Pairings: Mild chile dishes with sauvignon blanc

Longboard Vineyards 2015 North Coast Sauvignon Blanc, our Wine of the Week, is surprisingly lush and rich, with an upfront brightness that reappears on the wine's generous finish. On first sip, you'll notice ruby grapefruit and a hint of pomelo, along with an aroma of orange flower blossoms.

The plushness is most noticeable mid-palate, when the wine spreads out over your tongue. You'll sense a suggestion of sweetness, too, and bursts of peaches, nectarines, lychee, kiwi and white pineapple that create an overall refreshing experience. There is just a hint of jalapeño, too.

The wine is excellent with such seafood as scallops, shrimp, lobster, grilled oysters, snapper and butterfish. It is also excellent with green beans, zucchini, mild chiles and tomatoes that are not too sweet. It goes beautifully with cilantro-based sauces and is a good choice with many Indian dishes, especially biryanis, provided there is not too much heat.

Today's recipe celebrates the season's chile harvest, with a simple salsa that has complex flavors that flatter the wine like a smooth-talking stranger in your favorite dive bar.

Stuffed Chiles with Green Shiso Salsa

Serves 3 to 4

8 mild chiles, such as a New Mexico variety or poblanos

- Green Shiso Salsa (recipe follows)

8 ounces cheese, such as St. George, Bellwether Carmody, Vella Mezzo Secco, grated

8 small corn tortillas

1 lime, cut in wedges

Set the chiles over a high flame or very hot burner and turn them as their skins blacken and loosen. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a tea towel, and set aside. Make the salsa.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use your fingers to peel off the skins of the chiles. Use a paper towel to wipe off any charred bits.

Set each chile on a clean work surface and carefully make a slit down one side. Pull out the seeds and stuff each chile with about an ounce of cheese. Set it on a nonstick baking sheet. Cook it on the middle rack of the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 6 minutes.

While the stuffed chiles cook, heat the tortillas over a low burner or in a hot dry pan, turning them frequently until they soften and are hot but not crispy. Quickly wrap them in foil and set over a very low flame to keep hot.

When the cheese is melted, remove the chiles from the oven and transfer to individual plates. Tuck a tortilla under each chile, top with a generous spoonful of salsa, garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.

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Green Shiso Salsa

Makes about 1½ cups

1 pound ripe green tomatoes, stemmed and cut into medium dice

3 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and cut into very thin rounds

1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

- Kosher salt

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar

- Juice of 1 lime, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh shiso leaves

- Black pepper in a mill

Put the tomatoes into a medium bowl. Add the scallions, serrano and garlic. Toss and season generously with salt.

Stir in the vinegar, lime juice and olive oil. Taste, and correct for salt and acid. Add the cilantro and shiso, along with several turns of black pepper.

Stir, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This salsa is best used within a day of making it.

Michele Anna Jordan is author of the new “Good Cook's” series. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com and visit her blog at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.