Spring is on the horizon and we’re releasing a new vintage of our 2019 Viognier! This vintage is a blend of premium fruit from two well established vineyards, Raju Vineyard in Osoyoos near the Canada/US border and Fool’s Gold Vineyard in Oliver. The warm south Okanagan sites allow for full ripeness of this classic Rhone variety, enhancing the fruit forward aromatics and palate.
Luminous and fragrant, our dry and sophisticated Viognier shows fresh pink grapefruit, lime and honeysuckle scents on the nose. The palate is bursting with fruit flavours, notably passion fruit and grapefruit, with a clean, crisp finish. We suggest enjoying on its own or with bold, spicy or savoury dishes such as Southeast Asian curries or Moroccan tagines. For a vegetarian option, roasted root vegetables and creamy cheeses such as Gorgonzola or a triple cream brie also work well. Our Assistant GM and Sommelier Trevor Allen has provided us a delectable recipe pairing to try that he’s adapted from Food & Wine Magazine. This colourful and tasty dish is simple to pull together and the peanut sauce can be made up to a week ahead of time with the chicken / mango skewers only taking about 15 minutes for prep/cook time.
Chicken with Red Curry-Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
1 large mango, peeled and cut into 2-inch squares, about ¼ inch thick
1½ lbs skinless, boneless free range chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ cups Red Curry-Peanut Sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Lime wedges, for serving
Method: Light a grill. In a bowl, toss the mango with the chicken and 3 tbsp of the peanut sauce and season lightly with salt and pepper. Loosely thread the mango and chicken onto 8 skewers, alternating the pieces. Brush the skewers with oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until the chicken is lightly charred in spots and nearly cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush 2 tbsp of the peanut sauce on the skewers and grill, turning, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick to brush, thin it slightly with water. Serve the chicken-and-mango skewers with lime wedges and pass the remaining peanut sauce at the table.
For the Red Curry-Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp light brown sugar
6 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 ½ tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
Method: In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and whisk for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Whisk in the peanut butter, then slowly whisk in the coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lime juice and fish sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.
