Rias Baixas Wines 2008 Recipe Pairing Contest Winners
For the past semester, I have worked as an intern with the Rías Baixas Albariño US campaign. While there was a lot of hard work, one of the definite perks of the job was being able to participate in the campaign’s annual consumer recipe pairing contest. Each year, the campaign sponsors an online competition that asks amateur chefs to log on to the website and enter their favorite original recipes. The competition brings in hundreds of inventive recipe entries from all over the country. Once the entries are in, they are narrowed down to a select few by a professional recipe tester, with the top six contenders judged by a professional panel. This year, the judging was kicked up a notch as two well-known “foodies” were invited to check out this year’s finalists—Top Chef Season One winner and Chef/Owner of NYC’s Perilla Restaurant Harold Dieterle and Food & Wine Magazine’s Deputy Wine Editor Ray Isle.
Good Light Studios, where the recipe contest judging took place, is a sprawling loft space with 25ft tall ceilings and 15×20ft windows overlooking the Hudson River. The kitchen was in full swing when Harold and Ray arrived and not soon after, glasses of Rías Baixas Albariño wine were flowing. Finalist dishes ranged from appetizers and soups to main courses. After multiple tastings and scorings, three dishes stood out as the front runners: a Smoked Trout Almondine Brandade, Pancetta Wrapped Oysters with Broiled Lemons, and Spicy Thai Crab and Sweet Corn Fritters.
Seated around a large kitchen table with score cards and recipes, each judge had multiple wine glasses to pair different Albariños with each dish. As the dishes arrived, Harold and Ray took turns throwing in their “two cents” about presentation, texture, flavor, and pairing with the Albariño wines.
By the end of the day, the judges marveled at the versatility of Albariños from Rías Baixas: it paired perfectly with the rich and nutty brandade, complemented the corn fritters with its citrus notes and didn’t miss a beat with the savory pancetta and oyster dish. Chef Harold Dieterle perhaps said it best, “The consistent winner here today is Albariño.” While that might be true, find out which recipe took home the top prize this year at www.riasbaixaswines.com.
