Our Wine of the Week, Ridge 2007 Geyserville Zinfandel ($35), doesn't fool around. It is lush, ripe, concentrated and lively, with abundant fruit that ranges from vibrant ruby through purple to deep midnight black. Its roots, so to speak, stretch down into such earthy qualities as licorice, lavender, bramble and briar. Higher notes suggest olallieberries, black currents and dried strawberry, with threads of warm spice, vanilla and fragrant black pepper weaving throughout the wine and its long finish.
One of the wine's most engaging qualities is its fullness; it ignores no part of the palate but tickles every nook and cranny with its complexity, a characteristic created by blending: The wine is just 58 percent zinfandel, with substantial percentages of carignane and petite sirah and an almost homeopathic amount of mataro (mourvedre).
Alcohol is substantial, 14.4 percent, and tannins are big and someone harsh and dry on the finish. Age will mitigate the tannins, as will careful pairing.
It is easy enough to pair this wine successfully with those foods that traditionally go well with the varietal, slow-cooked tomato sauces and meat stews, barbecued meats, portobello mushrooms, sausages, polenta, almost anything with bacon and Asian-style beef, such as Korean steak.
But I did not want to take the easy way out with this wine, in part because I've written about these classic pairings recently. For this week's recipe, I've taken inspiration from two sources. First, I've adapted a recipe for risotto from "The Vintner's Table Cookbook," written by friend and colleague, Mary Evely, who died last year. Mary had a wonderfully focused, organized way of looking at food and wine pairing and I have always drawn inspiration from her work. I made a few subtle adjustments, calling for zinfandel instead of cabernet and adding a bit of fresh tarragon to resonate with the licorice in the wine. Toasted pine nuts highlight a subtle smoky quality. My other inspiration came from the sea; mussels happen to be a great match with zinfandel. In this instance, steamed mussels are flattered by the earthiness of both the wild rice and the wine. Strict vegetarians can either enjoy the risotto without the mussels or serve it with a simple ragout of lentils, which are also a great match with zinfandel.
Wild Rice Risotto with Steamed Mussels and Pine Nuts
Serves 4
2 pounds mussels, preferably small PEI
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup wild rice
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onions, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
3/4 cup zinfandel or other robust dry red wine
1 small tarragon sprig, optional
Black pepper in a mill
4 cups stock or water, see Note below, plus more as needed
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Vella Dry Jack
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon, optional
Rinse the mussel in cool water, pull off pieces of beard, if any, and discard any mussels that are broken, light for their size or do not close when tapped. Cover and set aside.
Set a small saute pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, being careful that they do not burn. Immediately transfer to a bowl or piece of wax paper. Set side.
Put the wild rice into a medium saucepan and add 3 cups of cold water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the grains just begin to pop open, about 30 to 40 minutes. Set a strainer over a bowl and pour the wild rice and cooking liquid into it. Set the wild rice aside and return the cooking liquid to the saucepan. Add enough stock or water to equal about 5 cups. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to very low and keep hot.
Put 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a deep saute pan or medium saucepan and put the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a second saucepan big enough to hold the mussels. Put the onion, carrot and half the garlic into the first pan (with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil) and put the remaining garlic and the shallot into second pan. Set both pans over medium-low heat and saute until the aromatics are soft and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes for the onion and 7 to 8 minutes for the shallot. Season both with salt. Remove the second saute pan from the heat.
Add the uncooked rice to the cooked onion, carrot and garlic and saute, stirring constantly, until the grains turns milky white, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zinfandel and the tarragon sprig, if using, and simmer, stirring gently, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Begin adding the hot stock or water, a half cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the liquid is absorbed. When the rice is almost but not quite tender, stir in the cooked wild rice. Use tongs to remove and discard the tarragon sprig. Continue to cook, with smaller additions of stock--about 1/4 cups at a time--until the rice is tender but not mushy.
Working quickly, return the second pan to high heat, add the white wine and the reserved mussel, cover and cook for 4 minutes; check and continue to cook for another minute or so if the mussels have not opened. Remove from the heat.
Stir the cheese into the risotto, taste, correct for salt and season generously with black pepper. Divide among individual soup plates and top with the mussels. Sprinkle with Italian parsley and pine nuts and serve.
Stock: A good poultry or meat stock contributes both flavor and structure to risotto. The very best stock for this recipe is duck but you may also use chicken stock, though I recommend using just 2 cups along with 2 cups of water. Mushroom stock also adds a delicious element that resonates nicely with the wine. If you use water be sure to taste carefully and add salt if the risotto is a bit flat. If you are an ambitious and confident cook, strain the cooking liquid from the mussels and use it for the last addition or two of stock.
Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com.
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