Match of the week
Scallop and mango ceviche with Montes Cherub Syrah Rosé
Given Chile’s proximity to the coast, this week’s match couldn’t be anything but seafood but I’m going to pass over the more obvious pairings with sauvignon blanc in favour of this wildly brilliant combination of scallops and rosé.
It was served on the last night of our trip last week overlooking the vineyard where the syrah grapes were grown in the Colchagua valley (how cool is that?) It’s a strong (13.6%) dark rosé which gives an impression of sweetness but tastes much drier with food.
I didn’t expect it to work with the citrus in the ceviche but the fresh mango and chilli in the marinade make it a stunning match.
Other pairings Montes recommends are sushi (especially more innovative sushi such as that served by Sushi Samba, I’d venture), salmon with mushroom sauce, paella and “shrimp scampi” pasta, cannelloni and lasagne. I reckon it would also be good with barbecued chicken and pork.
(Infuriatingly having written all this I’ve discovered that the most recent vintages of Cherub Syrah are not available in the UK but a) I couldn't resist the label b) loved the pairing c) haven't got time to rewrite the post and d) it's well-distributed in the States (see wine-searcher.com) so at least some of my readers will be happy
Other strong fruity syrah rosés will obviously work too...
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