Cliff Raven Torrontes Paired with Shrimp Tacos with Pickled-Red-Onion Salad
December 9, 2010
I chose this recipe knowing full-well that it would make a perfect pairing, and I wasn’t proven wrong!
The recipe I selected was for Shrimp Tacos with Pickled-Red-Onion Salad. Not exactly a winter dish, but Torrontes isn’t a winter wine!
This was certainly an eclectic recipe, the red onion salad calls for green cabbage, mango, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, orange juice, pumpkin seeds and a little maple syrup (to name but a few ingredients). Not really a combination that I have ever tried before, but the salad really made the whole dish! Some of the best tacos I’ve ever had, and I urge you to give this recipe a try!
The Cliff Raven Torrontes is a wine that is made for a dish like this!
Torrontés is probably the most distinctive of all Argentine grapes, mainly because Argentina is really the only country that grows it. Torrontés is fresh, crisp, aromatic and rarely sees oak aging in order to preserve these characteristics. If you were to compare it to other grapes, I guess it could be closest to a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
The Cliff Raven Torrontes showed peach, nectarine, honeydew melon, grapefruit and subtle floral aromas. Light and crisp with restrained alcohol and bracing acidity. I would challenge anyone to find a better pairing for this dish!
I’m going to rate this pairing as a…
Perfect Match!
~ My Food & Wine Pairing Guide~
Bad Match
The interaction of wine and food when tasted together has a negative impact on the senses. This is common when the food item is high in acidity, salt, bitterness, or spiciness.
Refreshment
Many times wine serves simply as a satisfying refreshment to accompany a certain food choice. The refreshment match may be appropriate when the food severely inhibits a good or synergistic wine choice.
Neutral
These pairing situations are average and pleasant, but are missing an element of individuality and thus cannot provide a superior gastronomic experience.
Good Match
In this situation, you have found a wine that matches the food item’s basic components (sweet, sour, bitter, salty) and overall body.
Perfect Match
This essentially means the combined effect of the wine and the food paired together is superior to the sum of the individual parts.
