03/01/07 Food & Wine - Potatoes

Welcome to vine to wine this is your host Linda Moran. Awhile back, I was asked to speak at a "ladies luncheon". The attendees were the wives of Washington Potato farmers. We held a little food and wine pairing. I simply must share some of the potato preparations, and of course, the wines that went with them. Yes, it is true I conducted a food & wine pairing focused on potato dishes, and it was fun! The chef produced several recipes using potatoes as the main ingredient. We paired these items with wines from Jones of Washington a Winery in Quincy, Washington. The first dish was gnocchi, which is the Italian version of a potato dumpling. The gnocchi, topped with a roasted red pepper sauce and was a delightful match to the Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon. The second dish was a potato quenelle made with lots of roasted garlic. But when we tasted the quenelle with the Cabernet Sauvignon it really made the garlic pop out. When we had it with the Jones Family Riesling it was so different - it created a complimentary combination and the herbs and texture of the dish were made very pleasant. The third item was a leek and potato cake  and if it wasn't for the wines I doubt I would have eaten any of it. The Cabernet gave the dish a much needed lift of spice and the Riesling helped lift the leek flavors so you at least knew they were there. This was a classic case in which the wine saved the day. Thank you to Jones of Washington, this is a new winery that I will definitely be keeping track of. And thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.