Pairings: Sauvignon blanc with braised fennel and celery

Our Wine of the Week, Angeline Vineyards and Winery 2014 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($15), certainly has a south of the equator quality. The wine is big and juicy, more so than most sauvignon blanc, with a cornucopia of fruit flavors that include kiwi, mango, grapefruit, Key lime, sour orange and Meyer lemon, along with a bit of fennel. These qualities first appear as aromas in the wine’s generous bouquet, giving it a seamless quality from first sip to final finish.

If you pay attention to the wine as it warms in your mouth, you’ll notice something akin to caramelized sugar, similar to the thin crust atop creme brulee. It is subtle, but it is there if you want to notice it.

At the table, the wine will do best if you think beyond the standard pairings of white seafood, pork tenderloin, green vegetables and citrus. It pairs nicely with light cream sauces and would be a good match with fettuccine Alfredo. It also is a good match with dishes that include mustard, such as chicken Dijonnaise. Depending on the cooking technique, the wine will go nicely with winter squash; try it steamed with a squeeze of lime juice and some fresh cilantro.

For today’s recipe, I’m suggesting a favorite side dish perfect at this time of year, including on your holiday table. On a weeknight, serve it as a main course with a little pasta or rice alongside and a big green salad.

Braised Fennel and Celery

Serves 4 to 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds fennel bulbs, fronds removed, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise (see Note below)

3 shallots, trimmed and peeled

3-4 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch wide diagonal slices

- Kosher salt

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 bay leaf

- Black pepper in a mill

- Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

- Lemon wedges

Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a heavy sauté pan and set over medium heat. Add the fennel, cut side down, and sauté until the cut side is lightly browned. Add the shallots and celery, season with salt, add the wine and lemon juice and tuck the bay leaf into the pan. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and braise gently until the fennel and shallots are very tender, about 50 to 60 minutes.

When the vegetables are fully tender, uncover the pan, increase the heat to high and reduce the cooking liquid to about 4 tablespoons. Tip the vegetables and pan juices into a serving dish, drizzle it with the remaining oil, season with several generous turns of black pepper and top with lemon zest and parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Note: Fennel is now available in sizes that range from not much bigger than your thumb to larger than your fist. For this recipe, medium and large bulbs work best.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts “Mouthful, Smart Talk About Food, Wine & Farming” each Sunday at 6 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.