Those who don’t eat meat, or other non-vegetable protein such as fish or cheese, may feel slighted by the wine and food pairing club. You don’t hear much about chardonnay with chard or peas with pinot. But the elements in foods and food preparations that make for delicious wine pairings — fats, salt, acidity and cooked-in or roasted sugars — are often more present in vegetable-based dishes than they are in those that feature meat. A wide range of white and light red wines, to say nothing of a bevy of bubblies, would be terrific with this pasta preparation.
The food: Chive Pesto Pasta
Pulse 1 bunch chives, 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely chopped. With machine running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup olive oil until a paste forms. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet; add 2 red bell peppers, diced. Season with salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini, each diced; cook until squash begins to soften. Stir in 6 chopped green onions. Toss vegetables with 8 ounces cooked angel hair pasta and plenty of the chive pesto. Makes: 4 servings
— Recipe by Joe Gray
The wines
• 2013 Bogle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, California: No mistaking the true-blue sauvignon character, crisply rendered: grapefruit, lime, lemongrass, touch of asparagus. $10-$11
• 2012 Qupe Syrah, Central Coast, California: Super value in pretty richly turned out syrah, with dark red fruit aromas and flavors accenting with spice and blue fruit notes. $20
• 2013 Alamos Torrontes, Salta, Argentina: An assertive torrontes — very flowery, almost perfumelike — with fine acidity; meant for dishes with hefty, pronounced flavors. $8-$10
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