just press garlic through this rather than actually taking the time to mince it.

Top 2 Value Labels

Wine Enthusiast's recent top 100 best buys list inspired us to finally write an article we've been thinking about for quite some time. If you're anything like us, chances are your friends have pegged you as their resident wine expert. Inevitably, your wine novice friends will ask you what wine they should buy. To complicate things, this friend doesn't even know if they prefer red or white wines. They also don't want to spend more than $15.

What do you say? Sure, you could create an abbreviated list of wines from Wine Enthusiast's list. You could even take a wild guess and tell your friend to get a specific wine. Another option, which happens to be one of our favorites, is to do something a little different.

We suggest an entire label.

That's right. Our wine newbie strategy is to give somebody a label and say "have at it." The following two value labels are what we consider to be the absolute safest labels to suggest where not a single wine would be considered sub-par.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates
Columbia Crest's Grand Estates line is the first thing that pops in our heads when somebody wants us to suggest a solid value line. It's one of the few we feel comfortable enough to tell somebody that they can grab anything with a Grand Estates label on it knowing that they'll be pleasantly surprised. If asked specifically what to pick up, we will usually suggest their Cab Sauv as a favorite.

Columbia Crest's Grand Estates wines usually range from $6-$10 for white varietals and $9-$14 for reds. Beyond price, the other added benefit is you can pretty much assure that Grand Estates wines will be available at almost any grocer.

Barnard Griffin Tulip Wines
Look for the label with the tulips, pick what sounds the best, and walk away with a great wine at a low price.

To be frank, Barnard Griffin doesn't mess around and this includes their Tulip wines. Like the Grand Estates line, Tulip wines include both reds and whites. One of my personal favorites is their non-vintage Cabernet-Merlot. Of the white offerings, it's worth noting that they offer a rather unique varietal in the form of a Fume Blanc. Your white wine loving friends will feel at least ten times classier!

Expect to pay a dollar or two more for reds versus the Grand Estates line, but also be aware that these tend to be on sale almost as often as they're not. Whites will usually run $9-$14 and can often be found on sale as well. Distribution is national, so chances are Tulip wines can be found at your local grocer.

So, there you have it! It may sound a lot lazier than painstakingly narrowing down your friends' tastes to a perfect wine, but there's also something to be said for giving somebody the freedom to safely experiment.

Anybody out there know of other value lines that you would suggest as universally great?

Columbia Crest Pinot Grigio

My friends in Oregon have eloquently described wine of the Willamette Valley with due diligence. I’ve been engrossed in their literary prowess, craving the very wine they recommend. What I’ve noticed is a rapid exchange of Oregon wine cycling in and out of my wine rack. The problem you ask; a light layer of dust has immersed itself on bottles deserving equal tasting time and literary love. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m talking about the wine of my region, Washington Wine.

I’ll start with two bottles, yes two, which my wife recently surprised me with. She not being a wine connoisseur, recently asked “What wine do you like?” I explained “Anything Pinot”, thinking it would ease her frustration in a more than convoluted wine aisle at our local market. What she selected were the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Pinot Grigio 2005, and 2006 editions.

My introduction to the Columbia Crest Winery was at a wedding several years ago. While watching nuptials exchange, my thoughts moved to wine, and a growing concern that the Columbia Crest Winery was more a tourist attraction than a winery. Less than a year ago, my wife and I enjoyed a Murder Mystery Dinner Train which again took us to the winery. Thoughts of commercialism solidified, yet multiple tasting sessions appeased the palate and kept me coming back for more.

A late evening treat awaited, and I first opted for the 2005 edition. I was welcomed by the subtle flavor of acidic fruits, like peach and citrus, noting each flavors distinct presence. Winemaker Ray Einberger describes the wine as being crisp and clean. I agreed. After several sips, a light layer of tartness evolved to some dismay. No blame to Columbia Crest on this as it's to be expected when drinking an acidic wine.

I followed up the next night, drinking the 2006 edition. First impressions included an overall sweeter taste, which makes sense considering a slight increase in the sugar count compared to the 2005 edition. Much of the same flavors evolved, noting more satisfaction in this glass over the other.

I’ll admit some reluctance in using the Columbia Crest label for my introductory post. Its powerful role in the Washington Wine region, alongside its neighboring Woodinville winery, Chateau St. Michelle, can be equated to the analogous role exhibited by Starbucks and Tully’s. While the debate over large wineries versus small ones can continue another time, I must give credit where credit is due. Columbia Crest Winery continues to provide a wine at an unavoidable price point, less than $15.00, and I can’t help but realize that I keep coming back for more. While I may not select this Pinot Grigio again, the Columbia Crest label will almost always hold a spot in my wine rack.

Bottoms up!

Update and 2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cab

Here at The Oregon Wine Blog, there are times of the year in which we are limited in our ability to post as a result of the jobs that actually pay us. It is the downfall of our staff pretty much all working in the same industry -- university administration. Being the start of the school year, this is one of those times. Sorry. Things will settle down in a week or two and the posting traffic will pick back up. And, if anyone would like to pay me to do THIS, email me - josh@theoregonwineblog.com :)

Last week I was in Bend with some friends, and we cracked open a bottle of wine that I was familiar with previously although it's allure had fallen into a forgotton corner of my palate: 2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Columbia Crest is another Eastern Washington winery, located in the Horse Heaven Hills of the Columbia Valley (Paterson, WA). Columbia Crest markets under three labels -- Reserve, Grand Estate, and Two Vines. I have consistenly been impressed by the Grand Estate offerings, their middle-tier wines which are available as a quite reasonable price point.

Tasting notes from the winemaker are pretty darn accurate: "Slight spice, chocolate, and hints of coconut and black cherry aromas lead into a subtle and harmonious balance of oak and fruit on the palate. This supple wine trails into a slightly spiced cocoa finish.” The chocolate notes and cocoa finish were particularly prominent for me. It's a very drinkable wine and you can't go wrong for $12.99. Seriously. We bought another bottle the other day and it's nearly gone. While the 2004 is pretty widely available at retailers, the 2003 in my opinion is even better. I haven't seen this on the shelves lately but it looks like it is still available at the winery. Darn it, I want to buy some now.

With that, I'll leave you all to vinification bliss. On a final note, if there is something you would like to see on The Oregon Wine Blog, leave a comment or send me an email.