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| Spicy Chicken and Albarino - 9/11/2008 |
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| Menu
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Spicy Tomato Chicken and Noodles
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| Wine
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Don Olegario Albarino 2005
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| Comments
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Our first sampling of this golden Spanish wine revealed a pleasant fruity nose with plenty of citrus. This wine, made in the Rais Baixas region of Spain, is the sole variety raised and produced by the Don Olegario winery. Their focus on one grape has produced a lovely white wine with a subtle complexity of flavors. Initially tart, bright and refreshing, the lemony fruits soften into refined acids. JJ was less excited about it as he found the tartness not to his liking. However, I suspected it would be a good match for our food that had a lot of tangy flavors of its own.
On the menu was an easy to prepare one dish meal. Spicy chicken was simmered in a sauce of fresh tomatoes, garbanzo beans, olives, lemons, and an interesting array of flavorings all arranged on a bed of tender homemade noodles. There was a nice bite of hot pepper contrasted with sweet spices and savory onions and garlic. This flavorful Mediterranean inspired dish was a good match for the Albarino which always works well with tomato based dishes. The acids from the tomatoes and lemons harmonized with and smoothed the lemony acids in the wine making a soft complimentary pairing. Not a single note of bitterness entered the combination in this tasty dining experience.
After the meal, the wine rebounded with a note of minerality not noticed before. Still refreshing, crisp and light, this Albarino makes a nice alternative to Sauvignon Blanc with good depth of fruit forward flavor and well balanced mineral and acids on the finish.
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